Another opening, another show

Tonight was opening night for Parade at the theatre.  It was great – everything went well and the show is really powerful and well done. So now you know the end of the story.  Here’s what happened before.

Opening nights are stressful enough without things going wrong. About 3 pm today, someone came up to the office and said they didn’t think the air was working in the theatre.  Now you have to know that our Artistic Director is also the director of this show.  He has been known to be dubbed Captain Thermometer every now and again because of his detailed attention to the temperature, especially when directing.  3pm is not a good time if you’ve ever had to call a repair person for service.  So leaving aside the super extra overtime we were just about to incur, it was all about getting someone on site and before the 389 people arrived.

We made it happen.  We literally badgered the company until they sent someone and then gave “degree” updates all evening until the show started.

Then would you believe me if I told you that someone came into the office and told me that there was a broken bottle of cologne on the steps of the fire tower.  Okay.  Of course there was.

Dustpan and broom in hand, I went in search.  Yup, didn’t have to search long, just follow your nose.

Fast forward, to a seriously chaotic seating prior to the show …. Which meant that when I went to meet and greet some specific folks at intermission, well, they weren’t in the seats I thought they were.  That’s always a great moment.  “Hi, I’m Hannah.  I’m the General Manager here at the Arden.”  “Uh, that’s nice.”  Are you so-and-so?”  “Uh, no.”  Hey, don’t make it easy.  Don’t offer your name.  Just let me stand there… awkwardly fishing, hoping, trying.  “Oh well, enjoy the show!!”  When two of the three couples I was assigned to meet weren’t where they were supposed to be, I gave up.  So much for meet and greet.

Back to my front row seats.  Oh, didn’t I mention?  At the last minute when a colleague and I got tickets to actually sit, someone snatched our tickets and said there were two on the front row we needed to fill.  Now this is already an in-your-face kind of show.  The front row damn near put us in the middle of the stage.  There’s no platform for this production so I had to keep remembering to tuck my feet in lest one of the actors trip over them.

Show is over and during the party I get a chance to tell many of the actors what a wonderful job they did. There was one actor in particular who had been in a show last year, but had a small part and I had no clue what he was capable of.  He was really tremendous in tonight’s performance and I just wanted to let him know how great he was.  Then I was going home.

I leaned in and gave him a bear hug.  And then I laughed.

Now I know who dropped cologne in the fire tower. 

On a completely separate note – a shout out to all the folks at Ford’s Theatre.  In what is yet another example of the fall out of the asinine behavior of the House Republicans, Ford’s Theatre had to move their press night of The Laramie Project because the actual building where they perform is closed, shut down by the government.  I can only imagine the herculean task involved in moving a production into a completely new space at the last minute.  Kudos to them and to all who are bearing the brunt of this stupidity.  

Remember this is not a battle of equals.  This is not two equal sides playing chicken.  If you don’t like the law that was passed in 2009, try to repeal it.  Or rather, continue to try and repeal it.  But don’t hold the entire country hostage because you can’t win by playing by the rules.  People’s lives are at stake.  People are at stake. Way to go Ford’s Theatre and everyone else who is battling through and against this shutdown.

And now, with the scent of cologne still lingering, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow, we do it  all over again.