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| The cast of Lost in the Stars Photo by John Lamb |
While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (August 17 - 25, 2018). This is the third in a short series of observations from backstage.
Observation 3: We get a day off. And it's not the day one would expect from the non-operatic theatre world.
I'm writing this the night of the day before opening night. And I'm writing not from backstage but from the comfort of my dining room. That's because, in the operatic world, it's standard practice to give the cast a night off before opening.
Why? Because singers are the star athletes of the musical theatre world. They have trained and studied for years and their voices are highly developed instruments that need a rest before they hit the boards. When we open tomorrow night (Friday, August 17, 2018), it will be with leads and choristers who have had a whole day of vocal rest and will be at the top of their form.
Frankly, I'm not sure other theatre companies, musical or otherwise, shouldn't consider adopting the same procedure. I've been in some shows in which opening night was a bit rocky because everyone was so exhausted from a solid week of tech and dress rehearsals. A night off before opening might have helped.
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