We are officially at midpoint in our rehearsal process. I would like to say that all has gone smoothly. It hasn’t. It never does, but we are here anyway. On Thursday we will have a run-through of Act I during which we will see what is working, what needs more attention and get to see the structure of the Act. It’s one of my favorite moments in rehearsal when the bits and pieces we’ve addressed come together as a whole unit. The actors sound good. The dancing is good. The scene work is coming along. Knitting it all together is an entirely different process.
Always at this stage of the game I wonder what is going on. It’s like being in a dense forest where one is immersed in the lush sights and smells of foliage and the languid humid embrace of a tropic zone and then to suddenly emerge atop a high tower to see the clear, shining outlay of the land. “Oh! That’s what we’ve been doing!” It’s that kind of childlike surprise even when you’re the person who’s planned it all out, because the planning is two-dimensional and when the human element is added, the show comes alive with breadth and substance. It becomes a human thing rather than a linear thing. I love this time in rehearsal. It’s confusing. It’s sometimes frustrating, but it leads us to the opening where it all makes sense. Thursday, bring it on!