Opening night

From Eric Hale:

Last night, Carmen opened. While I do not know how many tickets we sold, it looked like a lot of the seats were full. That is a very happy thing.

Although the show did not start until 7:30, preparations began much earlier for the cast and crew. Everyone has a “call time”, which is the time you are supposed to be at the theater. Different groups have different call times. For the chorus, it was 5:30. However, many of us arrived even earlier than that, too excited by opening night to stay home.

Anna, the makeup artist, had watched final dress rehearsal and concluded that our makeup needed to be darker. This became the running joke of the night, as people were sent back to make their makeup darker a second, third, or even fourth time.

Despite making up several times, most people were ready nearly an hour before show time. We studied our scores and chatted with other cast members. People wandered by, saying “toi, toi, toi” as they passed. “Toi, toi, toi” is the operatic equivalent of “break a leg”.

Warm-ups for the chorus started about 20 minutes before show time. After warm-ups, we went upstairs to take our places for the start of the show. The curtain does not stop the murmur of the crowd. I can’t speak for the others, but that sound always gives me a kick of adrenaline. Joel Adams, one of the founders of Capital Opera, gave a brief statement and the overture started.

About the show itself, I can only give you my impressions. Each performer’s experience is different, and I would not presume to speak for them.

As the curtain went up, I realized that we had a great crowd! The theater seemed packed. That felt really good. However, I left that thought go almost immediately. Angela entered, tried to sell me an orange, and then the men were singing.

After that, I was in the show. Time telescopes and every scene seems to take a very long time. Yet, as soon as I go off stage, it’s like no time has passed. Even off stage, time seems distorted. While on stage, my perceptions seem heightened – colors seem sharper, sounds clearer. That stops at the edge of the orchestra pit though, partly because of lighting and partly because my attention needs to be on the stage.

At the end of the night, I was very tired, very happy. The old saying is true: You don’t have any problems at the theater.

Afterward, a bunch of us went out. Some of my friends also came. We took over a big section of the Village Draft House. Unfortunately, the group was too big to all sit together. However, we circulated, talking to folks and having a good time.

My friends who saw the show really loved it, which was great to hear. They are far too honest a bunch to pretend.

Today we rest. Tomorrow is our final show. I can’t believe it.