Carl Dean is trying to kill us all! ...Okay, not really, but he definitely created one exhausting number!
The only number on the schedule for today was for Carl to choreograph "Fatherhood Blues." First off, Carl had a different take on the staging, so all this called for was us reversing what we had blocked last night, which was easy. We spent the rest of the day staging the song. This is probably one of the hardest dances I've done with Carl as choreographer. It's very lyric-driven and has a lot of '80s and '90s influences; he even managed to work in some Michael Jackson in there! It all culminates in a unified, boy-band finish.
This will be a HUGE challenge for me, because all of my choreography is punk rock-based, complete with head-banging and pulsating. It's so different from the way I'm used to dancing. I have to loosen up or this will be way harder than it has to be.
I did make a breakthrough in one way, though. After singing the song and running the dance over and over again, I finally found the vocal sound that Marcus is looking for. It's a kind of rock growl, less smooth and more gritty. I have to figure out how to do that on command.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
10/1/10 - 9th Rehearsal
Tonight rehearsal plans changed; we're ahead of schedule!
Since work on "Baby, Baby, Baby" went so well the night before, Marcus decided to work on two different scenes. The first was the opening of "We Start Today," which is really like three mini-scenes which introduces us to each of the three couples. Danny and Lizzie are just moving into their below-ground-level apartment; Lizzie folds clothes while I sit composing on my guitar. As I hit a bump in my songwriting, Lizzie gets me to stop and take in the moment, and we sing of how ready we are to start a new life together. Marcus's direction brought up some interesting points. Danny and Lizzie aren't quite at the point Nick and Pam are; there's still a lot about each other that they're figuring out, so while they are crazy about each other, there's still some distance there.
Next we blocked the scene before "Fatherhood Blues." My only part of the scene before the song starts is that I run in in my punk rock costume to tell Nick that I got the job with the band. Not much else happened concerning me. Although Marcus did tell me that we were modeling my costume after the band Gwar. I've never heard of them, so I need to look them up.
Since work on "Baby, Baby, Baby" went so well the night before, Marcus decided to work on two different scenes. The first was the opening of "We Start Today," which is really like three mini-scenes which introduces us to each of the three couples. Danny and Lizzie are just moving into their below-ground-level apartment; Lizzie folds clothes while I sit composing on my guitar. As I hit a bump in my songwriting, Lizzie gets me to stop and take in the moment, and we sing of how ready we are to start a new life together. Marcus's direction brought up some interesting points. Danny and Lizzie aren't quite at the point Nick and Pam are; there's still a lot about each other that they're figuring out, so while they are crazy about each other, there's still some distance there.
Next we blocked the scene before "Fatherhood Blues." My only part of the scene before the song starts is that I run in in my punk rock costume to tell Nick that I got the job with the band. Not much else happened concerning me. Although Marcus did tell me that we were modeling my costume after the band Gwar. I've never heard of them, so I need to look them up.
Monday, October 4, 2010
9/30/10 - 8th Rehearsal
Tonight Carl blocked "Baby, Baby, Baby," so only the three couples were called.
Danny and Lizzie's portion of the song shows them having a picnic, drinking beer out of champagne glasses with a napkin as their picnic blanket. It's another sweet moment of fun and intimacy between the two, preparing themselves before facing the challenges of young parenthood. My main struggle for the night, though, was grasping the rocker/goofball side of Danny in this song. Marcus told me to open up and start playing more with the choices I was making, addressing a concern I had about reverting to stock choices in Career Prep class. This marks the beginning of really finding Danny's personality; what about it is similar to or different from mine? How can I make my performance different than anything I've done before?
Danny and Lizzie's portion of the song shows them having a picnic, drinking beer out of champagne glasses with a napkin as their picnic blanket. It's another sweet moment of fun and intimacy between the two, preparing themselves before facing the challenges of young parenthood. My main struggle for the night, though, was grasping the rocker/goofball side of Danny in this song. Marcus told me to open up and start playing more with the choices I was making, addressing a concern I had about reverting to stock choices in Career Prep class. This marks the beginning of really finding Danny's personality; what about it is similar to or different from mine? How can I make my performance different than anything I've done before?
9/28-29/10 - 6th & 7th Rehearsals
Dance week begins!
For the past couple of nights we've been choreographing the opening number, "We Start Today." Carl's staging of the couples mainly furthers our introduction from the preceding scene. This scene hasn't been blocked yet, so there's still some feeling out to do. In Danny and Lizzie's case, it shows more of the fun and intimacy that the two share.
The biggest moment for the couples is the discovery of and reaction to the women's pregnancies. Danny's reaction is very compounded; I'm fearful, but quickly put on the mask of an uneasy smile as I hug Lizzie on the final button of the song. This will inform a LOT of my work for the rest of the show, as Danny tries to be cheerfully responsible to hide how terrified he is.
The only other work that has been done at these rehearsals is the opening "sperm ballet," which I am unfortunately not part of, but come on...how often can you say you're part of a show with a sperm ballet?
NOTE: Michael Adams has been replaced by freshman Michael Tallon.
For the past couple of nights we've been choreographing the opening number, "We Start Today." Carl's staging of the couples mainly furthers our introduction from the preceding scene. This scene hasn't been blocked yet, so there's still some feeling out to do. In Danny and Lizzie's case, it shows more of the fun and intimacy that the two share.
The biggest moment for the couples is the discovery of and reaction to the women's pregnancies. Danny's reaction is very compounded; I'm fearful, but quickly put on the mask of an uneasy smile as I hug Lizzie on the final button of the song. This will inform a LOT of my work for the rest of the show, as Danny tries to be cheerfully responsible to hide how terrified he is.
The only other work that has been done at these rehearsals is the opening "sperm ballet," which I am unfortunately not part of, but come on...how often can you say you're part of a show with a sperm ballet?
NOTE: Michael Adams has been replaced by freshman Michael Tallon.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
9/25/10 - 5th Rehearsal
Today we had a second sing-through of the show, and you could tell that there was SO much improvement. Not only did everyone know their music, but you could tell that everyone was really getting in touch with their characters. Some great choices were starting to be made. Mine and Mary Kate's songs felt great as ever, and I was able to hit the rock wail again! The show sounds great now, and I can't wait to start dances next week!
9/24/10 - 4th Rehearsal
After having a couple of nights off, it was back to work.
First, B.J. and I worked on "At Night She Comes Home to Me." I have to say, it's really cool getting to work with B.J. one more time. The last show we did together was Hair (with B.J. as Claude and me as Berger), back in Fall 2008, and it's great to be able to play off of each other again. B.J. had worked on his portion of the song earlier in the week, so there was a bit more focus on my segment. Marcus told me to really emphasize the punk rock for my first few measures, really punching the words and getting more physical. Then he asked for something I didn't expect: a high-falsetto rock wail at the climax of my part of the song. That's a high, octave-jumping G (or, as I call it, the Jesus Christ Superstar note)! I'll admit that I've worked on this on my own (mostly during car rides), but have never had to do it for anyone else before, never mind a show. But much to my amazement, I pulled it off on the first try! Unfortunately, I started wearing down after the third run of the song, so I put it to rest for the night. It's just one more thing I have to work on. I know I can do it without damaging my voice, it's just a matter of breath support and dramatic build.
The rest of the night was just with the three couples. We first ran "We Start Today," which is pretty much the same, except for a new extension that shows some of the private conversations amongst the characters; in Danny's case, he's calling his mother to let her know he's switching his major from science to music. This is some backstory that was never clearly emphasized before, so I love it.
The big hurdle to jump, though, was "Baby, Baby, Baby." It wasn't a problem for any of the actors, though. It was a big picture problem for Marcus; the song as it's written is just too much of a lounge number. With the stuff he's been working on with all of us, it really clashes with the pop/rock/blues vision he has for the show, and runs the risk of sticking out like a sore thumb. Luckily, though, with Laurie's help, I think we have the song rearranged for the better. We took it uptempo, and Marcus asked us to take more liberty with the style and play with the riffs. I think that by the time we get it staged and have an orchestra together, it's going to fit in well with the rest of the show.
First, B.J. and I worked on "At Night She Comes Home to Me." I have to say, it's really cool getting to work with B.J. one more time. The last show we did together was Hair (with B.J. as Claude and me as Berger), back in Fall 2008, and it's great to be able to play off of each other again. B.J. had worked on his portion of the song earlier in the week, so there was a bit more focus on my segment. Marcus told me to really emphasize the punk rock for my first few measures, really punching the words and getting more physical. Then he asked for something I didn't expect: a high-falsetto rock wail at the climax of my part of the song. That's a high, octave-jumping G (or, as I call it, the Jesus Christ Superstar note)! I'll admit that I've worked on this on my own (mostly during car rides), but have never had to do it for anyone else before, never mind a show. But much to my amazement, I pulled it off on the first try! Unfortunately, I started wearing down after the third run of the song, so I put it to rest for the night. It's just one more thing I have to work on. I know I can do it without damaging my voice, it's just a matter of breath support and dramatic build.
The rest of the night was just with the three couples. We first ran "We Start Today," which is pretty much the same, except for a new extension that shows some of the private conversations amongst the characters; in Danny's case, he's calling his mother to let her know he's switching his major from science to music. This is some backstory that was never clearly emphasized before, so I love it.
The big hurdle to jump, though, was "Baby, Baby, Baby." It wasn't a problem for any of the actors, though. It was a big picture problem for Marcus; the song as it's written is just too much of a lounge number. With the stuff he's been working on with all of us, it really clashes with the pop/rock/blues vision he has for the show, and runs the risk of sticking out like a sore thumb. Luckily, though, with Laurie's help, I think we have the song rearranged for the better. We took it uptempo, and Marcus asked us to take more liberty with the style and play with the riffs. I think that by the time we get it staged and have an orchestra together, it's going to fit in well with the rest of the show.
9/21/10 - 3rd Rehearsal
Tonight's entire rehearsal was focused on the songs between me and Mary Kate.
I can't say enough about how cool it is to work with this girl. She's so professional and comes ready for anything, but at the same time has a great energy about her. It's so much fun to sing with her, so I can't wait to get to act with her. Marcus really had us play around with our two duets, "What Could Be Better" and "Two People in Love." It's starting to develop a chemistry for us, and I think that it'll really come further into play once we start blocking scenes. It also might help us to hang out a little more outside of rehearsals.
When we got to "I Chose Right," Marcus asked me to really start playing up the rock vocals during the bridge of the song. He wants there to be a definite difference between Danny's musical theatre sound and the punk rocker he wants to be, using the bridge as a demonstration of the performer he's going to be while he's gone. It's something I hadn't really thought about, since I thought that this was Danny at his most sincere. It still is, but the vocals give the song more levels, and show off more of Danny's personality. I'll have to keep playing with it; give it some grit without hurting my vocal chords
I can't say enough about how cool it is to work with this girl. She's so professional and comes ready for anything, but at the same time has a great energy about her. It's so much fun to sing with her, so I can't wait to get to act with her. Marcus really had us play around with our two duets, "What Could Be Better" and "Two People in Love." It's starting to develop a chemistry for us, and I think that it'll really come further into play once we start blocking scenes. It also might help us to hang out a little more outside of rehearsals.
When we got to "I Chose Right," Marcus asked me to really start playing up the rock vocals during the bridge of the song. He wants there to be a definite difference between Danny's musical theatre sound and the punk rocker he wants to be, using the bridge as a demonstration of the performer he's going to be while he's gone. It's something I hadn't really thought about, since I thought that this was Danny at his most sincere. It still is, but the vocals give the song more levels, and show off more of Danny's personality. I'll have to keep playing with it; give it some grit without hurting my vocal chords
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