We spent most of this week relearning the music, which is almost as different as the script. Some songs and pieces of songs have been
reassigned to different characters, one solo was turned to an ensemble number, and Nick worked hard on writing more vocal arrangements (more harmony to learn, ugh)! If I thought it was hard to learn a score I had never heard before, it's even harder learning a familiar score that has been revised. But I have to remember Kriste who has rejoined the company. She has to learn the new stuff while scrambling to learn the music the rest of us already know and take for granted. Lucky for her (and us) she is a quick study and a fine musician.
    It's fun to look at the new draft of the script and see changes in the areas that I felt needed to be changed. Scott says the script will stay pretty much as it is and any future changes will be minimal. Now, as opposed to the reading, I have a whole script to memorize and a ton of
staging yet to be learned. I think I need a nap.
Josh Singer



Jan. 19 - The Second Week

    Tension, drama, and turmoil. More on that later.
    We started movement work this week. Scott keep asserting the physical demands of this show so we have spent the few days with Nancy, the choreographer. She's been giving us thorough warm-ups and Viewpoints
exercises (exercises that emphasize organic ensemble performance work). I've been introduced to Viewpoints but I've never practiced them with seasoned actors. I was surprised and gratified by how quickly we all tapped into the ensemble energy.
    Part of the fun of Viewpoints is incorporating the set into the exercises. And we are very lucky to have a set that is multifunctional, striking to look at, and just begs to be played on. We're also lucky to already have the structure built so we can immediately begin working with it.

    Nancy has also choreographed a few numbers already. Her style is very different from Broadway choreographers who impose the steps on their dancers. Nancy prefers a mix of giving us steps and organically developing movements that stem from a performer's experience and interpretation. It's an exciting way to work.
    The rest of the week was spent blocking the first few scenes. Scott's interpretation of the piece is a very actor driven event, making the performers responsible for creating atmosphere and communicating setting.

The script also has a very cinematic aesthetic that demands quick transitions and sharp changes of focus. The opening prologue is particularly fast and furious.
    But here's the drama: we don't know where the show will open! For nearly a year it was understood that the show would be mounted at Baltimore's Theatre Project. Now we hear that there is a scheduling conflict that is bigger than a miscommunication with the Managing Director of the theatre. Scott is furiously trying to resolve the confusion as quickly as possible so we can start the advertising campaign. Scott declares 'the show will go on' but the tragedy would be to play the show somewhere other than Theatre
Project. The staging and our fabulous have been tailored to the specific qualities inherent to that space. Put anywhere where else the show will not be appreciated in the way Scott intends. But all we can do for now is wait and see.
Josh Singer


Jan 26 - The Third Week

    Hallelujah! We're in Theatre Project. It took longer to determine than anyone wanted, but we got what we wanted. I'm relieved to know that we will be doing the show where it was meant to be performed.
    The other good news is that everything is on schedule. The show is all blocked out, though it was tough due to the cinematic qualities of the script. Scott even admits that this is the hardest show he's ever staged. But I think the challenge is good for him. The only thing that worries me is the costumes. Each actors plays multiple characters and each character has signature costume pieces that iconify him or her. The Koken, among other things, are there to help move these costume pieces to where we need them and occasionally help us dress. But we haven't mapped out these movements yet and that is going to be an intricate dance in of itself.    This dilemma reminds me how indebted we 'reporters' are to the Koken. The six of us who play the reporters which carry the bulk of the story telling are keenly aware how the show would fall flat if we didn't have the Koken there to help us dress, move scenery, manipulate puppets, and sing. The six of us alone couldn't possibly do everything that needs to be done. And Scott has done a very skilled job of integrating the Koken into the staging so that it doesn't look like a show of six actors and their three stage hands.
    Now that the show is staged, I remember Scott's warnings that this show would be very physically demanding. I never doubted him, but the full force of his words are only now becoming clear. The show moves at a very fast pace, we have to be a constant state of anticipation, each character requires a distinct physical embodiment, and no one leaves the stage for the entire performance (except for intermission, of course). I don't know how the smoker's in the cast (and I'm not naming names but they know who they are) will survive.
Josh Singer

Feb. 2 - The Fourth Week

    This week was spent choreographing the movements of the Koken and our costume pieces, attacking the issues I was worried had been overlooked last week. We also spent a lot of time fine-tuning the transitions. The week culminated in our first of-book run of both acts. As I have said repeatedly this show is very complex and all of us actors were very scared to find out how much we couldn't remember. And on top of it all we had a small audience. No pressure! Granted they were mostly production crew, but an audience is an audience to a performer.

    Well, the whole run felt like a disaster. We all forgot lines or important blocking and the first act felt like it lasted a year. I even succumbed and carried my script for the entire second act. Scott was clearly frustrated because among the other problems, the transitions we had spent so much time on did not go as smoothly as he had hoped. (At one point he ran onstage to dress me in a coat that had failed to get to me.) But I was amazed at the perseverance that prevailed to the end. No one on stage gave up (or if they did it didn't show). I felt the need to throw in the towel numerous times but I couldn't when I saw how dedicated everyone else was to making as much of the run work as possible. That kind of collective force always amazes me.

    I have to admit that over all, I think tonight was harder for our three Koken than anyone else. They have had to assimilate the most changes in this process, they need to be in a constant state of anticipation, and they must do most of their work unobtrusively. (They sing and dance too!) Ultimately they have to know the entire show better than anyone else on stage. I have to honor them because I know that my head would explode if I had to do their job. And without them the show would fall flat. Whatever problems we encountered during the run, their dedication is clear.
    After the run was over, Scott was very encouraging. He admitted that the source of his frustration was from a tradition of his shows being a bit more together by this point in the process, but by the second act a sense of perspective had overcome him and all he could do was laugh at some of our mistakes. He reminded us that the show is very difficult, one of the hardest he has ever confronted, and when that was considered we really weren't in bad shape at all.  He also added that many of the scenes have
some very strong moments and the show is very informative, entertaining, and unique.

    Now we get a much needed two days to rest, recuperate, and rally. Next week we tackle the beast again, and I'm confident we will tame, if not conquer, it.
Josh Singer

Feb. 11 - The Fourth Week: Entering the home stretch

    Well, we've had our first casualty: Albert S. and Albert D. are dead. But their history has been a long and checkered one. Humanette puppets like Al Capone Scott designed them to be dressed in matching suits; one of which fit perfectly, the other being much too huge. I pulled a few all-nighters tailoring the second suit and making it match the first. Unbeknownst to me, through all of this Scott had reservations about the "Albert S. and Albert D." song. Early this week he made the final decision to cut the song and the puppets.
    Scott was hesitant to tell me and Julie about the cut because of the time we all three spent building and dressing the puppets, but we both took it very well. As each puppet was built I was very aware of the possibility that any one of them might be cut if it was considered necessary. How often do we hear about elaborate sets/costumes/songs/scenes being created for a Broadway show, and then cut because the moment was wrong or didn't work? That's theatre.
    The only other major change is that Scott moved intermission so that it happens a few scenes earlier. Other than that the week has gone smoothly. We have been consistently running the show, and with each rehearsal the piece gets more and more refined. On Thursday we actually got to wear our costumes for the first time. Kelli was probably the most excited because her costume perfectly suits her character, looks great on her, and is a lot of fun to wear. Everybody looked great, Scott's design work is great and there are little details to everyone's costumes that really make them special.
    I can't believe we're about to start tech week. The set and lights are being loaded into Theatre Project as I write, all this week we'll be rehearsing there, and we open this coming Friday. We have less than a week to polish and refine this show into the well-oiled machine it needs to be. The idea is both terrifying and exhilarating. I think I'd better go study my lines.
Josh Singer

Feb 16 - Before the Big Night

    We survived tech week and tonight is opening night. Everyone is excited and anxious about having our first real audience. But I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on this past week before it gets washed in the memories of tonight.
    The strongest image for me is Monday night when I walked onto the stage and saw for the first time the entire cast on the set, in costume, under the stage lights. I got a rush of adrenaline at the sight. It's that moment when the reality hits you: "My God! We're doing a show!" Everyone looked fabulous and Scott commented how professional the show looked.
    The rest of the week was typical for a tech week. But what amazed me most was how smoothly we incorporated the technical elements into the show. With all the film and slide projections Scott wanted for the show I was sure our first run with them would take forever. Much to my surprise the total amount of stops and starts were remarkably low. This is doubly impressive since we never had a cue-to-cue with the actors. So this weeks "Hat's-Off Award" goes to Scott and the technical crew for all their hours of preparation and late nights.
    As I sit here in anticipation of our inevitable opening, I cling to Scott's faith in us. He has expressed his pride in the production -- it's cast, it's crew, it's design -- and believes it will make a strong, positive impression on the Baltimore theatergoers. I share his pride and feel honored to have had the opportunity to work with such a dedicated, talented group of people.
    And now -- "Once more, dear friends, into the breach!!"
Josh Singer