Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A Buxton Blog - 15-16/8, the hard slog to the finish line

Well here we are once more on the scene of our former triumphs. No not the opera house, not yet - just the rehearsal venues. Dick Stockton, our "honorary Aussie" MD, has been notebashing and cleaning up the musical aspects of Yeomen, and Robert has been resetting the show from the Scotch/Paramoor "shrunken" version back up to the way this show should be run. There's new people to be brought into the choreography and a new space to learn, so it's a lot to achieve in three days. Still, I have no doubt that we're still within reach of first prize.

After rehearsal we had our company dinner - at 6pm so people could go and see the show if they wanted to. Chris therefore rushed to the box office to get tickets - no luck. Argh. Situation normal I guess - the Oxbridgians must be popular.

So I hung around at dinner until it was time to go to the Festival Club. The general hubbub was quite noisy, and I think my threshold for pain in the auditory nerves is dropping. I needed glasses at 16, I think I'll need a hearing aid at 36. But it's still a great way to learn random things about people.

Also, it's a fairly good way of combining the work of the society (getting some money to pay bills) with a good whinge session with some of the movers and shakers. Of course you know when movers and shakers whinge, it usually results in problems being identified and solutions proposed.

So Chris caught me up and we went to the club. Choruses from Gondoliers and then the Oxbridgers came in and did a cabaret. Like most it was comprised of songs we don't know so it was of mild interest only. But what happened after that was a different matter! Buoyed up by post-show vibe and certain volatile liquids the cast started spontaneously launching into snatches of music - starting with Eagle High from Utopia! Chris joined in and I wandered over to listen, and an audience of two was all they needed. Pirates and Ruddigore followed and we joined in. In the Ruddigore madrigal I started singing the only line I know... and Savoynet's Yum-Yum shut up and let me have it! W00000000000t!

That night we left the club when we were kicked out. We got home at about 1:30am. But it was all worth it!

The next morning... well let's just say it's a good thing my alarm snoozes instead of switching off. We all got to rehearsal this morning spot on time. Breakfast was an apple eaten on the run, but we got there.

And so to another day of hard slog. Half way through we got moved from a small, airless room with no mobile phone reception to a much bigger, high ceiling, open windows, three bars out of five room, which we think we can have tomorrow as well. Phew!

After rehearsal? Dinner, time off to read emails and stuff, ignore Opera della Luna's Sorcerer and go to the festival club.

"A Patter Parade", Ian Smith said! In other words, patter songs and some chorus numbers from (almost) all the shows! Lots of fun. Finishing with Eagle High - and since I don't know it I had to video it didn't I! What fun.

Forecast for tomorrow: more of the same, possibly with more stress from the directorial team because it's our last day before the theatre. Might be time for an early night. See you soon.

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