Though I have not been auditioning as much I have been busy attending plays and musicals. Ever the critic I have been dying to share my opinions about them.
In January I had a friend visiting. We went to see Picnic. This William Inge play was about a small town in Kansas and how the visit of a strange man changes things for the residents. The cast included stars such as Ellen Burstyn. Maggie Grace and other stage and movie stars appeared in the play. Needless to say I was excited to see the show. You know how you get totally engrossed in a play and the lives of the characters that you almost forget it is fiction? Well, this never happened in this case. Something was off in the play. I'm not sure what it was but I never got lost in the play. I sat there thinking, "this is a weird play" or "why did they say that line like that?" It just didn't gel. There were two supporting roles that were very well done but for the most part I was completely disappointed. Did they not have enough time to practice? Was the director honestly happy with that performance? There is one good thing that came out of the show. My confidence gets a boost when I see a show like this. I know it's sad but true. There is hope. I can be on stage. If that is all you have to do, I'm in! I know theater should be better than that but seeing a show like this does give me hope.
The first week in February was amazing! I saw three shows in one week. What a great city I live in! The first was the NYC Ballet. A friend had extra tickets so I got to attend for free! We had tickets on the second or third row, how cool! They performed a waltz number, a jazz one and a classical piece. They were amazing. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone. They were so beautiful!
Then on Wednesday afternoon I went with a friend to see the play The Heiress starring Jessica Chastain, David Strathairn, Dan Stevens and others. The play written by Ruth & Augustus Goetz focuses on an heiress, her awful father, and a young man. The young man pursues the young heiress but the father thinks he is just after her money. Despite being extremely exhausted that day I loved the play. It was fabulous. I became engrossed in the characters' lives and desperately wanted to know what would happen to them. There is a heart wrenching part in the play when the heiress realizes no one loves her. This was awful to watch. I wanted to run up and give her a hug. It was very well done. I love seeing the actors live. There is nothing like it. I am so glad I got to see it before it closed!
Saturday afternoon Brenda and I went to see the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. This muscial by Rupert Holmes is based off of an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. In the musical there are theater actors that put on this mystery for you, the audience. I must admit it was quite confusing to have the actors playing actors and parts in the play. It was hard for me to keep it all straight. The music was good but the songs were all so very fast and it was difficult to understand all of the words which led to more confusion. The unique part of this musical is that the actors let you decide who killed Edwin Drood and they perform whichever ending the audience voted for. They offer discounts for those who want to see it again to see a different ending. This made the show more fun although it would have been even more fun had I understood what was happening but then I am not the sharpest tool in the tool box. The singing and dancing was really good. Chita Rivera also performed in the show. Yep, the Chita Rivera who played Anita in West Side Story. It sure was fun to see her perform live.
Just last Friday night a friend took me to see Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The sets were fabulous! I was completely amazed at how they changed and transformed. They did such a good job of showing the different perspectives you would see if you were following Spider-Man through the city. And I loved how they used the huge TV screen in the back too. I must admit I was less impressed with the music and storytelling. I thought they tried to stick to the movie too much. I think they could have told the same story but used more creativity and freedom that the stage offers. For example during one song Peter Parker is singing and there are ten Spider-Mans dancing behind him. It strayed from the literal (you are not supposed to know there are 10 others that swing from the wings!) but it was about the concept, that he had this identity, this power inside of him that he had to use. I loved that part! Also the play was over 2 1/2 hours long. It included several songs that I didn't think were vital to the story which left me asking why they were even put in there! I am glad I got to see it. The singing and acting was good. The show was good overall just not the hit I was expecting.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Back to my blog and auditioning
It has been months since I last posted. I must apologize to my three followers. I was...busy but not really. Well, I did lose my job. This did cause some stress and soul-searching, ah heck, I am always doing the soul-searching! Thankfully, I found another job as a nanny. I watch a little girl after school, Monday-Friday. She is tons of fun. The job is part time so I am able to attend auditions in the morning and evening. During my unemployment I didn't attend many auditions but I have done a few which I would like to report on.
Phantom of the Opera frequently has auditions for the corps de ballet. I went to this audition in Vegas once. They have you dance on pointe shoes, ballet, I can do this! What was I thinking? I hate pointe shoes! They kill your feet especially when it has been years since you've danced in them. At the audition they announced that they have no current openings they just want to see who is out there? I mean this is ridiculous! Who does job interviews when there is no opening? What is more ridiculous is the fact that 100 girls danced at the audition even though there is no opening. I mean are we desperate or what? Talk about a flooded market! What would have happened had we all walked out? I am just bitter because my feet hurt. I almost left early. It's a strange pride thing, "I must prove to myself that I can do the audition" The stupid thing is that if I got the part I would have to dance on pointe shoes every night. Why would I want to do that? Then why was I there? I am still trying to figure that out. I am not the brightest crayon in the box. The one good thing about that audition was that I got to see my dear friend, Deanna who is also a dancer.
Reasons to Be Pretty is a play that I auditioned for a couple of weeks ago. Brenda, my manager came with me. I went and read lines from the play. I did it. It was awkward. I felt like a little kid auditioning for the NBA. At least I tried? I am not sure that is what you would say to the kid trying to get into the NBA but I did try. You would probably tell them to keep practicing. This is what I'll do. I am excited to start another acting class in a few weeks! Training and more training is what I need!
The Little Mermaid was my next audition. They wanted us to do a ballet combination in our flat shoes, no pointe shoes! Can there be anything better? Plus, they were casting for Starlight Theater in KC, MO. I could be near my sister! I was excited. Again, my friend Deanna was there. We did our little combination, which I thought I did very well and then I was dismissed. Darn! As I left I noticed all of the girls that were asked to stay. They all seemed very tall. Oh well, their loss!
Prather Entertainment Group has companies in Pennsylvania and Florida. I am not even sure what shows their seasons consist of but I went anyway. I sang "Raunchy" from 110 in the Shade. It went well. I was nervous as always but I made it through. I might even be getting better at it. I was number 260 on the audition list. When the woman at the desk said I wouldn't be seen until after 3pm I told her I had to be at work at 2:30pm. She kindly moved me up to #60. She was so nice to do that so I could audition.
The Footloose audition was another dance audition. I went over an hour early and was #110 on the list. As I sat there waiting I realized that I didn't want to be there. Do I really want to be on stage dancing every night? Not really so why am I here? When the audition started they announced that they would only have time to see equity dancers which means that the other 200 of us could go home.
My soul-searching has included a lot of pondering on what I want and where I should focus my energy. I don't really want to be dancing on stage. I would rather be acting. Singing is my second choice and dancing is my third choice. So I will focus on acting. I know it seems ridiculous and backwards but that is what I want. Sometimes going after what you want makes the least amount of sense but at the same time isn't that where you will find the most fulfillment?
Phantom of the Opera frequently has auditions for the corps de ballet. I went to this audition in Vegas once. They have you dance on pointe shoes, ballet, I can do this! What was I thinking? I hate pointe shoes! They kill your feet especially when it has been years since you've danced in them. At the audition they announced that they have no current openings they just want to see who is out there? I mean this is ridiculous! Who does job interviews when there is no opening? What is more ridiculous is the fact that 100 girls danced at the audition even though there is no opening. I mean are we desperate or what? Talk about a flooded market! What would have happened had we all walked out? I am just bitter because my feet hurt. I almost left early. It's a strange pride thing, "I must prove to myself that I can do the audition" The stupid thing is that if I got the part I would have to dance on pointe shoes every night. Why would I want to do that? Then why was I there? I am still trying to figure that out. I am not the brightest crayon in the box. The one good thing about that audition was that I got to see my dear friend, Deanna who is also a dancer.
Reasons to Be Pretty is a play that I auditioned for a couple of weeks ago. Brenda, my manager came with me. I went and read lines from the play. I did it. It was awkward. I felt like a little kid auditioning for the NBA. At least I tried? I am not sure that is what you would say to the kid trying to get into the NBA but I did try. You would probably tell them to keep practicing. This is what I'll do. I am excited to start another acting class in a few weeks! Training and more training is what I need!
The Little Mermaid was my next audition. They wanted us to do a ballet combination in our flat shoes, no pointe shoes! Can there be anything better? Plus, they were casting for Starlight Theater in KC, MO. I could be near my sister! I was excited. Again, my friend Deanna was there. We did our little combination, which I thought I did very well and then I was dismissed. Darn! As I left I noticed all of the girls that were asked to stay. They all seemed very tall. Oh well, their loss!
Prather Entertainment Group has companies in Pennsylvania and Florida. I am not even sure what shows their seasons consist of but I went anyway. I sang "Raunchy" from 110 in the Shade. It went well. I was nervous as always but I made it through. I might even be getting better at it. I was number 260 on the audition list. When the woman at the desk said I wouldn't be seen until after 3pm I told her I had to be at work at 2:30pm. She kindly moved me up to #60. She was so nice to do that so I could audition.
The Footloose audition was another dance audition. I went over an hour early and was #110 on the list. As I sat there waiting I realized that I didn't want to be there. Do I really want to be on stage dancing every night? Not really so why am I here? When the audition started they announced that they would only have time to see equity dancers which means that the other 200 of us could go home.
My soul-searching has included a lot of pondering on what I want and where I should focus my energy. I don't really want to be dancing on stage. I would rather be acting. Singing is my second choice and dancing is my third choice. So I will focus on acting. I know it seems ridiculous and backwards but that is what I want. Sometimes going after what you want makes the least amount of sense but at the same time isn't that where you will find the most fulfillment?
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