Pressure from my own Expectations

[mrdreamjeans]

I wasn't as happy with the show last night, as I was with the Tuesday performance. The audience's enthusiasm was so palatable the first night; our level of energy and inspiration, so exciting, that I suppose nothing short of that would have met my expectations.

We have a flu bug making its rounds through the company. The score card for Wednesday night was one soprano and one tenor out, one female dance captain and three male dancers with next to no voice, but performing, and a male swing on for the tenor, but Jay's voice was gone too. Tempos were slower last night than usual, which affects performers when you are used to brisker ones. You really have to be on your toes. (I think Kevin slowed things down to accommodate local new orchestra members and to help with the clarity of the lyrics.)

With so many people under the weather, things sounded so different on stage. Harmonies and vocal balance were issues. With the swings on for sick people, it affected the choreography because of the different body types and sizes. Don't misunderstand - the show was excellent. But, with all of the hoopla of the press in attendance, there were a bunch of distractions I think most of us could have done without.

My friend Rhonda saw this second press night. Members of Actors Equity were offered two free tickets to the performance. Rhonda saw the 1998 tour. Her first remark to me was, "Why did I like this "Evita" so much more than I have previous ones? It was just so much more exciting." My friend is a voice teacher, has a terrific voice and she's no nonsense. I value her opinion.

What I got from Rhonda's comment was that what might feel odd or out-of-whack to me on stage, isn't necessarily read by the audience. I was reminded to just focus on doing my own show to the best of my ability. Having high expectations is a good thing, but not when they get in your way.

I walked three miles yesterday morning, strolling down La Cienega to the Beverly Center, across on Melrose Avenue to the Pacific Design Center and then back up to Santa Monica Blvd and to the hotel. The weather changed dramatically while I was exercising; rain moved in, so I stayed in my room till show time. While we were performing, the skies opened and the rain poured down. Not surprisingly, the humidity rose on stage; Sweat was flying everywhere (and not in a sexy way:) Suddenly being dressed in layers of costumes and wearing coats and ties, wasn't so much fun:)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that people will recover quickly from their bugs, but this year's flu seems to linger, particularly affecting the voice. I've had a flu shot and use hand sanitizer frequently back stage, so I hope to stay healthy. I'll make that my expectation.