Let the countdown begin .....
With only 6 weeks to go before curtain up, this is the first
of a series of blogs giving a peek behind the scenes as Darlington
Operatic Society prepare for their Autumn show - Strictly Musicals, all your favourite musicals in one spectacular
show - and to meet some of the stars of what is undoubtedly
going to be yet another mega smash hit in their long line of fab productions.
For some, Sunday mornings are all about having a lie in,
lazily reading the papers, perhaps a leisurely walk to the pub or catching up
on the weeks Sky+, but not for the dedicated cast & crew of 'DOS';
they are working mighty hard to ensure that their latest musical
extravaganza is practically perfect in every way, and on today's showing
it's going to be breathtaking from curtain up to their last encore. Many
had been up well before Dawn*, stretching, flexing and readying themselves for
the physical and mental tests ahead.
The task of taking some of the biggest West End and
Broadway show tunes from the past 80 years and moulding them into a unique
song and dance review full of energy, passion and excitement lies on the
slender, but no less strong shoulders of Director and Choreographer Joanne
Hand . Make no bones about it, such a review is far
more demanding than any usual production - each number needs to
capture its essence, emotion and purpose but has to do so without the
preamble of the original production from which it is taken. Song
choice is therefore uber important to ensure that there remains a flow
throughout and Joanne has styled a show which will not only bring hit after hit
to the Civic stage, but will serve to showcase the depth of talent which
the Society has in its ranks.
I was unaware just how hard it is for adult 'amateur'
production companies to get permission to stage some of our most famous
musicals; schools and youth theatres have relatively easy access to them, but
as Julian Cound, marketing manager and one of the leading men
at DOS explained, once you move into adult production the performing rights
owners are very guarded about who & what they allow; so much so that even
recognisable dance steps and costumes are often prohibited from being
'copied'. All this adds to the challenge faced by Joanne, but on today's showing, it's a challenge which she not only relishes, but overcomes with
aplomb.
Today's rehearsals focused on running through 4 key
numbers (I could tell you which ones, but then I risk being shot) plus the
'setting' for two more (I'm already learning the terms). The cast already
know their singing parts so this was very much focused on the dance &
stage routines; at over 4 hours rehearsal today covering approximately a
5th of the overall show, and being only one of 3 rehearsal sessions this
week, it was a clear demonstration of the amount of time and effort
everyone puts into ensuring the show will be ready for first
night. Lest we forget, this is an amateur production company but
with dedication and passion that would put many professional groups to
shame.
What was very evident is the genuine enthusiasm with which
everyone approaches their parts; forget any preconceived ideas of rehearsals
being a quick watch from the front and then everybody is step
perfect; these numbers need the utmost concentration coupled with
precision timing (and knowing your left from right - and whose left &
whose right) while singing, acting and being aware of the audience. With
up to 40 people on stage, many of the numbers are multi-layered with multiple
cues, harmonies and counter points so it is testament to the dedication
of the cast that they very quickly grasped their directions for each number and
did so while still smiling - after all , it is meant to be fun.
I left today's rehearsals with a head full of tunes (which no
doubt I will be humming in my sleep), a greater insight into the
complexities of choreographing (it's all done with numbers and letters, like A
level maths, only much harder) plus I now know the difference between my
Dozy Doe, my Grapevine and a Shadows Step, just don't ask me to show
you.
"Strictly Musicals" will be a night filled
with music & dance from the nations favourite shows including Miss
Saigon, Les Miserables, West Side Story, Chicago, Beauty & The Beast,
Matilda, Blood Brothers and many, many more.
The show runs from
23rd October to the 2nd November at Darlington Civic and tickets are available
from the website http://www.darlingtonoperaticsociety.org.uk/tickets/
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