The end is near...

“Try to remember the kind of September

When life was slow and oh, so mellow.

Try to remember the kind of September

When grass was green and grain was yellow…

Try to remember and if you remember then follow…”

- music Harvey Schmidt, lyrics Tom Jones

The Fantasticks

“I am Henry Albertson. Perhaps you recall my Hamlet?”

And so my character in The Fantasticks introduces himself to ‘El Gallo' (El-guy-o), the protagonist and narrator for this musical. Henry is an over-the-hill Shakespearean actor, who along with his companion/dresser, Mortimer provide some comic relief to this lovely and poignant story of romantic love experienced, lost, and regained.

The love interests are Matt and Luisa, teenagers who believe their adoration is ordained to be happily ever after from the very beginning. Their fathers (Huck and Bell), in an attempt to secure and cement the youngster’s love, create a fictional conflict, because they believe that if you tell a child they cannot do something – in the case telling their respective children they cannot see one another – the youngsters will do just the opposite. They do not realize it was not necessary to create an artificial dispute, because the girl and boy are already desperately in love.

In their misunderstanding, they hire the knave, El Gallo to stage an abduction of Luisa by two actors (Henry and Mortimer). These two along with El Gallo allow Matt to rescue and save Luisa. It looks like love has conquered all, but in fact, it is a charade. As the tale unfolds, Matt and Luisa both realize none of the abduction nor rescue were real – Luisa never in danger, Matt not a real hero.

In the ‘evening’ of this realization, Matt and Luisa break up. He to a world of unknown adventure, she to a fantasy enchantment with El Gallo. “Time,” as El Gallo says, teaches both of them the harsh lessons of reality.

In the end, Matt returns – broken. Luisa, betrayed by an infatuation with El Gallo – heartsick.

They now look at life and their love through the lens of reality and realize what they feel for one another is real but not the fairytale they imagined.

The team…

We have been rehearsing for several weeks under the steady creative hand of Judi, our director. She is intelligent and insightful, intimately knowing the stage after having produced, acted and directed in untold numbers of productions.

Clearly, the actors are important. They are, after all, the ones who convey the story.  But without a clear road map, there is no way for the story to be told. That begins with solid direction, proper blocking (movement to the right place on stage at the right time), and nuanced dialogue expression. Behind the scenes, Marty, the producer oversees the props people, set builders, costume designers, and makeup! And in this case, the musicians who add the lyric tapestry vital in bringing the story to life.

The work…

The amount of time it takes to get the lines is significant. Even with the minor, comedic relief characters of Henry and Mortimer, it has been mind-bending to appreciate all the things necessary to meet the bar for a good performance.

This is my third stage performance and I don’t apologize for my childish awe in watching the time and energy it takes to put talented people into a complicated production. Since this is a musical, everyone sings. Our cast has professional voice training – four of them operatic background. Mortimer and Henry have a mercifully few bars of a chorus to sing.

We will rehearse again today (Sunday), tomorrow, Tuesday, Wednesday and appear before a live audience Thursday evening. A four-performance set, we will also do Friday evening, and a Sunday matinee and evening show.

The aftermath…

As mentioned, I have limited exposure in theatre. I have, however, had consistent experiences in those productions. The top of the list, a richly felt affection for the whole team. The actors have a particular bond, becoming a transient family. It is not easy to express how good it feels.

That said, on the last night, we will strike (take down) the set, and all of us will go our separate ways. There is a sense of melancholy and loss with that. The band of brothers and sisters who pulled together with such vigor and support for one another will slip away, leaving a small hollowness in my heart. Working with smart, talented people is a real joy. Saying goodbye is "…such sweet sorrow…"

I may never step on the stage again, but because these experiences have been recorded in the recesses of my heart, I will be able to revisit them at will.

And so, it is:

“Goodnight, sweet prince/and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…" Horatio, in Hamlet…

- ted