Pre-Gale. Sitzprobe. Piano Filage. If I didn’t know any better I’d suspect that we were putting together a very expensive porno flick.
Then again, it’s an open question about the differences between the Opera world and that of XXX-rated movies. None-the-less – we had our Piano Filage on Saturday. That’s the piano dress rehearsal for staging, and it was a strange one. Things that normally go perfectly were off kilter. Things that were usually a mess were spot on. I was left shaking my head and suspecting that Venus was in the 4th house or something, because that’s the only way to account for the various anomalies we were racking up. Best to not panic and move on.
And move on we have. Because this is a revival we have not had a Sitzprobe, a rehearsal where we all literally sit and concentrate on the music. With the orchestra playing at the Aix festival last week it wasn’t possible to schedule one. So Monday found us all together for the very first time, doing staging, rehearsing, lighting, etc. The first thing to notice is that an orchestra is a very different beast than a pianist trying to play an orchestra reduction. Obviously the music is more complete with the full orchestra, but an orchestra also reacts differently than a piano. Should be obvious, right? But it takes some getting used to by all involved. Now it is even more important to pay attention to the conductor. It’s my job, after all, to co-ordinate everything. The theory is that I know what is going on. Theoretically.
Of course, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. One of them was psychological – in the opening scene I noticed that our Crown, Gregg Baker, was doing some very, very tight staging leading into his line “This damn whiskey’s just as weak as water.” Being the paranoid person that I am, after three occurrences of this last week in the piano rehearsals I mentioned to him that it seemed a little tight. Frankly I should have kept my mouth shut. In the first orchestra rehearsal he rushed through his staging and came in half a bar early! If I hadn’t said anything I’m sure it would have been fine in the first place, but I had to open my big mouth. Note to self – even if it’s tight, if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it.
Monday’s second rehearsal did provide us with the funniest moment of our two year P&B experience, which came at the top of Act 2, scene 3. At this point Bess has returned from her encounter with Crown all verklempt, raving like a mad woman, etc. Our “Bess,” Janice, is stationed downstage left on a bed for this scene. Once she has established her crazy credentials there comes various interludes – the arrival of Peter (Honey Man) after being let out of jail (he had been falsely accused of Robbins’ murder); the prayer scene led by Serena to ask Dr. Jesus to heal Bess; and the 3 interludes of Strawberry Woman, Honey Man, and Crab man. Then the orchestra chimes 5 O’clock, and Porgy (Derrick) comes rolling onstage with the line “Now’s the time, oh Gawd, now’s the time.” There’s a very short musical passage and I give a cue for Bess to come. What is supposed to happen at this point is that “Dr. Jesus” has healed her and she sings “Porgy, Porgy, that you, ain’t it?” to show that she has come to her senses.
Well, that’s not what happened. I gave a cue and………. nothing. Derrick looks over to her, slightly perplexed, and then starts singing her line in falsetto. That started me giggling right there, but what happened next put me right over the edge. Suddenly Janice sits bold upright on the bed with the most startled look on her face. With all the praying, interludes, and everything else, she had dozed off and was catching 40 winks! I lost it. Poor Derrick was laughing so hard he fell out of his wheelchair, and the rest of the cast and crew dissolved into hysterics. My only regret is that there is no video record of this moment. It was utterly priceless, and a true YouTube moment. It took us a few minutes to regain control, and I have given very strict instructions to our Stage Manager to make sure that the bed is made less comfortable.
When putting together an opera you need moments like that. Now it’s on to the Pre-Gale, and Wednesday night is the Gale, the final dress rehearsal. Is it too late to switch to Fidelio?
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