Friday, February 07, 2003
I'm taking back a lot of the negative things I've said about Red White and Swing. True, the dialogue was left quite a bit to be desired. True, some of the characters, scenarios, and setups could have been better thought out. But seeing Mr. Blaydes before us all, giving us a pep-talk, blinking back tears, was enough to make nearly everyone in the cast reconsider all the derogatory comments we had made over the past few months. I felt especially moved, because his reaction was almost exactly how I envisioned myself on the opening night of Men At Arms, should it ever be staged. I wouldn't care if it was bad or good or what anyone thought of it at that moment. Years of work would come together on a single point in time, from the opening of the curtains to the final bows. And the world would experience something never before seen -- something original, fresh, and new.
Red White and Swing has come quite a long way since the preview readthrough last spring. It's become integrated, which is my most important criterion in a musical. And the music is upbeat, memorable, and a fitting representation of the time. True, he didn't write it, but heck, you could say the same about Moulin Rouge (though to be frank, there's no comparing the two). Though I still wish some things could have gone differently, I was glad to be a part of it. Two more performances, and the world premiere of Red White and Swing will come to a close. Who knows if and when it will be resurrected? For all we know, this could be the last performance. In the meantime, I'll be working on Men at Arms. Priscilla said at 11:00 PM Comments: Post a Comment Title cartoon by Bruce Eric Kaplan, used without permission. |
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