Thursday, November 14, 2019

Pick up notes - music, etc.

Good work! It was a treat to see you all again and I enjoyed watching the polish you've added to the show.  That said, however.....

DICTION - CUTOFFS - TEMPOS - HARMONIES - STACCATOS - Sharpen them up!

Remember that the audience does not know the story...you all have a lot of information to impart, especially at top of show (Shingle and Monty) and throughout - there's a lot going on here that the audience could miss if you aren't all aware that you are telling a story with many moving parts.

keep your words at the front of your mouths, don't drop pitch/tone on the last word in a sentence - which is often the 'money' word in the sentence - hit your consonants, especially Ts, Ls, Ms, Ns;

I'd still like more full voice from Monty in the first part of Foolish...many words are hard to hear.

Backstage singers need to be sure you are with the rest of the orchestra and cast!!!! I heard you separate from the rest 2ce.

JP - Poor - timing off at "perplexed by your attitude".  You catch up, but...please watch the conductor!!!
CHORUS: Poor - review your notes at the end.

JP - Rev. - Just once, please?  Chartres is SHART. Not shartrez, not shartray. 

JP - check line in Bee scene - I believe it is your SISTER who keep the estate going, not your wife (who never comes to, etc..)

JP - Last One Part VII - review notes M17 - end.  There's a bit of slippage.

JP - find a way to listen better and check in with the conductor on Barrel of a Gun during the first verse.  You are rushing.  If you give a look/listen I think you'll find a way to stay together with the orchestra.

WELL DONE, ALL!!!!!!!  I had a blast working with you!  Have a great closing weekend.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Pickup Notes!

Thank you all for your good work tonight!  Photo call went incredibly smoothly, and the pickup was a good pickup.  If all y'all take your notes, and focus your not-inconsiderable energy toward repeating the things that work and fix the things that don't, you'll do all of us very proud.  Keep it up!



That said, here's the few notes I took:

All - PROJECT! ENERGY!
All - Don’t just move from moment to moment…justify!  What are you trying to achieve, what’s at stake if you do/don’t get it, what’s standing in your way, how are you getting around those obstacles?
Johnathan - Keep the D'Ysquiths all physically distinct
Backstage - TOO MUCH NOISE…silence everything past the curtains.
All - SCALE! The only way the audience gets that this is a satire is if you take everything up to 11!
Entourage - Look at your harmonies…and leave more gaps between each other in the circles
Johnathan - No conducting!
Rivkah - Make sure to enter from Up Left on the ‘Last One You’d Expect’ trio
Rivkah - Hear and respond to the things he says about you in ‘Sibella’, both for good and ill
Changeover - Missed the runner on the Dinner Table
Nico - Get into the light during the ‘Poison’ reprise
Guests - React to Lord Adalbert’s song…is this normal??!!
Nico - Really contemplate your fate in front of the Inspector
Backstage - I COULD HEAR NO FEWER THAN THREE CONVERSATIONS UNDER ‘STOP, WAIT, WHAT?’…QUIET!!!
Backstage - Who’s shoes were squeaking so loudly I could hear them walk from backstage to the pit??!!




Much respect, all...keep it getting better every time!

j.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Congratulations!!!

My pride in your achievement knows no bounds.  You had a terrific show.  Have a great run.
I paid full price and got every penny's worth. :0)  I love you all madly.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Huzzah!!! Preview!!!

WELL DONE, ALL! Shaving big chunks of time off Act I - huge! I'm so proud to have worked on this show with you.  Tomorrow I will be a regular theatre patron in the audience with my Sweet Babboo and we're looking forward to being swept away into the story of Monty and his pals.

I do, as you may have suspected, have a few final thoughts, to wit,

Also, please review last night's notes.  Too many of them still apply to tonight's performance.

EZRA GETS an A! for saying Get instead of Git - that was one I heard.  I heard git a few too many times.

All of you can be more full voiced in your lines.  Just because you're mic-ed doesn't mean you can mumble.

Please avoid looking down to convey any emotion - Sibella, your part seems to lend itself to rueful downward glances.  Please do not - A) you can't be heard; and B) you have no light on your face.

Speaking of light - too many of you do not find the light to be in.  I saw several of you singing your hearts out in the dark, standing next to a pool of perfectly good light.

Speaking of singing your hearts out - when you are facing down stage where the MONITOR is, there is NO EXCUSE for NOT LOOKING at the CONDUCTOR!!!!  Nick is up there waving his arms around like a banshee and no one is looking at him!!!   Please use that resource.  It could have saved many slices of bacon tonight.

MONTY: At top of show, please use full voice for your lines as well as the song.
SHINGLE: Better diction, can still up your game there.

MONTY: Foolish - still swallowing the words.  Sing on the vowels; lose the breathiness.  Picture yourself as a 250 lb baritone.

JOHNATHAN: You MUST get the pronunciation of Chartres right!  Everyone in the world knows how to pronounce this and they will be able to tell if you don't get it right.  SHART.  (not quite, but close enough) The Rev. is a well-educated man with a classic British public (which means private) school education and the equivalent of a Masters Degree in Divinity.  He knows his stuff.

MONTY: We would like to see a smile of satisfaction every time someone dies by your hand!

EVERYONE: Pick up the cues.  No space between lines.  You can take time to say the line but you must start it immediately after the previous line finishes.  Plan to breathe while the other person is talking so you can get right in.

JOHNATHAN: Every time you put on a jacket you must make sure the collar is folded back.  The rest of the outfit can look like heck but the collar of the jacket will make you look dressed if it's in place.

SIBELLA: Still mumbling through the "My husband" of the wedding scene verse.  We really need to hear you realize how awful Lionel really is and what's wrong with him.

JOHNATHAN: Better With... The Wrestle with and Boarding School notes are way too high.  Try to stay calm and listen so you can harmonize with Monty. 

MONTY: Bee scene with Phoebe, don't sit on the bench with your hands clasped behind your back...you look like you've been arrested. 

MONTY/SIBELLA: You both  must talk louder in the dialogue with underscoring in the middle of Look At Him...in order to be heard over the music.

MONTY: Grin with glee at the end of ACT I!!!!!!

MONTY/PHOEBE/SIBELLA:  BEST TRIO EVER!!!!!    You all need to have that level of energy for the whole show.

MONTY/PHOEBE: Can you enter more quickly after the butler announces you in the dinner scene?  Big gaposis there.

SIBELLA: Can you let us see more shock when you hear the engagement announced, please.

SHINGLE:  We really need to hear 39 years better.  And a bit of a twist of the knife as you aim the comment at Sibella.

EVERYBODY: IF SOMETHING FALLS ON THE FLOOR, PICK IT UP RIGHT AWAY.  IF YOU DON'T IT BECOME THE ONLY THING THE AUDIENCE IS LOOKING AT!

MONTY: Watch the conductor during Stop! Wait! What?   Move more energetically so you make it over to the pool of light each time

MRS. CHARD: great accent, but LOUDER and a bit SLOWER describing decanting the port.

BREAK LEGS, ALL!!!! See you on the stage!

Preview - Notes

1st Thing...Nice Job!!! Major growth tonight!!!
2nd Thing...I need to call everyone at 500p one more time.  I promise, this is the last time.

And now...

Notes - Preview


Start Time - 735p/856p

1 - What was with the delays in the VOs at the start, Fran?
3 - Ring the bell farther backstage…out of sight of the audience, Cassidy
4 - Keep that dialogue tight, Nico and Cassidy!
6 - Good levels on the song, Nico and Cassidy!
6 - Great diction, Cassidy!
9 - Some really clean stuff here…nice work, Nico and Cassidy
11 - WRAP OR PAINT THE CHOCOLATES…THIRD NOTE ON THIS, PROPS
12 - Some nice chemistry moments under the song, Rivkah and Nico!
13 - Good comic energy…I’m starting to feel it, Rivkah and Nico!
15 - Gotta justify the bell chime…some form of physical affection, Rivkah
15 - Project…Literally double your volume, Airelle
15 - Walk gently across the platform during scene changes, Scene Changers
15 - Lots of banging after the change from Sibella’s, Scene Changers
16 - Follow Nico’s lead on that light cue out of the spotlight, Emma
16 - Don’t go up the stairs toward the D’Ysquith estate…it’s a lighting thing, Nico
16 - Free your hands up…don’t keep them gripped behind your back, Nico
18 - Subtly acknowledge that you see Shingle in the group…what’s she doing there, Sharon?
18 - Hear the spirits...how would you feel hearing voices, Nico?
20 - Don’t bustle him quite so far right…keep Monty in the light, Johnathan
21 - Remember to address the whole audience…talk to everyone, Johnathan.
21 - Great energy, especially given how you feel tonight, Johnathan!
24 - Fantastic quick change, Costume and Johnathan!!!
25 - Diction…we need this information, Nico!
25 - Some great light cue timings, Emma!
25 - Way to try and work him…clear objectives, Nico
27 - Great blend on the fall cue, Fran and Johnathan
28 - Great quick change into Asquith Jr, Costume and Johnathan!
29 - Can we have things off of hangars going into Chizzlemere…a bit too much clanging, Costumes
31 - Justify the swaying at the start of the song, Johnathan and Cassidy
31 - Actively kill time over there, Nico
31 - Come in confidently…you were right AND the notes were there, Nico
32 - Gotta bring this one stronger…project, Nico
35 - Cue the light for Monty down right a bit later…for Asquith Sr as well, Emma
36 - Try to insure you get the collars on the quick changes, Costume
37 - Fantastic work on Asquith Sr., Johnathan
38 - What happened?…we worked on this vest thing, Nico/Eli/Duncan
**General note for all: Remember, we have audience on three sides…they all need part of the story, so include them**
40 - Nice entry and dressing, Wedding team
41 - Good scene change, team!!!
41 - Tip your hat back a bit, Duncan
43 - Nice dynamic between you both, Nico and Johnathan!
45 - Some new interplay…good listening Nico and Johnathan!!
46 - Need to get on much earlier to get that pub table off, Scene Changers
46 - Need to lift the pub top once it’s offstage…and don’t bang the seats, Crew!
47 - Great energy, Johnathan!
50 - Great job hiding the bottle, Nico!
51 - Super charming…nice job, Hyacinth!
51 - Wait until Johnathan is onstage in the beekeeper outfit before triggering the bees, Fran
52 - Need to trigger the prison cue as soon as Monty gets up there, Emma
53 - Can we get his back closed up as Lady Hyacinth, Costume
53 - Where are your sashes…and why are you so close together in the circle (we talked about spreading the space), entourage
54 - Again, spread out for sight lines sake…no shoulder to shoulder, Entourage
56 - Don’t launch in until your entourage is onstage, Johnathan
56 - Wear your hats back a bit so we can see your face, entourage
62 - Better positioning so you stay in the light, Johnathan
62 - Make sure you wait until the scene changers are offstage before you start speaking, Rivkah
62 - Backstage noise, Cast and Crew…
63 - Enter the song with confidence whether you feel it or not, Rivkah
64 - No tossing the weights, Johnathan
65 - Make sure to endow the weights throughout, Nico
66 - Project…that was about 30 percent of needed, Dory and Hyacinth…
67 - Work 'Last One You'd Expect' with everyone, Preshow
68 - Why is the dumbbell still on stage Scene Changers?
69 - Where is your energy…that was disengaged and bored, Hyacinth/Johnathan/Rivkah :-(
70 - Jumped the gun just a bit on Part 9’s light cue…then late into Part 10, Emma
72 - Leave enough room for Dory and Joeyy to get by, Duncan and Airelle
72 - Engage your faces…half of you look bored or in pain, Ensemble
72 - Don’t start the intermission change right away, crew

Act II/Start Time: 913p - End Time: 1003p

79 - You can both come out as you see the couch going into position, Rivkah and Nico
80 - Relax and use your arms…look for opportunities to get near her, Nico
81 - on ‘Lionel will expect…’, don’t go so near the front door.  Stay up center, Rivkah
81 - Project…keep your vocal energy up and clear, Rivkah
82 - Need to ring the bell to announce your presence…it’s backstage now, Hyacinth
83 - Your energy under ‘…Marry You’ is exemplary…sustain it throughout the play, Nico!
83 - Major energy pickup here…sustain this level throughout, Rivkah!
84 - You have to react to the door slam as well as Phoebe, Nico
88 - Here is the show’s comic energy!!! Nice job, trio!!!
89 - Are you expecting him to pull you back in, or is this a shock, Rivkah?
90 - Work the scene change into Highhurst castle at top of call tomorrow.
95 - Nice work, D’Ysquiths!!!
97 - Sustain your energy…this needs to be really charged, Nico
98 - Nice work…charming, Joeyy
99 - Gotta get that line…it’s a major cue, Hyacinth
100 - Don’t sit until just before you stop singing, Nico
101 - Don’t lose your aged physicality…you’ve been working really hard, Johnathan
103 - There is a 4th dish to come out…the bowl should be last of the 4, servants
104 - Harmonies came back tonight…better, Servants!
105 - No speeding up your body, Johnathan
106 - Gotta hit the ‘Gun’ entry, Servants
107 - SO MUCH NOISE BACKSTAGE…WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?!
109 - Energy waning, Nico and Theo
109 - Where are the light cues on this page, Emma?
110 - Dont’ bring up the light cue until ‘Not Guilty’ Emma
110 - Tighten up the cues on the testimonies, Actors
112 - Legendary work…Can’t believe what you’re doing tonight, Johnathan!!!
113 - Get a drink if you think you’re going to cough backstage, all!
116 - Good listening…very engaged, Ezra and Theo!
121 - Harmonies were better tonight, but still room to grow, quintet
121 - Don’t rush into the scene change, Scene Changers
122 - Get out of the cell quicker, Nico
123 - Missed the light change on ‘The Memoirs?!’, Emma
124 - Keep his relief palpable, Nico
125 - Rushed the last one too, Emma
***Massive leap forward tonight, team!!! Don't get discouraged when you make a mistake, put goofiness aside offstage, focus all of that energy into what you KNOW how to do, and we will have a show!!!  Believe in yourself team; against the odds, the show is almost there.

See you tomorrow...get rested.

j.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Music Notes Tuesday 11/5

EVERYONE - there were some really fine moments tonight, my dears, hiccups notwithstanding. 

Energy and diction improved 80% at least, so congrats on that.  Don't let down the effort on this.

SHINGLE: well done making the story clear, especially with a hat that allows no light on your face.  I wish you had a different one or no hat at all.  Not my department.

SIBELLA: don't swallow Lionel Holland's name when you tell Monty who you're going out with.  I think you think he will know the name and be impressed.  Up until you find out how dull he is, you're quite proud to have snagged him.

MONTY: Much better on vocal tone and energy throughout.  Now try to match the energy in your body to that of your voice.  At times your voice is raging and your body is strolling.  Try to match up.

Great job keeping the excitement after Shingle leaves and you write to D'Ysquith.  His answer to your letter starts you on the road to revenge.

Make sure you let us hear "foolish" each time you say it.  you're scolding yourself for hoping.  by the end of the song you've turned the tables on who is "foolish" - the last reps of Who will look foolish then are threats.  Let's see some menace.  After all, we've got to see the twisted core of a fellow whose disappointments in life are making him decide that killing his rivals and those who disrespect him is justified. 

TOUR GUIDE and JP:  Six pence is pronounced "SIX-pns"  as a single word with two syllables, not two separate words.

ENSEMBLE: WATCH THE CONDUCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're standing in a row looking directly at him fer cry'n out loud.

JP: It's Pol - i - tics; not Pol-o-tics.

JP: Timing still not right for "Perplexed by their attitude" although you came in right on the next line.

JP: Chartres = Shart

MONTY: At this point you are motivated by revenge.  Being rebuffed by the priest is the last straw and you hit up on the solution - Let's see the menace of What can I do to the D'Ys??

EZRA: In the Chop Chop line, please say gEt and not gIt.  Thank you.

JP: Hotel's list of False Names - lean on those two words.  This is a punch line, audience needs to hear it. 

MONTY: Use that fuller voice on Poison.  We miss a lot of the words. Really spit 'em out.  Sing on the vowels and pop the consonants in.  At the break for 'Nauseous'   look at the monitor for cue to go on.

SIBELLA: Much better diction in the songs.  I would like more at the end of your 'wedding' as you sing about the disillusionment with your husband...We need to hear all the ways he's a disappointment, capped by dull as a stone....Really chew those words.

JP/MONTY: Better With A Man - JP don't overshoot the pitch on "wrestle with".  Also, FYI - we are CUTTING the RITARD at that  place I added one.  Too hard to coordinate with the orchestra.  So a tempo throughout.

PHOEBE: Big improvement with diction in the dialog!  Keep it up.  Again, the "O"s in belladonna and Sonnets is a short 'O' as in 'olive', not a long "O" as in Don't.

JP: Lady H - really hit Dull Witted...Big laugh line if we can hear it.

EVERYONE: Lady H - we're going to try speaking the first two Daisy Grevilles.  Those harmonies have never come together well - I don't know why; you do fine in the rest of the number. 

JP: Lady H. Watch the conductor!!

SIBELLA: Make sure we hear that Lionel is a BORE.

JP: Make sure we really hear yogurt ENEMA.  That's a joke, son.

MRS. CHARD/SIBELLA'S MAID: We can't hear either of the maids who announce Lionel and Monty to Sibella and Phoebe.  Shout it out, ladies!

MONTY: Only one!   let's see the excitement of this revelation in your whole body.

ACT II

SIBELLA: When you say "Monty" right before he sings "I hear that voice" = load that name with as much sensuality and promise as you can.  Give him a reason to love hearing that voice.

MONTY: very good vocal energy in "Sibella". 

MONTY: Don't swallow 'marry'  when you ask Sib. what she would do if you were to Marry.  I've not heard the end of that sentence yet.

PHOEBE: Marry - the "A" is the same as the "A" in HAT.

LADY D'Y: give us a bit more vocal resonance in your lines.  A bit too whispery to carry well and they are very funny. 

MONTY: Find your light in Stop! Wait! What?! - when you turn away from the Inspector you are not going far enough to be in the light.  And stride there. You are agitated!







2nd Dress Notes

**All: Remember Rehearsal Now Begins at 500P tomorrow, 11/6**

Act I
1 - Watch rushing the VO at the top…wait for the music, Fran
5 - Play your objective…where are you trying to lead him, Cassidy
10 - Don’t take the light change out of Monty’s apartment until he comes downstage for writing the letter, Emma
10 - Please change your exit to the same door you came in from D, Cassidy
11 - I should never hear anything from backstage…doors banging are terrible tonight, Cast/Crew
13 - I Don’t Know What I’d Do was really nice, Nico and Rivkah
14 - Watch rushing your dialogue…this is key information, Rivkah
14 - Find your beats…you’re talking about being a D’Ysquith in the same way you’re referring to his dead mom, Rivkah
14 - Project, Airelle…
15 - Cut the picture frame for Sibella’s Apartment, Max
15 - Smooth out your entries and exits from stage…make it as intentional as any other acting, Scene Changers
16 - Go directly to your light as it changes into Foolish To Think, Nico
17 - Find his power and empowerment when he sings of being a man of respect, Nico
17 - Wait for Monty to start leaving before triggering the light shift going out of Foolish To Think, Emma
18 - Make the decision to not follow the tour…don’t just stay behind, Nico
20 - Well loaded on the character front tonight…well motivated, Johnathan
20 - Hold your poses except when singing…This is likely a change, Portraits.
23 - Realize you forgot about the mute guy…make it a separate beat, Johnathan
23 - Hear him talking badly about the poor…decide then that Lord Adalbert is a schmuck, Nico
24 - Solid quick change going into Ezekial, Costumers and Johnathan
25 - Hear his architectural references and shrug them off, Nico
27 - You can’t vocalize your fall from the tower, Johnathan
28 - You should never be seen from the house, Curtain Pagers
30 - You can take the into Chizzlemere a beat or two earlier, Emma
30 - Gotta get on a beat or two earlier…make your entrance sooner, Nico
31 - Try to be farther upstage for your line as you start Poison In My Pocket…NVM, You figured it out, Nico
32 - Bigger exaggeration on the sawing motion, Nico…
34 - You can delay those Voice Overs a bit longer, Fran
35 - Work the into D’Ysquith Sr costume change, Costume and Johnathan
36 - Make sure to have all of your props (mom’s picture)…this can be preset in your pocket at top of show, Nico
37 - Practice the vest change at top of rehearsal, Nico/Duncan/Eli
37 - What’s with dragging furniture and whispering under this scene, Backstage Left?
38 - Great sales job on the song…you really seem to be trying to pump him up, Rivkah
39 - When he stepped away from having your head on his shoulder…him moving away is unusual, so you can react to that, Rivkah
39 - Don’t rush into your line after the kiss…You want to linger in this, Nico
40 - Can you smooth out that veil unreeling, Cassidy?
41 - Don’t come out until the applause, Nico
41 - Don’t drink a beverage you don’t have, Sharon
41 - Great punch timing and sound, Nico/Duncan/Liam
42 - Nice grounding into Henry tonight, Johnathan
42 - Can we get Liam a bar rag to clean up with, Props?
46 - No light change until they get up from the table, Emma
48 - Great light timing going into Phoebe’s entry, Emma
48 - Great energy…you’re killing it, Hyacinth
51 - Bees were super early…wait for Johnathan, Fran
52 - WAIT FOR THE APPLAUSE, SOUND AND LIGHTS!!!
55 - Don’t cue the ‘blings’ until Johnathan puts his finger in the air
56 - Don’t destroy that headpiece by squeezing it to death, Johnathan
57 - Get farther onstage heading to Africa, Entourage
59 - Get the tempo at the end of Lady Hyacinth dialed in, Johnathan
60 - Look at the folder weird and root through it while you’re waiting for the scene change, Nico
61 - Get in your light…don’t cross so far away if you need to, Johnathan
62 - Scene change should be starting earlier going into Monty’s apartment…both the ons and offs should be happening simultaneously, Scene Changers
62 - Work the entry into the couch thing…make it organic and authentic…go after him, Rivkah!
65 - Give that barbel proper weight, Johnathan.
65 - Here are the pronunciations, Johnathan
65 - Much faster coming in on the scene change, Scene Changers
66 - Project, Dory…
68 - Nice light shift into Lady Salome, Emma
68 - What happened…those sound cues can’t be rushed Fran!!
69 - Don’t come so far downstage to start your song, Nico
70 - Much better timing on the doctor, Ezra!
72 - Farther upstage, Johnathan…
73 - Push yourself past what you have to do because I told you, and inhabit those moments as people, all!

Act II
Start Time: 910p/1003p (w/delay)
74 - Take her hands when you kneel next to her, Nico
76 - Thanks for taking the note…that was a good level, Ezra
77 - No rushing behind the cyc…someone rippled the whole thing under Johnathan’s solo
79 - Can we double the length of 15b to accommodate the scene change
79 - Need to run this scene change tomorrow…
81 - You should never sit in a buttoned suit jacket, Nico
82 - Some nice work under the scene, Nico and Rivkah
82 - You both need to do the ‘door’ scene farther onstage for lighting, Hyacinth and Nico
83 - Nice blind entrance, Rivkah
84 - Nice interaction work on the couch, Hyacinth
86 - Acknowledge it when you back into a chair, Hyacinth
91 - Why so late getting onstage with your chair, Rachel?
92 - Nice physicality…now don’t wander so far down the platform and out your light, Johnathan
93 - No grabbing the wall to get out of the portraits, Duncan
95 - Fabulous presence!  Project your dialogue with the same attitude, Sophie
96 - Why do we have the wrong chair onstage for Lord Adalbert, Scene Changers?
97 - Make sure to get out clearly the ‘risked marrying Lionel’ Rivkah
97 - Bowls can’t be first, Servants
98 - Can’t lean on or shake the table with plastic glasses, Johnathan
99 - No hat on Shingle during this scene, Costume
99 - Stay standing after talking to Shingle, take the song standing in the light pool up left, Nico
100 - Don’t lose his aged physicality and get young…the voice is phenomenal, Johnathan
104 - What is all the crashing backstage!!!!
105 - Harmonies are all over the place, Servants…let’s work this preshow tomorrow
106 - Note what your scene change responsibilities are coming out of Highhurst all
107 - Get farther left to start the scene, Nico and Theo
108 - Stay in the light, Nico…
110-111 - Our energy has gone away completely…why, all?
112 - Make sure things are on their spikes in the prison cell…the bed was way off, crew.
114 - Chairs both upstage and down need to come out at the same time, Scene Changers
115 - Need to spike interrogation room chairs downstage, Deck Leads
118 - Pantomime your doors, Theo…
119 - Isn’t there a light cue at the start of the 2nd Horrible Woman, Emma
122 - Know where the cheer is from backstage…conduct if you need to, Deck Leads
123 - What happened to the orchestra, level wise under the last couple of songs
123 - Jumped the gun on Chauncey’s cue, Emma

Monday, November 4, 2019

Music notes Monday 11/4

Well done, ALL!  What a treat to actually watch you perform.You all acquitted yourselves admirably navigating lights, sound, and costumes.  There were some truly inspired, touching and hilarious moments. 

That said, you won't be surprised to learn I have a few nits to pick, and heading the list is:

DICTION

Gordon can make you loud but he cannot make you understood.  It is so important that each of you speak clearly.  Put the words in the front of your mouths, don't swallow them.  Don't let your voices get breathy in the sad or wistful bits, and no matter how well you think you're saying your consonants, I guarantee you're not hitting them hard enough.  

Every note you sing and every word you speak must come from a well of energy, sounded with full voice, even when you're trying to be quiet.  Quiet does not mean less energy, in fact, it takes more energy to be heard and understood when speaking quietly than loudly.

And now to specifics - and understand that I'm talking about technical things here, not the quality of your acting.  I love the dialect work you're all doing.  But be sure not to sacrifice clarity for authenticity.  Some of those British dialects can be almost unintelligible!  Have you ever watched an episode of Shetland?!

Prologue - I missed "A Nun..."  Can you try to make that clearer please.

MISS SHINGLE - you set up the story for the whole show.  You impart critical back story and information about Monte's current condition. 8 other relations.  The Jewel Box, etc.  If we don't get what you're saying, we won't know what's going on.  You're doing great dialect work, but make sure you aren't so deep into it that you're swallowing words, and be careful not to speak too fast.  The song was great. Make sure the set up matches it!

MONTE: I wanted to see you more excited about Shingle's news and moving to get the paper and pen to write the letter.  Hopeful for a new life, here!

SIBELLA: Be sure to rely on counts for your entrance into your Pink number.  That will be reliable.

MONTE: In the scene with Sibella here is an example of a tendency to get breathy, drop the ends of words.  Let your emotion in the scene communicate via the rest of your body, but use your whole, energized voice for lines and lyrics.

SIBELLA: #3B - note in M. 5 is only 1/2 lower than last note in M. 4.  You're dropping too low.

MONTE: Cue line for #4 is Mr. Asquith Jr., NOT Lord Asquith Jr.

JP:  Don't conduct! #6 check timing on m. 75-81.  

ALL; be sure to vary your angles and levels for sight lines!  

JP  Chartres is pronounced shart; on p. 29, let Evie exit first, as a gentleman would.  We can still see you so stay in the scene.

MONTE:  #8 don't swallow your words.  Important stuff here we need to, uh, hear.

EVIE:  well done on your vocals in #8 !!!!

SIBELLA: #9 Diction! at top of scene and into the song.  bleaK, weeK, etc.  Just because she's sad doesn't mean she can mumble. 

ALL:      POP THE CONSONANTS!!!!!

JP: #10  check m. 53---on; careful to think of what you're saying.  You said "my wife keeps the estate going"  it's your sister....

PHOEBE:  great accent work, but be careful not to swallow words or go too fast.  Also, the 'o's in Belladonna and Sonnets are as in the word "olive"...not a long 'o' as in dough.   

#13f - Brilliant!!!

ACT II 

ALL: #1You're all excited to be together at this funeral and gossip! Mourning is just for show.  Don't lose "What a tasteless way of showing off."  You have utter contempt for the D'Ysquiths and you're all excited they are hip deep in misfortune.  You're loving this! Let's see that energy.

 JP  #15 A    check melody m. 16-20  

MONTE: #16   full voice, please.  be careful not to swallow last words of sentences, i.e., embrace, place, kiss.  The intensity of desire fuels this song.

#17 - DICTION - words in the front of the mouth.  

ELI:  After announcing Monte and Phoebe, if there is time, stand aside and let them enter before you exit, rather than passing them.  You're a servant, know your place.

SIBELLA:  Don't swallow or speed through   "I'm really not." in response to Phoebe's "you're very kind to say so,"    It's a huge laugh line so really lay it on us.

Can't wait to see it again tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow!

Notes - 1st Dress

Act I:
**Crew: Everyone needs to be in blacks tonight!**
1 - Make that entry precise and clean, actors
1 - Bass step forward was the cleanest I can remember, actors
3 - Anticipated the light cue a bit for the cell door, Emma
3 - Remember to wait for applause, Emma and Fran
3- Where’s the door bell, Props?
3 - I know it took some time to get into the show…but gotta pop the energy, Cass and Nico
3 - Big Show Energy, all!
7 - Good specific movement, Cassidy!
8 - Nice exploration of the box’s contents, Nico
9 - Nice job inhabiting the voice over here, Nico!
10 - Step downstage of your set and into the light for your letter
11 - Cover the chocolate box, Props
11 - Do up your outfit…you’re seeing your girl, Nico
13 - Better energy under this scene, Nico and Rivkah
13 - More energy doesn’t mean rush, Rivkah
14 - Step in to console him after the funeral line…cue ‘kiss chimes’ with a close embrace, Rivkah
15 - Trigger Johnathan’s light cue as he hits position, Emma
17 - If you need to tweak blocking to stay in the light, you have permission, actors
18 - Stall the ‘Monty’s until Monty starts to look around, Portraits
20 - Age him up physically, Johnathan
24 - Look around at the church to stall for time as you’re waiting for Ezekial…explore, Nico
25 - Palazzo Della Ragione in Vicenza, Chartres, Johnathan
26 - The ‘off balance’ cue was way late, Emma
26 - Let’s really see the plan come together under the song, Nico
27 - The light and sound cues were a bit of mess, Fran and Emma
28 - Where were you, Duncan?
33 - Watch coming too far downstage on your skating, Johnathan
34 - Stay as flat as possible when in the fall pit, Cassidy and Johnathan
36 - Good job on the D’Ysquith Sr scene, Nico and Johnathan
37 - Watch leaving your light stage left, Rivkah
38 - Enunciate to the best of your ability under the song, Rivkah
38 - Your objective here is to make him feel better…ground all your action in that, Rivkah
39 - Rushed into the kiss, and into the wedding…hear your music, Nico and Rivkah
40 - The blue cue was too early…time it to ‘unfortunately’, Emma
41 - Stay out of the pub scene…It’s not working, Cassidy S
41 - We need to cut the number of people remaining in the pub…Let’s work this at top of rehearsal on 11/5**
41 - Work on the timing of the fight, Guys
43+ - Well energized on this song, guys!
44 - Tighten those harmonies, guys…
45 - Watch rushing the scene change…wait for the lights to shift, actors
46 - Gesture offstage for the Honey Shack…the beekeeping gear isn’t the Shack, Johnathan
47 - Much more energized…nice work, Nico! 
48 - Lean out the curtain to spray the lavender…let’s work that at the top of rehearsal 11/5, Nico
48 - Hear his story and find fascination in the romanticism…watch rushing your acting beats, Hyacinth
49 - Good job getting the spray in the basket…if you want to make that a hide-and-seek gag, you may, Nico
49 - That said, you should hide it under the flowers if possible, Nico
51 - Right now it’s a technically sound song…invest it with her hopes and dreams, Hyacinth
51 - Make sure to cheat downstage while Henry’s dying, Hyacinth and Nico
52 - The look on your face was to die for, Nico!
52 - Great energy, Johnathan!
52 - Watch giving the conductor notes, Johnathan…
54 - AND WE’VE REMEMBERED THIS IS A COMEDY!!!  I want this energy throughout!!!
55 - Can we tighten up the entourage as it exits?
57 - Get into the lighting, entourage!
60 - No skipping off, Newsboys
61 - Don’t walk out of your light, Johnathan
62 - Run bringing the sofa on, team
63 - Don’t wander so far left after the tryst, Rivkah
65 - Give the weights actual weight, guys
65 - We need to go over the pronunciations, Johnathan
66 - Transition out a bit faster, Johnathan and changeover actors
67 - Can’t rub the curtains, pit pagers
68 - Can’t point the gun toward the audience, Johnathan
68 - Rushed the voiceover cue a bit, Fran…the gunshot as well…
69 - Take a bit longer beat going into ‘The audience leapt to it’s feet…’ Fran
71 - Take a beat longer coming in as the doctor, Ezra




Act II:

**We got to Act II!!**
74 - Kneel closer to Phoebe, Nico
75 - Stage Left…need to stand in your light, Mourners
76 - Pull it back just a bit on ‘I Ask You’, Ezra
(a note I'm happy to give!)
79 - What’s with the noise backstage under ‘Sibella’?
78 - Let’s run that scene change at the top of rehearsal 11/5
80 - Much better on your final kiss…looks great Nico and Rivkah
80 - Don’t squash your applause, Nico
81 - Noise is getting worse backstage tonight…
82 - Sofa was on the wrong spikes tonight, changers
89 - We need to work the scene change going into 90
91 - Don’t move until the changeover folks are out, Johnathan and Sophie
92 - Don’t move or look around until you sing…and keep your movements formal, Ezra and Duncan
93 - Put yourself back together costume-wise between scenes, Nico
95 - Gesture to Lord Adalbert to go first…sets you up to have your Sibella conversation, Nico

**All: Big steps forward tonight...I mean it!!!  Keep your energy moving forward and make Tuesday's performance (and yes, think of it as a performance) better than tonight's.  You can do this...and you'll never regret the work you've put in when you get that first laugh on Thursday!

Much love, all...keep improving, and be well, all!

j.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Music Notes on the Sitzprobe

Well done, all! Siztproben are always stressful and I thank you for your
attention and patience with the process. I know it all sounds so different. On we go!
Chrisse the Wonderful

Sitzprobe is a German term used in opera and musical theatre to describe a
seated rehearsal—
the literal translation of Sitzprobe—where the singers sing with the orchestra,
focusing attention on integrating the two groups.


#1a ENSEMBLE - all bass voices do “you’d best depart”.  We need just a bit more sound.
If the last note in that phrase is too low, take it up.  I may change this back to just Duncan
after I hear it with amplification.  


#2 MISS SHINGLE - check your notes at m. 119


#2a - MONTE - check your pronunciation of “the” 


#3 SIBELLA - “Monte, that’s just right.” Get to the ‘just’ in tempo; only hold “just”
ORCHESTRA - tempo can be brisker; she's flitting all over the place in this number.


#4 MONTE m. 135 - 138 all those notes are even.  You are dotting the first one and
it muddies the waters.  Please compare your interp with the actual rhythm.
You are taking a lot of rhythmic liberties in this song, some of which are ok, but
some of which don’t fit with the orchestration and make the lyrics unclear. 
Try to adhere to the rhythm that’s written.
At m. 166 wait until the orchestra note fades before you do the pick up note to 167


#5 ENSEMBLE - “Monte Navarro - FULL STOP - you know you...etc.” 
Don’t make me name names!


#6 JP - m. 20, wait for cue  from Professor Caldwell to go on. 
let’s try to get together to work timing of certain phrases, such as M 75-88;
a bit slower and contemplative at m. 122


ORCHESTRA - a bit of an easier tempo at m. 122; contemplative 


#7a ENSEMBLE/VO   m. 24- ...in one moment my life was changed forever”
orchestra comes to full stop. 
M. 26 -  Then there’s a change of music, so start the line “I now had a series…”
at this music change.  
M. 29 Then another full stop to insert the Clerk’s line…”or you’ll be getting the chuck.” 
M. 30 The music begins again and the dialog continues through…
M. 46C - “I discreetly observed their comings and goings..
M. 49 - music change to intro Assy and Evie - start dialog.  
ORCHESTRA play VAMP at m. 49 X2 then go on at m. 50; Ritard at m. 68-69


#8 JP - check melody at m. 12-13, watch pitch; check timing at m. 80


#11 PHOEBE - keep up with the tempo in this number. 
Also, please chart your breathing patterns so you are not breathing
at incongruous times, such as right before the last word in a sentence. 
Plan the breaths and take them the same way every time. I’ll help if you want. See me.


#12 ENSEMBLE - Notes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


#13g ORCHESTRA  VAMP @ M. 12 then cue MONTE for #13h with 4 loud beats


#13h  EZRA - wait until the music stops altogether before you speak at m. 17  “heart attack”


M. 32 JP let a couple of measures go by before you start to speak!! 
M. 32F - ORCHESTRA - definitive cadence at 32F AFTER “How astounding” 
 m. 37 can go faster!


#15a JP m. 12-18  let’s review


#16 MONTE - check your notes at m. 11 make sure that ‘C’ is accurate;
@ m. 77 beat one is dotted - use that for a breath.


#17 PHOEBE - check rhythm at m. 3, 4, 6 - 


#19 MONTE - m. 14 don’t slow down.


#21 ORCHESTRA - faster - molto agitato


#22b - MAG/GUARD/INSPECTOR - “Fate must” needs to be faster;
pay attention to the overall tempo there. 

ALL There is no slow down from here to the end until the last phrase


Friday, November 1, 2019

Act II Stumblethrough Notes

ACT II:
74 - Project a bit more, Nico
75 - Be precise on your blocking moves when in sync...visualize the cuing and movement, all
75 - Personalize this blocking…motivate everything with why YOU’RE there, all
77 - Ground his movements, smaller, choppier, slower…find his age, JP
79 - Don’t take your eyes off her during this song, Nico
80 - Really go after those lyrics…Phoebe hasn’t officially happened yet, so she’s your one and only at this point, Nico
80 - We need sherry glasses, props
81 - Find his assuredness, his enjoyment of having the upper hand here…it’ll set up us ripping the rug out from under him in the next song, Nico
82 - Do we have a bell, props?
82 - Watch overplaying the drink, Hyacinth
83 - Push your mime skills…be as specific as possible on everything you handle, Rivkah
83 - We need to have gloves out there…do we have them, props?
85 - Your manic energy when hiding Sibella is GREAT Monty energy…room for much more of that amazing scale, Nico!
88 - Solid scene…almost there, all!
88 - No vocalizing your energy offstage, Hyacinth!
89 - Don’t give in to him quite so quickly, Rivkah
91 - Don’t rush into ‘I’m Famished’…Let it settle for a sec, JP
92 - Remember your bows, Nico
92 - Look over that pre-Final Warning bit, all
93 - No lining up opposite someone…remember your shoulder alignments, Sophie, Rivkah, and Hyacinth
96 - Gesture Sibella over to talk in the most unsubtle, subtle way he can, Nico
96 - Keep your focus when fighting for the next thing/line/moment if you go up…sustain your energy, all
98 - Why are we missing 1/3 of the dishes on the table, cast?
99 - How do you all react to Monty’s increasing weirdness, all?
99 - Are short dishes, props?
100 - One servant needs to remain onstage to justify Monty’s ‘Oh for God’s sake now, another servant’s looking’…can you remain, Cassidy?
102 - We need to take the flintlock off the rifle, props
102 - Just have a glass of port you’ve been holding in hiding for him…you won’t have a serving station there, Cassidy
103 - Don’t hit your spots until the beat you start singing, servants
103 - Work this one a bit more…listen to the accompaniment when you’re going, JP
105 - Energize your bodies when standing still, servants
107 - Excuse Phoebe with a gesture before you go downstairs, Nico
107 - You have to meet Monty at the center stage point right when he gets there, Theo
107 - Let’s pull the wandering around in much tighter…play out to the house from the pool of light that’ll be there in front of the up, Nico
110 - Not bad, given it’d been so long since we touched it, all
113 - Work the lines in the Prison scene, all
114 - Go ahead and talk to the audience, Nico
115 - Spike the Interrogation rooms, Management…
115 - Good energy and sense of the lyrics as dialogue…Bring this to everything, all!
118 - Stagger your body positions to shoulders, Theo and Ezra
118 - Do you have letters, Theo and Ezra?
121 - Watch starting the ‘we have to go’ gesture too early, Liam
122 - We need to hear the cheer at the right time, ensemble!
123 - Keep a ‘rabble, rabble’ going backstage after the cheer, ensemble
125 - Step out on ‘The thought occurs…’

Pick up notes - music, etc.

Good work! It was a treat to see you all again and I enjoyed watching the polish you've added to the show.  That said, however..... DI...