Tonight: a super secret, undercover, special preview audience.
…Like our version of an out-of-town-Preview…a week before costumes, tech and set.
Mdm. Director decided it would behoove us all to have premature laughter in order to gage how to deal with the absolutely every-other-line zinger we will be faced with in respect to the audience, and the timing it alters in the comedy.
…So each of us, one week out (to the day) of our actual Preview, were given leave to ask ONE person to tonight’s first off-book run. The rules were that they would not judge it as the final product, and would promise to come back and see it when we had one.
So tonight we had new butts in the seats.
…For most, they were people who knew what was coming from running lines with us anyway, but the laughter and sense of urgency certainly helped, and we collectively grew two-fold tonight.
Detailed notes, are email-pending.
I invited Ma to come. She has always been a particular fan of Oscar, and it’s been eeons since she’s sat in on rehearsals. Thought it might be fun, and her face hurt from too much laughing and smiling, after…so that is a very good sign.
…She’s very particular about Oscar.
We chatted on “funnies” over a couple Long Islands, post-rehearsal, and I am now home in time to commit my last conscious thoughts to blog, before wafting away to dreamland.
A good night.
Learned alot from the responses that were fed mid-run.
…And a lot from working the thru-line from one act to the next.
I think I’ve found my Gwendolen.
Now: to polish.
~D