The Show Must Go On!
That’s my “FaceTime” prop
Three days before the only rehearsal for the first table read of our Musical (the actual performance scheduled for the day after) I suggested to Adam (my husband and one of the collaborators) that we reschedule. According to Apple weather LA was expecting a storm of mass proportions. The worst in 40 years.
Adam never thinks anything will happen. I always think something will happen. (ie: Laugh if you want but I’m one of those people who go to the airport 3 hours early. He leaves last minute. Guess who’s missed flights?) Reality lies somewhere in between us. But the truth is shit does happen. And when it does, it sucks.
Ten of our actor-friends had agreed to participate in this 2 day rehearsal + reading. But with an impending storm, trees potentially falling, power lines going down, floods rising, who knew if they’d even be able to get to our house? And … we would probably lose power to boot. We’ve lived in Laurel Canyon for 20 years. We know the drill by now.
But the thing is, finding 2 adjacent days that worked for all the actors was no small feat. Not to mention finding another day when all our invitees could make the show!
Still, to the rest of the creative team it seemed like we should reschedule. They weren’t saying “possible rain.” They were saying “Definitely, Positively, Huge Storm. Batten down the hatches!” But Adam was adamant about sticking to the plan. He believed everything would be ok. We asked our actors if they had reservations about driving in the chaos. They said they did not. (Amazing.) And so, Lucy, Kimberly Jill and I — reluctantly — agreed to move forward.
The night before the rehearsal, the rain commenced. Along with wind, thunder, lightening and hail. And right when we laid our heads on our pillows — bam. The power went out. I knew this because I heard my humidifier shut off. (Don’t ask me why I was using my humidifier when it couldn’t have been more HUMID!)
This was one of those I didn’t want to tell him so moments, but I told him so. (I didn’t actually say it, but I thought it.)
Now what? The reading required technology. We’d be using a video screen for some funny bits and for the musical numbers we’d be playing the recorded productions. Plus, it was frickin’ freezing in my house. No heat! Crazy cold in LA. (But climate change? feh! )
True to their words, our actors made their way past broken traffic signals and road mishaps. I made coffee with a french press and ground beans I keep for these emergencies. I passed out scarves and socks. We read through the script, shivered, scribbled in the margins, shivered, highlighted sections, shivered. We were as ready as we could be for ‘tomorrow.’
Adam went out with friends that night. I chose to stay home and watch a movie on Netflix. Um, Nope! OK, take a hot bath. Nope! Isn’t it funny how you keep remembering all the things you can’t do?
So I lit a fire and grabbed my guitar. Don’t need electricity for that. And you know what? It’s (ironically) illuminating to play in the dark. I’m always looking down at the frets. But I couldn’t SEE the frets which made me realize that my hand knows a lot more than I give it credit for. It goes to the right place.
In the morning the sun was out and strong but still no power. I know what you’re thinking: why have we never bought a generator?
The answer is — there’s something quite beautiful about shutting down. Lighting candles. Reading. Silence like no other. No notifications. No forced heat coming through vents. Just some rain on the roof. Tires on a wet road. I can hear myself think! It’s insanely peaceful. The Universe takes away our power for a reason.
Also, when I was a kid there was a 3 day-long “blackout” in my town. It was the first time I became aware of how we take energy for granted. My Dad passed out flashlights. We sat in the dark and told jokes! The kids at school compared stories. I wouldn’t give up that memory for anything. I wanted my child to have the same experience.
Except … my chid is grown and out of the house AND there were people coming to see a show in a matter of hours. DWP said, “maybe later,” “maybe not til Monday.” Maybe Maybe Maybe. Adam and I have heard it all before.
We bought a generator! 🙄
And as soon as we got it home, the power came back on.
Sigh.
Oh well. That wasn’t a bad thing.
I turned on the heat. Ran the dishwasher. Checked my email. Took a shower.
Our VIPs showed up right on time eager to be entertained and help us find clarity. We had taken our Musical as far as we could and what we needed was perspective. Were there inconsistencies we weren’t seeing? Could the flow be tighter? Did we need another song here? Should we move this one there?
I tried not to look at the audience because what if they seemed bored? What if someone fell asleep! 😩 Fortunately the few times I did steel a glance it was all smiles. My grown-up pal Lenore looked like a kid in a candy store. I heard laughter. I saw tears. And I thought, Ok … whatever notes we get (and we DID get notes!) at least they enjoyed themselves. That’s a good start.
Now, it’s back to the drawing board — determining which notes ring true — what were we busted for that we know deep down could be better? Do we make a change? And if so, does that change create other issues? (Welcome to the Rubik’s cube.) Which note might we dismiss, confident that with a savvy director, it will “play?” It’s a first for me in the Musical space and I love it — learning new stuff keeps me feeling young, awe-inspired and wide-eyed.
Our actor-friends were incredibly generous with their time and awesome for being so ‘game.’ Risking their safety! I hope I can return the gift one day.
At the end of the day (literally) I was shocked that we pulled it off. As if there’s not enough to coordinate and worry about on a day with power! All’s well that ends well. The show went on. I guess this time Adam can say “I told you so.” 😡
*****
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