The MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players recently put on Into the Woods, a very popular musical that begins with some fairytale characters. Although I auditioned, I decided not to accept a role, and my busyness during the rehearsal process made me very glad of this decision.
However, on the evening of put-in, Kelsey called asking if I could stand in for Rapunzel's Prince for the last dress rehearsal. My job would simply be to speak and sing his lines and perform his blocking as much as I could remember. Usually the stage manager would do this, but this show didn't really have a stage manager.
I went along on Tuesday night to watch, in order to pick up the basics of the blocking. The Prince's actions were relatively simple, so I thought I could give them a fair go.
On Thursday I showed up and took the place of the Prince. It was a little frantic making sure I was in the right place for each entrance, but it went ok. My singing was pretty awful (always one beat behind, always one step below, that E's just out of reach...) but it kept the show moving.
Tuesday was the only time I watched the whole show (I was house manager, so I saw bits of it during the performances). It struck me as not quite as good as the other MITGSP shows I've seen. Perhaps this was largely due to the material: I'm not a particular fan of Sondheim musicals. I did feel that there were too many things happening at first, and not enough consistent plot thread, and there seemed to be little opportunity for the singers to shine as singers. Jessica Taylor as the Baker's Wife was particularly strong as an actor, and the show would have benefited from more performers who could be as engaging as she. Her scene with Rishi Basu as Cinderella's Prince was particularly strong. It's a pity her character was killed off midway through the second act.
I did think the quality picked up substantially between the first rehearsal in space and the performances. It might be in part because the lights were now working instead of being stuck on a dull, even green. I did notice real characterisation, particularly from Emily Lydic as Cinderella, a part I had thought of as rather bland at first.
After the shows finished on Saturday, I helped with strike, which went pretty typically, and joined the cast for their party. I just wish I were hungrier, since the food was so good!
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