Legs #2, a gorgeous blond dance friend from Columbia, texted at 7am with an offer to sign me up for the My Fair Lady principals and singers call. What a lark! What a plunge! I had been privately lamenting that I wouldn't be able to go in for the singer call today since I have to ration my auditions within my new "full-time" work schedule. Because the universe continues to create and support people who are lovely inside and out like Legs #2, I was once again able to get in and out and back to work within the confines of my lunch hour. (But juuuuust barely).
At 12pm, I blazed into Nola Studios, did one of those miracle speed-costume changes that dancers are famous for (in the crowded, narrow hallway no less). I spent about 10 minutes curling the particularly heinous sections of hair in my windblown coif, and managed to liaise with new friends (loving the Julliard opera representation at auditions lately!!). Within fifteen minutes, I was in my place in line, chatting up the adorable Irish man to my right and his giant friend, who was contemplating a stage name change to Rumpelstiltskin (doesn't quite run off the tongue like Madonna, but catchy nonetheless, I think).
In front of one of the largest audition panels I've seen in a while (7 people at the casting table), I brought out an oldie but goodie and belted "Stepsisters' Lament" from R&H's Cinderella. The monitor said they wanted to see character in the room today and boy did I give it to them! I also feel compelled to give a shout out for yet another benefit of challenging life experiences. Often I have found that people who are not so awesome to you in life provide EXCELLENT fodder to focus emotions on when you're singing.
Luckily for me, I've come across some real winners in my five years in New York, and I think my acting choices are becoming better honed and more specific as a result! For the first time ever I got some real laughs during my 16 bar cut. So gratifying and exhilarating! Memo to self: remember the fun.
Anyyyway, now I'm back at my work desk ... and it's as though I've been here all along. A canny observer might notice that I'm slightly more put together than I was when I came in this morning. Mostly, I think I'm getting away with my sneaky artistic espionage.
I'll leave you with some famous last words from the incomparable Rex Harrison. One of my favorite scenes from My Fair Lady... if only people were still writing music like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6sb-vOFqCU
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