I’ve just finished a week’s run of The King And I, with my local AmDram company. The journey was hard, as the rehearsals seemed to lack consistency, particularly in the dances . I did get rather bored, as while I had lines (hurrah!) they weren’t that frequent so I spent a lot of time just sitting around. So what made it good then?
- The tech and dress rehearsals. There weren’t insanely inspiring, but our director didn’t labour any points in her notes at the end. She knew we could do the things we messed up, which certainly gave me some confidence.
- The costumes. My costume wasn’t all I’d hoped for (a late cast change meant the costume I’d originally been assigned went to someone else), but overall, the costumes were gorgeous.
- The sets. Utterly beautiful. Our previous production had been Oklahoma!, which had comparatively minimalist sets, and these were anything but. Colourful, luscious almost.
- The cast and crew. I’m really lucky to have worked with such nice people. I didn’t get the part I wanted (they even left that part uncast after my audition!), but I quickly found that the man eventually playing that part was not only a genuinely nice person, but also a really good actor. His last major scene (Kralahome and Anna, “I wish you had never come to Siam”) was incredibly powerful, and a painful delight to experience. The rest of the cast were simply brilliant, as were the crew who supported us, from make up and props, through to stage, sound and lighting. I’m lucky to work with this bunch.
- The band. I really watching a performance with a live band, and performing to one is just as good.
The bad points?
- Stressful rehearsals, particularly toward the end. I was better off than the female cast who I understand encountered a number of last minute changes which weren’t easy to deal with.
- Noisy rehearsals. Working with two teams of great kids (we need two due to licensing) can get noisy, which I found wearing.
- The fact it ended! I want more!