There’s No Rest for the Wicked
The Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! of Mamma Mia!’s closing night’s
performance was still reverberating out at the theater when the Beehive musicians
assembled for their run of band-only rehearsals, followed in rapid succession
by tech week and the show's opening weekend.
And with that, the pace of this
summer’s TourAlongAtHomeTour was kicked into overdrive.
Performing 28 nights in the pit for Mamma Mia! during the Idaho
Shakespeare Festival’s (ISF) repertory season meant we played a couple of nights
here, a couple of nights there, but never more than three nights in a row. Performing
for Beehive-The 60s Musical, the September show, is different. We perform every night of the
week with the exception of Mondays, when theaters are “dark.”
This condensed schedule makes touring at home much more like touring on the
road because road touring implies a certain routine: Wake up, eat, drive, set up, eat, perform, tear down, sleep, rinse and repeat, day after day. The
performing part lasts 30 minutes if you’re the
opening act, or 90 minutes if you’re the main act. The routine can become
numbing, so it’s a really good idea to like the performing part of it!
A Musical in Sync
with Our Times
ISF’s production of Beehive features a cast of six crazy-talented actor-singers delivering
a celebration of the women who made our music—women like Aretha
Franklin, Tina Turner, and Janis Joplin and many more. Underlying this musical
revue is the rise of the women’s movement in the 60s and 70s. And, though
created in 1985, Beehive's message is right in sync with our times—more than three
decades later—when women are at the forefront of change once again. And that’s good!
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The cast of Beehive laying it down! From left to right: Christiana Perrault, Hannah-Jo Weisberg, Adrianna Cleveland, Camille Robinson, Annalise Griswold, and Shelby Griswold. Photo courtesy of ISF, DKM Photography. |
The show clips along at a furious pace, pausing occasionally
for dialog to set the next scene—and to let the actors catch
their breath. I’ve been told that the choreography and costumes are something to
see too, but from my view behind the drum kit—in the pit under the stage—I can
only imagine the experience the audience soaks in. Just once, when Janice
Joplin takes the stage near the end of the show, do I get a glimpse of actor Shelby Griswold performing Me and Bobbie
McGee. I also get to see the audience’s reaction. Janice/Shelby crushes it!
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Music Director Charlie Ray warming up for the show! Charlie and I share the same birthday! Well OK, the same day, but not in the same century. If only I had had the same degree of competence and direction at his age! Get this: Charlie's still a student at Baldwin Wallace University. Clearly, BW has something good going on! |
Did I Mention a Drum Kit? I Did!
Loyal readers may recall that I played an electronic drum kit
for Mamma Mia! and that I mentioned it was a wee bit challenging to play. Put it like this: Imagine
riding a bike with deflated tires. You get where you need to go, but it’s not
as much fun getting there. So it was a relief to be back behind a set of acoustic
drums with their wide range of sounds and dynamics back in my toolbox—along
with nine microphones strategically placed to bring the kit’s sound to the
audience.
As a side note, I haven’t asked the rest of the Beehive band how much they like the volume of my rock drumming in an enclosed space. I think if I did ask them, I would pose it as a survey question… like this!
How much do you like the volume of Todd’s rock drumming?
A. I like it! The volume is just right!
B. He can play as loud as he wants. I can’t get enough of it! He’s awesome!
C. WHAT? CAN YOU TALK LOUDER? MY EARS!! THE DAMN DRUMMER!!!
Well, I don’t really need to ask the question. The answer is clearly B.
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Home Sweet Home! A real drum kit with drums and cymbals! Everything needed to make A LOT of sound! The dishcloth taped to the head of the snare drum dampens the drum's sound. Did I mention IT'S LOUD in the pit? I could play softly... but soft rock-n-roll? That's crazy talk! |
Rinse and Repeat
Every musical’s band is tailored for the show. For Beehive, five
musicians and a drummer produce a powerful ensemble sound. Playing nightly
accomplishes something really important—we get tight, fast, and it’s sooooo satisfying. And that brings me
back to the routine of touring…
The rinse and repeat
of playing Beehive goes something like this: Wake up, have coffee, work my day job
editing documents, pack dinner, and drive to the Y at 5:00 to work out. Arrive at
theater no later than 7:00 to warm up. Start the show promptly at 7:30 and
end at 9:05 (95 minutes, including intermission). Drive home, have a beer while watching an episode of Better Call Saul, sleep, rinse and repeat. And don’t forget to
eat your vegetables! Getting sick on tour is a poor choice. Feel a flu
coming on? I’m sorry to hear that! See you at 7:00 for the show, and bring a
bucket!
Did you notice I mentioned the length of the show with confident precision? Here’s a little-known theater factoid for you: The length of a show is set by the director during the rehearsal process. Once a show opens, the director is no longer present. The production is now under the full control of the stage manager, who records each performance’s length. If a show begins to vary by more than a minute, long or short, it’s a sign that something’s off and needs to be brought back in line. This is one way the stage manager ensures the integrity of the show remains consistent with the director’s vision and direction.
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The Beehive band dressed for success in rock-n-roll black! From left to right: Charlie Ray, music director and keyboards; Matt Short, saxophone; Shayla Lewis, bass guitar; moi, a drummer who plays loudly; Esteban Anastasio, electric guitar; and Joe Johnson, trumpet AND tambourine! |
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The Beehive band's favorite pastime at intermission? Working through decks of Trivial Pursuit cards. We absolutely suck at the Lord of the Rings deck. Gandalf or Aragorn are NOT always the answer! |
All Good Things Come
to an End
So there you have it. A week from today Beehive—and this summer’s TourAlong—will
be in the bag. Between Mamma Mia! and Beehive—from late June to the end of
September, including rehearsals and performances—I’ve been “on the road” 62
nights.
Inevitably, while playing the last tune of the final performance, a melancholy knocks on my door announcing that something so fun, and
so challenging, is ending; every show gets under my skin.
Once you’ve caught the touring bug, it never goes
away. It’s an itch that needs a good scratch now and then. Thanks so much to
the Idaho Shakespeare Festival for taking care of my itch this summer!
Coming up? Unexpected 2018 summer travel experiences and
Jellystone National Park in fall!
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