Winter is done. Spring is here. But I can feel summer creep around the temp in my bedroom starts to rise. I think it is time to get an air conditioner.
Update on stuff for those who care (and for me to remember should I ever become an amnesiac).
The Evita callbacks went well. I did not get until 5:04 at which point I rushed to get to final dress of A New Brain. I went to H&M and brought some fatigue-y/distressed looking clothes. Mussed up the hair. Let the scruff grow out. I went in. Met Larry Fuller (REALLY nice guy). The choreographer was there again. And the Troika producers who said nothing. Clemmons was off and about walking around. Fuller gave me some direction for “High Flying Adored,” I sang, he stopped me after first chunk, praised me. Moved on to “Money Kept Rolling In,” he told me to add some riff in there, I hit my F above High C (yes, I do that sans falsetto after which my asshole falls out). He says, “Boy, you definitely have some pipes on you.”
I do not get to sing the third song, they tell me to come back later that afternoon for a movement call, they give me Magaldi’s song to learn. Oh shit…. I really don’t want to play that part. I try to politically shift myself and ask if they want to hear the third song, they tell me when I come back that afternoon.
I come back and pray to god the movement call does not involve the choreography to Buenos Aires as I remember it from auditioning in Miami years ago with Diane and Brit-Brit. It is not. We do the military number, which is much easier.
Then we stay to sing again. We work through all the girls first, all put through scales to astronomical soprano heights. Then we go for the men. I walk in. Smiles and all. I stand there for a few seconds then say, “What would you like me to sing?” They have heard me three times now, I had no clue what they wanted. Larry Fuller says, “Sing something you like. Anything that shows off your range. We already know you can sing.” So why am I there, I think to myself.
So I do something different, I sing “Marry Me a Little.” A little low-key, less in the rafters, more grounded. Praise. They ask about the Magaldi song and Fuller says he can’t have me do it if I don’t know it. They mention that I was given the song. He did not remember. I tell him I can sight read it. He wants me to perform it. I say, I can do it. I remember the song enough to have no problem sight reading the wonky parts. But he has me do the last 8 measures. I do it to ultimate cheesi-ness. He asks me to do it again and do an alternate B-flat note at the end. My testicles start to shrink. Hitting an F above High C is much easier than a B-flat because of where I place the sound. Someone must have been on my side because it sailed out with no problems and I sustained it for a while before finishing off. He says, “Great. That’s it!”
And I think….shit…I just screwed myself out of Che.
They tell me I will be called back again and to wait for a call. Clemmons actually thanks me by name and says goodbye. I leave.
Yesterday I had two submission auditions with mixed results. The morning was for a concert of Carousel in CT for the role of Jigger. I went in to sing for an unamused woman sitting behind a computer, the casting agent, and some young girl I have seen at auditions. “That was great! Just great! Can you sing something else.” I do. “That was wonderful. Thank you.” And out I go. Not getting that one. I guess I did not pick angry and mean enough songs. At least I got a good reaction from the CD so he might remember me for future shows.
Later that afternoon I go in for, oh lord, Jihad: The Explosive New Musical! I could not resist. Plus, it is going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which I would love to be a part of. I go in and sing. The director says, “That was incredible. Just excellent. Thank you!” And out I go.
Not even Arab-looking enough for that show.
I know I am being incredibly hard on myself, but I don’t consider it a good audition unless I get a callback. I may sing well, and I may get positive feedback (and God knows those people do not do lip service), but if I am not convincing them I could do a or the part then my audition was a bust.
To add to the day I came home and totally forgot I was seeing Curtains with Yolanda until she called at 7:45. I felt like a fucking moron. But I managed to get from 147th to 43rd by 8:15. The show is INCREDIBLE. And SOOOO much fun. If anyone flies up here soon, GO SEE IT!
The last bit of news, and I am going to be flayed for this, should be great news and I should be thrilled, but for some reason I am not and I don’t know why. I got a call from Dave Clemmons and I booked the tour…..as Magaldi. We would start rehearsals mid-August and leave September for a year. I am supposed to get a call from the producers with more details.
Part of me feels like I should wait for the JCS auditions to see if I can book Judas for that tour. Turning down the tour would be an act of lunacy as one of my three major goals for moving up here was to book a tour in six months. That one is done.
I know I should be slapped.
Today I am resting and doing work for Lit2Go.