Things are shaping up nicely in 'Now and Then a Hero' land. It's a bit hard to believe we are doing the reading on the 10th... seems so soon... and we're still buried in our books. But there were some flashes of brilliance tonight that got me very excited. The opening and closing sound glorious, and the ladies (Selah Victor, Jennifer Chu and Elise Dewsberry, pictured above) got some good rehearsal in on their Chinese-language lyrics. We didn't get to spend much time on Jen and Selah's numbers, but we were treated to Elise's commanding and ballsy take on 'Jane of All Trades' and 'That's Not Why I'm Here.'
David Holmes sounds beautiful on 'No Use in Wondrin' and 'Someone Else's Hands', and Jimmer Bolden gave me chills on both of his numbers, 'Just a Litrtle Bit' and 'Sittin' Here A'Waitin'. On the latter, he has the potential to bring down the house, and I'll be surprised if he doesn't.
I chatted with the cast about the framework of the show... and how they are a bad of actors who are 'playing' together on the stage, creating characters, transforming themselves, and sharing stories. In the finale, the actors make the realization that they have the potential, as all humans do, to harness greatness, and 'start making stories of our own.' It was a revelation to me, and it really resonated for the group, and for Jake.
Tomorrow night off, and big blocking rehearsal on Saturday! Can't wait!