Where to begin? OK, just breathe…  After a successful run, Flower Drum Song wrapped this Sunday.  And now, a day and a half later, I am starting to feel what I affectionately refer to as, “showdown”, otherwise known as the post-show blues.  While having the blues is not something I look forward to, it only comes about because the events leading up to it have been good.  And in this case, they have been very good.

Being involved in this show has given me so many opportunities to grow as an actor/performer and as a person.  Rick Tae, our director, had the foresight to see something in me that could be brought out to play Linda Low.  And he had the know-how to get me out of being “Lannette”.  Chris King, our music director, trusted that I could pull off this vocal style (which was totally new for me), and worked with me to make sure I was OK.  Then Raphael Wong, our choreographer, had blind faith in me, having never seen me dance before we started rehearsals.  And Joyce Lam, our show’s producer… she’s been so supportive since day one!

The first time I met some of the cast members was at a publicity photo shoot.  It was pretty much a room full of strangers, no one had read the script, we were set in various groupings/scenarios, and posed for the camera.  Then we were done!  But even in that brief meeting I could tell something special was brewing.

The next time I saw these folks (and the rest of the cast and crew) was at our first rehearsal – the read through of the script.  We got to find out who was who, how things were going to look, etc., and Rick’s vision slowly unfolded before our eyes.  He started the day off by telling us to “trust him”.  We did.  And am I ever glad we did.

After that we were thrown right in – music, choreo, script work, character work!  Not to mention putting it all together.  Yes, I feared pretty much all of it.  But the creative team was outstanding and made sure no one was left behind.  And, of course, getting to know my castmates and working with them has been one of the best parts.  I think we all shared in the intial fear, which is definitely bonding.

I can’t describe how much everyone has meant to me.  There is something uniquely beautiful about the relationships you develop while doing a show.  Those in the biz will know what I mean.  I have been lucky in the past, having worked with great casts, and I’m now even luckier to have worked with this one.  There were no attitudes, no divas, no ill-feelings… just a group of hard working (and freakin’ talented) individuals who all supported one another (and who also knew how to have a great time together).  And yes, I fell in love with them all.  That’s why I know this is going to be the hardest showdown to hit.

And now I need to wrap up this “wrap up” because the more I think about it, the deeper into showdown I’m getting.  If you were involved with Flower Drum Song and are reading this, please know that I’m thinking of you, and I hope to work again with you (and soon!).  If you weren’t a part of this production and are reading this, I hope this gives you a bit of insight into why I might not quite be my “Lannette” self for just a little while.  Ahhh, showdown.  It’s hard, but it’s worth it.

The beautiful cast of Flower Drum Song

I suppose it can’t be all glorious when it comes to rehearsals. I’ve known all along that the role I accepted for Flower Drum Song would be a challenge for me, and yesterday gave me a run for my money.

It started as a full day rehearsal where we were going to learn and practice all the transitions for the show (figuring out where we would be moving props and set pieces between – and sometimes during – scenes). This can be a rather daunting task for everyone involved. However, our director calculated everything in his head prior to this rehearsal, laid it out on paper, which our amazingly organized stage manager then transcribed into a comprehensive handout for everyone. We started from the top where the directions were elaborated scene by scene so everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do and where they were supposed to go. Before we knew it, we had completed all the transitions pretty smoothly, which left us way ahead of schedule. This could only be attributed to the fantastic organization of our creative team. OK, and the fact that the cast was so on the ball, too. 

Since we had all this extra time, our director sprung a surprise on us – we were going to stumble through Act I just to see what happens. This was a surprise because our first run through  of  Act I was scheduled for today. But hey, more rehearsal is good!

But that’s where my “down” came. While my songs are already a challenge for me, I have one number that is proving to be particularly so, especially since it’s compounded by a lot of physical movement. So when it came time for it, yup, I had a hard time. It was a little weird, because it seemed to be even harder than when we had been working the number in rehearsals. And I found it hard to shake it. Those who know me know I have a perfectionist nature, so to not be able to do something well… well it really frustrates me.

The few cast mates I expressed my frustration to were supportive. I don’t think they would lie (they have no reason to), and they actually didn’t notice my struggle. That made me feel better, but I still know that what I want to do is not how it came out. I sucked it up and continued on, but that little cloud of doubt had already formed.

The rest of the “stumble” through was fine, and even fun! Then we broke for dinner and had another stellar FDS potluck. This time, the main courses were cooked by our director! The food was delicious and it gave us all more of a chance to connect with each other.

Week four: Another potluck! Main courses cooked by Rick! So good.

All in all, Sat was a good rehearsal day.

Then today was our official first run through (off book) for Act I. The air was different for sure. As everyone arrived, there was an excitement and nervousness that hadn’t been present before. To add to the excitement, our producer was here to see how things were going.

For the most part, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and we had fun seeing the whole act being played out. I had a mental block for that one number, though, and after I had finished it, I felt even worse about my performance than the day before. It wasn’t really a “block”, as nothing was forgotten, it was just that I felt like it was even more of a struggle to get it out than the day before. On the flip side of things, my other big number definitely hit a new level today, and I felt great doing it. I even got some good kudos from the music director on it when we were doing our notes session at the end of the day. That was a struggle for me at the beginning, too, so I know that if I can make good stuff happen for this one, then I know I should be able to make  the other one work, too. That’s what the rehearsal process is for. Whew!

And also on the plus side, while I felt worse about today’s performance of that song, my music director said it was better than the day before. What do you know? Practice really helps. We also discussed some ideas and new things to try, so I will be working on that as well. It was a good discussion and I was able to walk away and feel better about things.

Overall, our first run through of the act was successful, fun, and a good learning experience. We had our notes session afterwards, and it was really nice to receive positive feedback along with our items to work on. The more time I spend with this group, the more they continue to amaze and humble me. And we share so much laughter! I am so lucky to be surrounded by and working with these guys!

Last night marked the first rehearsal for the Flower Drum Song. I was excited to gather and meet all the people involved in the show. And I was so eager to hear the read through of the script.

I haven’t done a musical in a few years… the last one burnt me out so I took a break, which extended a little longer than I had anticipated. I kept up with performing and acting, but stayed away from the musical stage. Until now! I’ve been itching to get back out there, so when I heard that the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (VACT) was putting on the Flower Drum Song (and with an all-Asian cast), I knew this might be a good chance for me to get back into the swing of things. Little did I know that I would end up being cast as one of the leading ladies, playing the role of showgirl Linda Low. The show’s director was sneaky that way. During the whole process of auditions and callbacks, the only part I read for was for the ingenue. So when I was cast as the complete opposite character, that took me by surprise – I didn’t know that the director had been considering me for either role until afterward. But it sure was a nice surprise!

Last night’s gathering was fun. I had met a few of the people the week before, when we did a photo shoot for the show, but seeing everyone together really brought things to life. We set up tables to form a large square. Then we all sat, did introductions, got our scripts, and a hush fell over us as we began to do our read through. The room wasn’t quiet for long, though. There were fits of laughter as actors said their lines, as the story unfolded, and as our music director read aloud the (sometimes completely bizarre) stage directions that were written into the script. Along with the laughter, this was my first glimpse into seeing what my character is like. This is definitely going to be challenging and fun, and I can’t wait to dive into things.

I was so excited that I found it hard to go to sleep last night. My brain was already thinking of different things about my character, the show, the people I had met, the challenges and hard work ahead…

I’m sad I didn’t snap any pictures of our first rehearsal. What started out as a formal feeling “meeting” turned into a bonding, learning, good time. I’m excited to work with this team: Rick Tae is our director, Chris King our music director, and Raphael Wong our choreographer. In the cast, I am happy to be reunited with a fellow “King and I” performer, Angus Chiu, and I look forward to working with all these new faces – especially the two men my character gets involved with. So much fun!

And now, it begins…

I’m excited and nervous.  I have missed doing musical theatre, and now have an audition scheduled for next week for a show.  Yay!  But at the same time, it’s making me slightly nervous because I’ve been away from this scene for awhile.  Of course, I’m hoping to get into the show, but I’m also hoping to be cast for a particular role.  Am I being too “greedy”, or setting my sights too high?  Or am I being a normal thespian?  Either way, I’m going to give it my all and see what happens!  I would love to work with this creative team, and I’d love to get back on the stage again.  Crossing my fingers!

It’s one of those moody kind of days, and I think it’s due to a bunch of things. Yesterday was cool. I filmed a PSA/commercial for Global TV. It was a fun group, very casual, and since our parts were so small, it was over very quickly. All in all, I was there for one hour – that’s it! I need to find out when it will be airing, but still, it was great to have a gig. Another cool thing is that I didn’t have to audition for it. It was booked based on our headshots.

Then last night I was watching TV and I saw a friend of mine in a commercial. It was very cool, indeed, and I actually shouted out, “Is that so-and-so?” It was a great spot for him! I love randomly seeing my friends on TV. 1) I love the fact that my friends are booking stuff, 2) they look great on film/TV, and 3) It reminds me that there is work out there. But at the same time, it reminds me that I have not booked anything this year until the Global TV spot yesterday (which was only a very small gig). To be fair, I was off for the first half of the year, because of my car accident, and of course, I’m still not fully into everything because of it (for example, I can’t do those great head-tossing hair product auditions yet, because I can’t toss my head like that without feeling the aftermath).

Then comes today, and the rain. Yup, when it gets into the dreary days of fall/winter, the weather definitely affects me. So, I’ve got a little case of the blues, which just elaborates on what I’ve currently been thinking and feeling. And, since I’m already a little bit down, well, it makes for a good case of moodiness. I feel kind of like Joey from Friends… “well, I’m an actor, right? So I gotta keep my emotions right at the surface, ya know. See what I’m saying? I gotta lot of balls in the air. Ya know what I mean? It’s tough!”

And to add to it? I miss musical theatre. I really miss it! I haven’t done a musical in a few years, trying to keep myself available for film and TV opportunities, while still working the full-time day job. Luckily I’ve still been singing and performing, and I’ve had some amazing times, but it’s just not the same as the magic and thrill of doing a musical. But there’s an “up”: I’m very fortunate that even though I need the day job at this point, the company I work for is extremely understanding in my need to go out at the drop of a hat when auditions and gigs arise. They even let me do diminished hours when the last musical I was in had weekday matinees once a week, for 2 months! Of course, it was still pretty much full time, and the show was pretty much full time… it was exhausting. See… I’m moody today. Things are up and down.

I could go on, but I think that’s enough ranting. I guess everyone goes through bouts of moodiness where things are up and down, and I guess I’m quite lucky that my “downs” aren’t that catastrophic. But it still hits me, you know? Yup, it’s a moody kind of day.