After enjoying a seven-week break, filled with friends, family, plenty of rest, good food and lots of exercise, we returned to the road and were Boston-bound. In the week prior to our departure, the ‘Strega Nona’ cast had reunited for a pasta party at our Bay Area producer’s house and a brush-up vocal rehearsal. It was nice to catch up and everyone was certainly brimming with excitement for the next leg of our tour. The 2010 leg of the ‘Strega Nona’ tour is three times as long as the previous part of our journey: 74 performances over a three-month span, in much larger markets and venues. How could we not be excited?
We had a long flight from Oakland, CA, to Boston, MA, making stops in Los Angeles and Chicago. At one point in our journey, we were not sure if we would make it to Boston on time since there was a large winter storm in Chicago. Fortunately, we arrived in Boston safely (and without much delay) and I was able to enjoy a nice bowl of New England clam chowder before retiring to our comfy rooms at the Hyatt Regency Boston.
The weather in Boston is definitely much colder than what we are used to in the Bay Area – highs in the 20s and lows in the teens. It takes twice as long to get ready because you spend all of your time either adding or removing layers and layers of clothing. Long underwear is quickly becoming a welcome necessity and regular part of our daily attire.
Our first day back on the job consisted of our usual routine (load-in, laundry, light focus, etc.), but also included a little sightseeing, a snow flurry or two, a short promenade through Boston Common, a pick-up rehearsal, dinner with our producer, Eva, and a workout at the hotel fitness center. Busy, busy, busy!
Boston Common is a lovely historical 50-acre park, located across the street from our venue, the Colonial Theatre. It is one of the oldest city parks in the United States. The British Army camped there prior to the American Revolution, before leaving for the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and the park was the site of many public hangings until 1817. During our lunch break, my castmate Jen and I visited the Common’s Central Burying Ground. It was very beautiful, yet eerie to see the many tombstones dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, jutting up from the snowy ground. Even eerier, however, was seeing a large falcon perched on its nest in the middle of the cemetery. It was as if this large bird of prey was a sentry for the Burying Ground and all who passed through it, both living and dead.
Our pick-up rehearsal was a bit rough. It is amazing to me how much our minds and bodies are able to retain memory-wise despite a seven-week respite. While we were able to get through the show and maintain most of the lines, moments and bits, the show felt foreign and out of sync to me. Even though I had spent my seven-week break exercising regularly and reviewing my lines on a daily basis, I still found myself running out of breath and searching for my lines – not an extremely settling feeling. In theatre, there is a superstition that if you have a rough last rehearsal, you will have a great opening performance. I hoped that this would be the case tomorrow because I certainly did not feel like it.
My unsettling sentiments were quickly displaced, however, when we went to a lovely Italian dinner at Teatro with our producer Eva. We enjoyed a nice dinner, complete with delicious food, good wine and great theatrical conversation and advice. I left the restaurant feeling invigorated and ready to tackle our impending three-show day.
Located in Boston’s historical theatre district, the Colonial Theatre is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Boston, featuring 21st century technology in a lavishly decorated 19th century setting. The theatre opened in 1900 with a production of the heroic melodrama, Ben-Hur, featuring a cast of 350 people and a chariot race using eight live horses. With its three tiers of 1800 seats, the theatre has played host to many theatrical world premieres, including Oklahoma and Porgy & Bess, and has served as the starting point for many national tours. The roster of performers who have treaded the boards at the Colonial include the Marx Brothers, Helen Hayes, Ethel Merman, George M. Cohan, Orson Welles and Will Rogers, among others. What a groovy and comforting feeling to know that I would be performing on the same stage as many of my theatre idols!
In the course of one day, we performed three shows to packed, appreciative audiences. Although the first performance was still a bit coarse, by the second and third shows, we had finally settled back into the swing of the things. A great opening and great start to the next leg of our tour…
Next stop – the Flynn Center for Performing Arts in Burlington, VT. Until the next adventure…
Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine
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