Coffee has now been relegated to a lobby outside the main hall, to keep noise levels down during rehearsal, so some of the beginning is missed as setting up takes place, but the dulcet tones of the music can still be heard. Start with a reprise of the opening number, has everyone remembered what they're doing? Joe is playing the piano this week, so Martin has a chance to conduct. Dancers seem to have remembered more or less what they're doing, and it gets a reprise through to the tinhorn fugue - so our three gamblers have a chance to demonstrate the power of their vocal chords and lungs. Feedback from Ali: even extras should have a story in their heads, to inform the energy (or lack thereof) in their moves. Only the hookers and tourists should look tired! Constant parade of extras behind the singers of the fugue. Brashness and urgency are inbuilt in the American psyche - so here it needs to be added.
That run through done, some finessing. A few notes about temporary props to enable the cast to rehearse more accurately, and then moving on, although this instruction does later result in a copy of Guys and Dolls being brandished in lieu of the Evening Standard.
Follow the Fold is next, so cast need to remember who is Salvation Army. Others will be singing from the wings, but only hardcore SA will be on stage initially and Ali gives instructions about who, what, where and how. The temptation for those not needed to chatter above a whisper is too much to resist - clearly, they're not the SA members! - and Ali needs to raise her voice a couple of times to reprimand. But generally the hint is taken and coffee is garnered i.e. not in the hall.
Follow the Fold - Martin walks round within the singers to identify which parts everyone is singing and immediately reallocates a new alto to bolster the two that are there (there are sopranos to spare).
After a brief rehearsal, a call goes out for some of the tourists to come and watch the SA Doing Their Thing, so a few coffees are placed carefully on a nearby table in the hope that they remember where they put them after they have finished admiring the Salvationists. A stand is carried on to elevate Sister Sarah as she leads the singing and she does her best to encourage the spectators to stray no more, but the American tourist definitely winked at her as he walked past and did not stop to pray!
The mission band are warned that they may have tambourines to bash, although Agatha tells me gleefully that she will have a triangle. There is a stern call from Martin to the errant musicians just before the next run through of this section, and then some giggling, so they may have had something even more surreptitious planned that he spotted. Another run through and the bobby soxers are told to giggle at frequent intervals - can't see that being a challenging part of their role!
A brief break and everyone is summoned back into the hall for Nicky to talk about the arrangements for ordering tickets, which have to be done on the forms that are being circulated. She has two orders already and will be leaving in 5 minutes if anyone wants to order tickets now.
Also, Martin announces an Akeman concert in aid of Katherine House Hospice on October 8th, the Fauré Requiem and Haydn's Little Organ Mass, with two of our number singing solo parts.
While we're on announcements, Andrew reminds the cast that there is a rehearsal tomorrow at the new Catholic parish hall. There is in fact a rehearsal schedule now but it will be emailed tomorrow, so check your mail (and make sure that BCOS has an up to date email address for you!).
At this point, I had a technology failure. Well, not this point exactly, more at the end, but I inadvertently deleted the additional paragraphs I had written back to this point. Consequently, the rest of the evening's proceedings are rather more précised than I had originally intended. The moral is probably to use pen and paper in future, but you just know that I won't! So, what can I remember happening next?
Another run-through from the very beginning. Ali's verdict: pretty good for a second rehearsal. There are still notes, of course, but that's the way of things. Now the ladies leave, so you might think that it gets a bit quieter, but in fact this is not the case.
The Oldest Game is rehearsed next. Some choral stage whispering sends shivers down Martin's spine, but only once they've got it right. Then Ali gets, possibly, carried away. She gives the men some dance steps. There are a couple of men away this week, but we're sure that they can be slotted in. And then a couple more names are remembered.... Oh, well. A rehearsal of singing *and* dancing suggests that for some men it might be an either/or position, but who knows what will come with practice. Because you just know that they are going to have to practise that one again...
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