It's Week 6 and Toby is back with a vengeance! After a rejuvenating weekend I arrived at rehearsals on Monday with a new-found vigour and energy... Probably because this week's show is all about MUSIC THEATRE! Yay! Being a true Music Theatre boy, I feel so at home with this kind of material, and it is so nice to get back to my MT roots. Jazz hands, box steps, over-use of facial expressions... Plus the songs are fantastic, the choreography is classy and effective... It's heaven! We cover Cole Porter, Jules Styne, Richard Rodgers, Les Mis, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls and a few other Broadway classics. It's like a little trip through MT history (this time without the lovely Ann Adlem to guide us through it hahaha)...
In this show, we also never leave the stage, so it's up there on the list of most exhausting! My favourite part is, of course, the West Side Story section. We do both “Mambo” and “Cool,” which are two of my favourite pieces of music from Leonard Bernstein's most famous show. The dances are so energetic and intense and fierce and blah blah blah AMAZING! It almost makes up for not actually being cast in the Aussie production of West Side lol... Well, not quite, but at least this way I get to perform SOME of the show, and I'm doing a world tour (or at least that's what I'll tell myself hehe).
This week we also learnt the “Welcome Aboard” show that we will perform at the beginning of each cruise. At a glance, it is possibly the lamest song you've ever seen (a version of Ricky Martin's classic “She Bangs,” re-titled “We Cruise,” remixed with island bongos, and with alternate lyrics regarding the amazing cruise ship experience the passengers are embarking upon. However, no matter how tacky, I think it is my favourite song/dance out of everything we have learnt! It's so infectious and exciting, and the chorey is just a dream. It's one of those dances that just makes you feel amazing, and you can't help but smash every single count until the very end (when you realise you danced so hard you almost want to vomit).
And after learning that.... We had learnt EVERYTHING! What an amazing feeling!! It's so strange to know that you have 6 whole hours of lyrics and choreography embedded somewhere in your brain. I'm praying that it stays put! And I'm sure it's nothing compared to the amount of info, for example, a doctor has to remember (and in my situation it isn't quite the difference between life and death), but I'm still very proud of my little brain for coping.
So... in unrelated news... Have you heard of the movie “The Human Centipede”? It came to my cast's attention a couple of weeks ago, and it kind of became a running joke between us. Basically, the movie is about a crazy german surgeon who makes a human centipede, by joining people via the gastric system (ie mouth to anus... gross, I know). So we had been joking about making our own version (pretend of course), and one afternoon after rehearsals we were all a bit delirious and decided to make a little video of our cast as a human centipede. It was very, very funny (to us at least) and we thought it would be even funnier to send the video to our choreographer, who was also in on the joke. Little did we know our plan would totally backfire the next day lol. We were at rehearsals, and a couple of cast members were a little bit sketchy on some of the lyrics to the song we were learning. When this came to our choreographer's attention, she came out with the quote of the year: “If you've got time to make a human centipede on a Thursday night, you've got time to learn your lyrics!” I honestly don't know how she said it without laughing, and I definitely had to face to back to conceal my own giggles haha.
And then.... this week we actually WATCHED the movie. Bad move... even though it was hideously C-grade, it kind of scarred us all for life. I don't want to spoil it, and if you're up for it, definitely watch it. It's kind of cool (well I don't think cool is really the right word) but if you like gross movies like 'Saw' you will love it. I always just wonder what kind of creep actually comes up with these movies? Or how they get actors who are willing to perform in them? Actually, if you had asked me a couple of weeks before I got this job, I may have been desperate enough! Lol...
Anyway, after a final bit of shopping on Saturday, I finally have everything I need to venture off on this amazing journey... It is so surreal to think that in a few days I will be sailing around the Mediterranean on a floating hotel, teching in our 6 shows. Considering I've never been out of the country, I'm jumping out of my skin with excitement! During our first official cruise, it will be my birthday. And I will be in Egypt. AS IF! I will actually be standing at the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza, on my 23rd birthday. Childhood dream, tick! Like I said... DYING with excitement!!!!!!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Week 5... Space Cadet!
So... If you haven't heard the term 'Space Cadet' before, let me clarify... I first heard it used (in this sense) by one of my very best friends from WAAPA, and it refers to a person who is more than a little bit vague in the head. In Week 5 of rehearsals, this was me. I can hear my friend's voice clearly in my head saying, “Oh, he's such a bloody space cadet!” And yes, I am. Call me Space Cadet Toby. Basically, I think that all the physical and mental exertion of the past several weeks had finally caught up with me and I was simply exhausted... and a little bit stupid. ALL the time.
This made things difficult in a few ways. One, it was nearly impossible to dance all day because it took 90% of my energy just to stay standing with my eyes open. Two, I found it a lot harder to pick up choreography because my brain was like big mushy stew of kick-ball-changes, pops and head snaps. And three, when I get tired I get really giggly. And giggling is highly counter-productive and annoying to all involved (except the giggler themself).
Anyhow, we were working on a really cool show in Week 5. Probably one of my favourites actually. It pays tribute (in Cruise Revue style) to a few different musical greats, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rat Pack and some good old disco Divas. Again, sounds nice and simple, but the amount of intricate choreography in this show is insane. There are a couple of occasions when we have to fit 4 counts of chorey into a one syllable word... So, for example, try and fit a clap, a point, a head flick and another clap all into the word “you.” Good luck lol... And what a coincidence that the week with the world's most fiddly, bitsy chorey is also the week that none of us have a properly functioning brain! Perfect.
So there was sooooo much to learn, plus these days we also have to squeeze in a couple of runs of our other shows during the week (so we don't forget how they go). The workload is getting pretty crazy. There are definitely moments where it feels like not a single extra step or lyric will fit into your brain. And that if you do learn anything new it will just push some older info out. Surely there must be a limit to how much one person can learn in a few weeks? It doesn't help that steps all start looking the same after you've learnt 60 or so dances... or they actually ARE the same and start on a different leg, or turn a different direction. It's a total mind-fuck.
One particular afternoon, I was so mentally exhausted that I could barely focus my eyes on the choreographer. It was almost impossible to retain anything she taught me, and I knew that she could see I was about to pass out. The overwhelming feeling of being swamped by information became so strong that, suddenly, most of us were on the verge of tears, for no particular reason. And of course then I felt stupid, because I'm meant to be a professional, and this is my job, so I should just suck it up and get on with the work. But when it comes down to it, I guess I'm only human and I'm allowed to have a bad day. Right? Haha I hope so...
Listen to me, whinge, whinge, blah, blah lol... Really it wasn't all that bad. I'm still having the best time ever! =)
And on the upside, my stamina must be improving, because we barely leave the stage in this show, and I didn't DIE after we did a show-run at the end of the week! Yay! My fellow singer/dancer and I have some very testing moments, going from hectic dance after hectic dance into our own songs, but it all seemed to go ok I think! Though, in all honesty, I did nearly faint at the end of the run... But like I said, I didn't die! I think I'm gonna be a machine by the end of this contract. An all singing, all dancing MACHINE! (The campest kind of machine there is lol)...
On another note, I bought a bow tie. And it is so cool =)
This made things difficult in a few ways. One, it was nearly impossible to dance all day because it took 90% of my energy just to stay standing with my eyes open. Two, I found it a lot harder to pick up choreography because my brain was like big mushy stew of kick-ball-changes, pops and head snaps. And three, when I get tired I get really giggly. And giggling is highly counter-productive and annoying to all involved (except the giggler themself).
Anyhow, we were working on a really cool show in Week 5. Probably one of my favourites actually. It pays tribute (in Cruise Revue style) to a few different musical greats, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rat Pack and some good old disco Divas. Again, sounds nice and simple, but the amount of intricate choreography in this show is insane. There are a couple of occasions when we have to fit 4 counts of chorey into a one syllable word... So, for example, try and fit a clap, a point, a head flick and another clap all into the word “you.” Good luck lol... And what a coincidence that the week with the world's most fiddly, bitsy chorey is also the week that none of us have a properly functioning brain! Perfect.
So there was sooooo much to learn, plus these days we also have to squeeze in a couple of runs of our other shows during the week (so we don't forget how they go). The workload is getting pretty crazy. There are definitely moments where it feels like not a single extra step or lyric will fit into your brain. And that if you do learn anything new it will just push some older info out. Surely there must be a limit to how much one person can learn in a few weeks? It doesn't help that steps all start looking the same after you've learnt 60 or so dances... or they actually ARE the same and start on a different leg, or turn a different direction. It's a total mind-fuck.
One particular afternoon, I was so mentally exhausted that I could barely focus my eyes on the choreographer. It was almost impossible to retain anything she taught me, and I knew that she could see I was about to pass out. The overwhelming feeling of being swamped by information became so strong that, suddenly, most of us were on the verge of tears, for no particular reason. And of course then I felt stupid, because I'm meant to be a professional, and this is my job, so I should just suck it up and get on with the work. But when it comes down to it, I guess I'm only human and I'm allowed to have a bad day. Right? Haha I hope so...
Listen to me, whinge, whinge, blah, blah lol... Really it wasn't all that bad. I'm still having the best time ever! =)
And on the upside, my stamina must be improving, because we barely leave the stage in this show, and I didn't DIE after we did a show-run at the end of the week! Yay! My fellow singer/dancer and I have some very testing moments, going from hectic dance after hectic dance into our own songs, but it all seemed to go ok I think! Though, in all honesty, I did nearly faint at the end of the run... But like I said, I didn't die! I think I'm gonna be a machine by the end of this contract. An all singing, all dancing MACHINE! (The campest kind of machine there is lol)...
On another note, I bought a bow tie. And it is so cool =)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Week 4... Paris! (But not really)
It's Week 4 and we're off to Paris! (Not actually though!) But Paris and Newcastle... No big difference, right? Anyway, this week it's a French themed show, full of love songs, beautiful language and some killer dances. At first glance the show looked like it was gonna be a breeze: not as many songs, less lyrics to learn, fewer dance numbers. However, the sneaky dance numbers that sounded really simple, such as the “Waiter's Dance,” turned out to be massive numbers.
When I picture a dance about waiter's, I imagine aprons, drink trays, and tea towels. All correct. What I didn't envisage was two and half minutes of kicks. We have your regular 'grand battement' (your standard straight leg kick), but we also have attitude kicks, swing kicks, spring kicks, hitch kicks, held kicks, twist kicks and a kick line. Now, for someone who attended one dance class in 2010, it is certainly safe to say that this one dance contained more kicks than I have done all year! Lots of fun, though I don't think my hamstrings would really agree...
The morning after we learnt the waiter's dance of death, my legs were stiff as boards. I thought, possibly, we may be granted a little reprieve from hardcore ballistic leg movements that day... No. No such luck. The next dance that we learnt, a charming little can-can, finished with a good ol' jump into the splits. Awesome. I could practically hear my muscles screaming, 'Noooooo!' But by some stroke of fate, I found that once I had warmed up I was as flexy as ever, and loving myself jumping to the floor in a big fat front split! Again, not quite sure whether my hammys had quite as much fun as I did.
My other favourite dance in this week's show, is to 'Vogue' by Madonna. Not quite sure how it fits into the French theme (though I guess Vogue is a French word?) but it's so cool. The only upsetting thing is that it starts with two girls on stage doing some really fierce fan choreography. (As in fans that you fan your face with). Why is this upsetting, you ask? Because I don't get to do it. And yes, I did say that it's just two GIRLS that do it... and isn't that just a little unfair? When do boys ever get to do fan dances? We totally get jibbed in that department. You just can't beat the feeling of flicking that fan open in front of your face, your hair blowing gently in the wind.... Next time I ever have to choreograph anything, it's totally going to involve a fan, no matter how appropriate it is. I'm picturing “Do You Hear the People Sing” from Les Mis... all those French Revolutionaries marching to glory, flouro-coloured fans in hand....... Bliss.
If there is one thing I'm not a huge fan of (no pun intended) in this show, it is the song “Ah Paris” that I have to sing. I don't actually know where it's from, but it has the worlds ugliest melody. The intervals are so unpredictable and I'm pretty sure the guy who sings the song on the guide CD (which I had to learn from) just makes some of it up. So therefore I do the same. Plus it mentions all these different places, like Cairo, Carlsbad and Constantinople, which sometimes become interchangeable when I sing the song. I probably should be practising it right now........
To change things up a bit this week, instead of having our normal rehearsal time in the boys apartment, we decided to do a run of one of our other shows in the park across the road. We figured some fresh air and a bit more space would serve us well. Which was kind of true, but in the end it was quite unproductive. We all kept forgetting which direction was the front, couldn't hear our music and got itchy from the grass lol... it was still fun though, and I'm sure the passers-by enjoyed it. One (crazy) guy on a bike actually stopped and watched for about 20 min. He even took a video of us on his phone I think... mentioned something about YouTube. I sincerely hope he was joking.
So if, by chance, you stumble upon some footage of a group of crazies dancing around in the park... It's probably me! =)
When I picture a dance about waiter's, I imagine aprons, drink trays, and tea towels. All correct. What I didn't envisage was two and half minutes of kicks. We have your regular 'grand battement' (your standard straight leg kick), but we also have attitude kicks, swing kicks, spring kicks, hitch kicks, held kicks, twist kicks and a kick line. Now, for someone who attended one dance class in 2010, it is certainly safe to say that this one dance contained more kicks than I have done all year! Lots of fun, though I don't think my hamstrings would really agree...
The morning after we learnt the waiter's dance of death, my legs were stiff as boards. I thought, possibly, we may be granted a little reprieve from hardcore ballistic leg movements that day... No. No such luck. The next dance that we learnt, a charming little can-can, finished with a good ol' jump into the splits. Awesome. I could practically hear my muscles screaming, 'Noooooo!' But by some stroke of fate, I found that once I had warmed up I was as flexy as ever, and loving myself jumping to the floor in a big fat front split! Again, not quite sure whether my hammys had quite as much fun as I did.
My other favourite dance in this week's show, is to 'Vogue' by Madonna. Not quite sure how it fits into the French theme (though I guess Vogue is a French word?) but it's so cool. The only upsetting thing is that it starts with two girls on stage doing some really fierce fan choreography. (As in fans that you fan your face with). Why is this upsetting, you ask? Because I don't get to do it. And yes, I did say that it's just two GIRLS that do it... and isn't that just a little unfair? When do boys ever get to do fan dances? We totally get jibbed in that department. You just can't beat the feeling of flicking that fan open in front of your face, your hair blowing gently in the wind.... Next time I ever have to choreograph anything, it's totally going to involve a fan, no matter how appropriate it is. I'm picturing “Do You Hear the People Sing” from Les Mis... all those French Revolutionaries marching to glory, flouro-coloured fans in hand....... Bliss.
If there is one thing I'm not a huge fan of (no pun intended) in this show, it is the song “Ah Paris” that I have to sing. I don't actually know where it's from, but it has the worlds ugliest melody. The intervals are so unpredictable and I'm pretty sure the guy who sings the song on the guide CD (which I had to learn from) just makes some of it up. So therefore I do the same. Plus it mentions all these different places, like Cairo, Carlsbad and Constantinople, which sometimes become interchangeable when I sing the song. I probably should be practising it right now........
To change things up a bit this week, instead of having our normal rehearsal time in the boys apartment, we decided to do a run of one of our other shows in the park across the road. We figured some fresh air and a bit more space would serve us well. Which was kind of true, but in the end it was quite unproductive. We all kept forgetting which direction was the front, couldn't hear our music and got itchy from the grass lol... it was still fun though, and I'm sure the passers-by enjoyed it. One (crazy) guy on a bike actually stopped and watched for about 20 min. He even took a video of us on his phone I think... mentioned something about YouTube. I sincerely hope he was joking.
So if, by chance, you stumble upon some footage of a group of crazies dancing around in the park... It's probably me! =)
 |
| Cast Pyramid in the Park |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)