Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Undulant Steel
Sometime during the rehearsal day on Saturday I went outside and walked around the amazing building we were working in...the steel roof, enormous, was created in waves of metal, that swooped and flowed and flew and undulated like the sheerest of fabrics, and the spirit of the thing was like that of a soaring bird, lifted from underneath its enormous wings by the breath of art...there was no way i was not going to touch that steel material, and so I did, and it almost soft to the touch it was so alive...visually extremely compelling, and every corner i looked at was filled with some sort of intriguing arrangement of the steel with its bolts, seams, and concrete joining together to keep the roof onto the building itself. There was never a dull or uninteresting spot in the entire construction, as I viewed it, and my walk around the building on the outside was like visiting an interesting foregin country. The story about this particular concert hall is that Gehry, used to building these things in warmer climates (like that Guggenheim in Spain) did not remember about the ice and snow that blanket this part of New York State in winter, so it becomes dangerous because once ice and snow lodge in the curvaceous roof, then melt a bit, walkers-by can get bopped on the head with sliding pieces of ice, so during the winter, they put a fenced-in area around the building so people cannot get to close to it! The smooth shiny steel surfaces are perfect sleds for whatever wishes to slide off it! Whoops....watch out for dangerous icicles!
But on that sweltering August Saturday afternoon, i was in architecture heaven and close enough to the building to hug it! So...i did.
The Sunday 3:00 pm concert was sold out, as far as we could see, and even the highest balcony seats were filled. There was a sense of expectancy in the air, and i imagine many theatre "geeks" were there to hear this rare presentation of what some consider to be a great old and forgotten show. I imagined many hidden personal video cameras filming us as we worked, so that blackmarket tapes could be traded and sold on e-bay and other places later...i would not be surprised...because of its rarity, the event did have a sense of minor importance...all we were concerned with was getting through the difficult pages ahead...some 500 of them! And to come out at the same ending point as the orchestra! We did do that.
Our orderly lines of singers walked solemnly out to assigned chairs, the audience applauded loudly...and the Overture was exciting, as it seemed to announce to us: "Here we go, there is no turning back or stopping now, you guys!!" And we were off! And, at times it seemed, the show actually lifted off the ground with possibility....my "Mother Hare" character seemed to gain the approval of the crowd early on, and my final exit after giving the apple to the town's ladies got hearty applause...i did feel good about the way the role sounded in my voice, and i created a full , extravagant character of this interesting old seeress of the town of Angels Roost....people liked my work. And it certainly did sound good all the way around.
Howard M. and Christa M. were glorious sounding, and Kate Bladwin has such charm and beauty. LAZY AFTERNOON was beautiful.
So, Pearl's Weekend and THE GOLDEN APPLE weekend,,,sort of like a small summer stock gig for both Peter and me....ANYTHING GOES and GOLDEN APPLE, too oldies but goodies...time for a relaxing Labor Day Weekend!!!
But on that sweltering August Saturday afternoon, i was in architecture heaven and close enough to the building to hug it! So...i did.
The Sunday 3:00 pm concert was sold out, as far as we could see, and even the highest balcony seats were filled. There was a sense of expectancy in the air, and i imagine many theatre "geeks" were there to hear this rare presentation of what some consider to be a great old and forgotten show. I imagined many hidden personal video cameras filming us as we worked, so that blackmarket tapes could be traded and sold on e-bay and other places later...i would not be surprised...because of its rarity, the event did have a sense of minor importance...all we were concerned with was getting through the difficult pages ahead...some 500 of them! And to come out at the same ending point as the orchestra! We did do that.
Our orderly lines of singers walked solemnly out to assigned chairs, the audience applauded loudly...and the Overture was exciting, as it seemed to announce to us: "Here we go, there is no turning back or stopping now, you guys!!" And we were off! And, at times it seemed, the show actually lifted off the ground with possibility....my "Mother Hare" character seemed to gain the approval of the crowd early on, and my final exit after giving the apple to the town's ladies got hearty applause...i did feel good about the way the role sounded in my voice, and i created a full , extravagant character of this interesting old seeress of the town of Angels Roost....people liked my work. And it certainly did sound good all the way around.
Howard M. and Christa M. were glorious sounding, and Kate Bladwin has such charm and beauty. LAZY AFTERNOON was beautiful.
So, Pearl's Weekend and THE GOLDEN APPLE weekend,,,sort of like a small summer stock gig for both Peter and me....ANYTHING GOES and GOLDEN APPLE, too oldies but goodies...time for a relaxing Labor Day Weekend!!!
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