Opening Night: 1776
Posted on | January 27, 2008 | 1 Comment
Does anybody see what I see?
I’ve never had an opening night where I wasn’t worried. Even if I’m not second-guessing my own performance, my jitters come from second-guessing the whole enterprise. Are we rushing an important emotional moment and robbing it of its reality, or are we milking it for effect and letting it go too long, dragging the pace of the show down? Partly it’s the same separation anxiety parents must feel when sending their kids off into the world – we, the artists, are releasing the product of long labors to the world: did we prepare enough? Will it succeed? Should we just lock the doors and keep it to ourselves, to protect it?
And, also, as an actor, there’s a loss of perspective. On stage, you’re too close, you’re in the moment. In a show like 1776, you are only a small part of a very big whole. That, hopefully, is what a director is for. During tech week, he’s acting as a highly attenuated audience member more than anything, and you have to trust him/her.
Right now, I’m counting my blessings for the last two nights of previews. There’s been some talk about the utility of these, especially in the context of Chicago’s non-profit world. I know that small companies – who are paying through the nose for rehearsal space need every rehearsal to be a working one and every performance to be full price. But as any practitioner can tell you, the show always takes a hit when you add in new elements – set, costumes, lighting. Everyone has to adjust and find their feet again. An audience is the final piece of any production, the way the cast and director can check their theories of what works and what doesn’t, and the final word on what story is being told.
So, as with the addition of any new element, weird shit happens when an audience gets in the room. Everyone is so conscious of everything their first audiences do – why didn’t they laugh there? Why did they laugh that time? Are they quiet because they’re enthralled or are they quiet because they’re bored? It takes your focus from what you’re doing and you make stupid mistakes: two nights ago I zoned out and forgot to close a window – which made it awkward later in the scene when someone asked me to “open the window.” Last night I left the stage specifically to get a mug of rum for another character and somehow came back on without it. At a highly dramatic moment, I managed to call John Adams “Mr. Hancock” – and I didn’t even notice until I got offstage and the rest of the cast started needling me. I don’t think the audience notices these things, really – but for me, at least, calling a show a preview and lowering the ticket price, allow me to let myself off the hook when I fuck up. I can adjust to this final piece of the production, and get back to doing my job.
As I write this, I’m sitting in the Chopin. Props are being set, the band is going over last minute notes, and people are handing out opening night gifts. Ronan Marra is dressed to the nines and pacing around like an expectant father. The saints are out front and the audience is starting to arrive. In a minute we’re going to start vocal warm-ups. Then I’ll go backstage, put on my costume, and remind myself where my mugs are and to call John Adams “Mr. Adams.” The house will fill up the 130 seats in the Chopin Mainstage. And then we’ll begin.
And how it will end, God only knows.
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January 28th, 2008 @ 9:27 am
Not having done much stage acting myself, I have never thought of an audience being a new element for the actors to adjust to, like costumes, lights, sound, and all the other strange new additions to the show that make tech week such a joy for everyone involved.
I also had never thought about the financial stress it could pose to offer preview night tickets for a reduced price. As someone living entirely off student loans, though, I am grateful for the price break. For me it’s not the difference between paying half price versus full price, it’s the difference between seeing the production at half price versus not seeing it at all. If it weren’t for preview performances, student discounts, and free days at various museums I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of half the cultural riches that make Chicago such an exciting city.