After last week's break to rehearse Christmas carols and audition two potential Musical Directors, we were all buzzing. Or at least very noisy. Ali had to quieten us down for the first, very important, announcement - there is no rehearsal this Sunday! But there are still rehearsals on the 2nd and 16th October, so be aware. These dates are on the schedule which has been emailed to everyone on the email list. If you haven't received one, maybe the email address the society has for you isn't up to date! While we were relatively quiet, there were a couple of other announcements: anyone who is interested in working backstage for Oxford Opera's production of Carmen, let Trevor know. Finally a plea from Rina - is there anyone who can help put up the banner in Sheep Street/has a ladder they could lend? We have the banner already, we just need to put it up.
Then the rehearsal proper begins. Ali wants to start with the men, so ladies go and practise dance steps. We will be doing Runyonland and then Havana, but first a rerun of the Oldest Established Game, since the last rehearsal was missing a few men. Martin is playing the piano this week - Joe has gone up to uni now (good luck, Joe!) and the new repetiteur doesn't begin until October. The solo line singers are reminded and there is a quick revision of dance steps. One or two men are misinterpreting the single finger gesture and will have to be reined in. It was suggested that I include the choreography of this number in the blog, but that would require more concentration than I can manage in addition to knowledge of how to do choreographic notation. (I suspect also it's so that they don't have to remember what Ali is telling them tonight, but that's another matter.) But there's a faux walk and then some marching involved as they do good old reliable Nathan. Men are put in their groups, taller at the back, leaning forward with one arm folded behind their backs. Some will be waving wads of lettuce. She said lettuce twice so I'm sure I didn't mishear. Quick run through and some steps done at the same time as singing, so it's a good start. For reasons that I don't understand, Sally is standing in the middle of the group of men. I will have to find out why later. I think she might be literally standing in for Nathan, who doesn't seem to be here, but she gives the rest of the men a focal point and a pivot around which they can do their dance.* Still missing one or two others but Ali can work with the group to get the balance right. Marching now in formation. Busby Berkeley, eat your heart out! There's forward and back at the same time, then left and right, which the group on the left seem to have come to terms with more readily than the group on the right. Do it again and try keeping time. Slowed down a bit, it works. At some point they will have to do it faster... But Ali needs them to be better in time so first of all they practise just marching in time. And singing at the same time. Watching from behind is probably more entertaining than from Ali's perspective. However, we reached a point where Ali cheered slightly so it must have improved. Progress on to the marching around with the final line in this section of the song. This brings us to having the men in a semicircle around 'Nathan' and Nicely. Then the final section choreography is given to them, mostly actions rather than steps. So clearly it's time to run through the whole thing. Which is stopped again after four bars to remind them of the beginning. The box steps are rather circular in places but they got to the end. Fortunately Martin sang nice and loud so that they could concentrate on the steps. Once more for luck and Martin says he's not going to sing, though he didn't quite stick to it. A little rearranging of where people are standing but we get to the end. They are told to practise the box steps in their groups at every available opportunity. Martin suggests that they all make sure they know all the words - even without the notes - by next week. Since Ali is telling them to move on certain words, it would make the dancing easier too.
Now Runyonland. Loud influx of ladies from elsewhere in the building so Ali has to call for quiet. We're going to do it once, Ali says, but Martin would like people to pay attention to the fact that the music has started so the action should also have started, so we end up with at least two starts. There is immediately plenty of action, probably in mostly the right places, but lots of talking too, presumably as people check with each other when they are supposed to be on. Ali suspects that little step rehearsal has been done outside, hot box girls and bobby soxers not together, not doing right steps. Tourists' feet are right but their heads need to be correct now too. Again, too much talking. It's a problem I regularly encountered doing school plays but then it was kids - this is adults! It's reassuring that it wasn't just me. It is difficult, however, for people who think they know what they're doing having to stand around while Ali briefs a different group. The two tourists who are supposed to photographing the hookers have a rather salacious smile on their faces! Questions are asked by cast members around me about Toby's role as he strolls nonchalantly across the stage but he eventually reveals he is a bellhop. It'll make more sense when he's carrying some props! Ali's verdict: you're getting better. It's said rather despairingly and she mutters something about needing another six months, but putting a brave face on it, gives some specific instructions to individual groups. Another run through which appears to the unpractised eye i.e. mine to go reasonably well. The pickpocket handover yields some laughter but I think they just broke whatever it was they were using as a prop.
Now, quiet, while Ali talks to us about pre-Communist Havana. The thing is, she says, this was designed for a company that has dancers. Great guffaws. Ali sees the irony. Some dancers are yet to be appointed; Ali already knows that the hookers will be doing some sort of dance, but quite slowly as they will have bowls of fruit on their heads. More laughter. Sitting at tables in this scene - not the hot box girls, not the Salvation Army band and staff, not the bobby soxers - who's left? Two men dancers appointed and Ali admits to her bias as she names her choices of Mark and Paddy, but no-one complains. Hot box girls, bobby soxers, SA - you can go home now.
Now, setting the stage. Groups of chairs are arranged, people sit and natter and Martin plays the Havana music in the background as Ali double-checks her score for the necessary choreography. Once we're ready to start, people waiting for lifts are asked to wait elsewhere. There's no choreography written down because Ali wasn't sure how many people she would have, but it seems there are lucky thirteen sitting at tables in addition to Sky and Sister Sarah and a couple propping up the bar. The hookers and Paddy take over dancing with Sky and Sarah but at the moment it's all in slow motion. This is just as well as Ali appears to be organising some sort of snowball excuse me in the Cuban cafe which may or may not degenerate into a fight. This takes quite a while which does at least give Martin a chance to get a cup of coffee. Then it's back to fitting the actions in with the music. There is some hesitant dancing and the fight starts. It sort of works but then peters out and Ali briefs them again on the specifics of what each of the standing people is doing. Start again from the top and Ali watches with a critical eye, pauses them, redirects and then we start again, running through the whole section. Whether or not it goes according to plan I couldn't say, but everyone is on their feet or the floor by the end and Paddy and Luke have a fight that looks incredibly realistic so I hope no-one got hurt. Ali wants a little more variety in some of the fighting and dancing and then dismisses the rest of the fighters so that she can work with dancers.
At this point, I have a grovelling apology to make. I idly watched the dancers practise their turns and steps and then placed my attention elsewhere, most notably the packing up of the tea-things. So although Ali demonstrated, with Paddy, the clench she wanted the dancers to be doing, by the time I got my phone out, set it to camera and pointed it at the two of them, she had stopped. No amount of persuasion could change her mind. But I have witnesses, she was demonstrating. So perhaps, if you ask her to show you again next week how the clench goes, she might show you and I *might* be able to get photographic evidence.
*I confirmed later that Nathan was indeed absent and Sally was standing in for him. But fear not, Nathan will be at tomorrow's script rehearsal! He's just very very busy. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment