Hello to my first blog post! I am currently sitting in the living room of my parents' house in Farmington Hills, MI, enjoying a very well-deserved day off from rehearsals for The Merry Widow. For the past two weeks, my sister (Frou Frou) and I (Margot) have been learning choreography at a rapid fire speed for several numbers in this Michigan Opera Theatre production, most notably the Act III "Grisettes" number. Though I am constantly trying to improve my dancing ability, I feel as if I've been really launched forward thanks to the help of our fellow dancers (most of whom are Wayne State dance students) and our brilliant choreographer JEFF REBUDAL.
We spent the majority of our first week choreographing a waltz for Act I, a folk dance/ballet for Act II, and the glorious can-can for Act III. After that, we were introduced to the chorus who gave us the extra boost we needed to really fulfill our roles as naughty Parisians. I've never really gotten to play any kind of "slutty" role before so getting to wave my skirts and flirt shamelessly onstage is a special, exhilarating experience. The biggest challenge so far has been building up the stamina to sing while kicking our legs to our faces and running around like crazy. I'm sure that come opening night next Saturday we'll have it down, but right now the six of us are squeezing the notes out and then practically collapsing once we're offstage.
Bringing extra charm to our number is the gorgeous and hilarious AMANDA SQUITIERI (Valencienne), who tried really hard to tell us that she wasn't much of a dancer only to tear up the stage as soon as she learned the steps. When it comes to principals, we've really been blessed with a team of incredibly talented and, most importantly, down to earth artists. We have the privilege of being lead by the incomparable DEBORAH VOIGT (Hana) who creates a sense of welcoming to every one in the cast with her gracious demeanor. Plus it's not hard to act overwhelmed with Petrovinian pride when she's singing the "Vilja" aria ten feet away. Her voice literally makes the air ring and it's so inspiring to experience as a young soprano. It's also exciting for me to have a Broadway veteran, JASON GRAAE, playing the role of Njegus. Apart from being very cheery and full of quips, he completely steals the show with his "Tres Parisian" number. It's so nice to have a good dose of what feels like pure musical theater over here in opera land, and his number is so energetic and hilarious that I never get tired of watching it. The only trouble is that it immediately precedes the Grisettes number and leaves us with a very difficult act to follow. I guess that's what cooter slams are for.
We have our first dress rehearsal tomorrow and I am so excited to finally get our real can-can skirts (colored an almost obscene hot pink) and, most importantly, our lacy bloomers embellished with hearts. Pictures are sure to follow this posting! For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the MOT website: http://www.michiganopera.org/2014-2015-season/opera/the-merry-widow
OTHER UPDATES:
Before I left the city, I presented my third solo cabaret at the Duplex, "Quarter Life Crisis". Despite the universe's attempt to get us snowed out, it was well attended and was possibly one of the rowdiest and high-spirited crowds I've had yet (though that might be the two-drink minimum). This cabaret was especially important to me because not only did my dear friend and music director DREW WUTKE collaborate on the writing and developing process but he actually participated in the show. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the last time that his witty commentary pops up! I was also blessed with the voices of four phenomenal singers who helped bring my crisis to reality, SARA GLANCY, SCOTT MONTGOMERY, GRACE GRIFFIN, and NATHAN COCKROFT. Putting together group numbers can be such a hair-raising experience but these four made it not only painless, but SO. MUCH. FUN.
Check out the whole cabaret below if you're in the mood for some goofy songs and my attempt at stand-up comedy!
We spent the majority of our first week choreographing a waltz for Act I, a folk dance/ballet for Act II, and the glorious can-can for Act III. After that, we were introduced to the chorus who gave us the extra boost we needed to really fulfill our roles as naughty Parisians. I've never really gotten to play any kind of "slutty" role before so getting to wave my skirts and flirt shamelessly onstage is a special, exhilarating experience. The biggest challenge so far has been building up the stamina to sing while kicking our legs to our faces and running around like crazy. I'm sure that come opening night next Saturday we'll have it down, but right now the six of us are squeezing the notes out and then practically collapsing once we're offstage.
Bringing extra charm to our number is the gorgeous and hilarious AMANDA SQUITIERI (Valencienne), who tried really hard to tell us that she wasn't much of a dancer only to tear up the stage as soon as she learned the steps. When it comes to principals, we've really been blessed with a team of incredibly talented and, most importantly, down to earth artists. We have the privilege of being lead by the incomparable DEBORAH VOIGT (Hana) who creates a sense of welcoming to every one in the cast with her gracious demeanor. Plus it's not hard to act overwhelmed with Petrovinian pride when she's singing the "Vilja" aria ten feet away. Her voice literally makes the air ring and it's so inspiring to experience as a young soprano. It's also exciting for me to have a Broadway veteran, JASON GRAAE, playing the role of Njegus. Apart from being very cheery and full of quips, he completely steals the show with his "Tres Parisian" number. It's so nice to have a good dose of what feels like pure musical theater over here in opera land, and his number is so energetic and hilarious that I never get tired of watching it. The only trouble is that it immediately precedes the Grisettes number and leaves us with a very difficult act to follow. I guess that's what cooter slams are for.
We have our first dress rehearsal tomorrow and I am so excited to finally get our real can-can skirts (colored an almost obscene hot pink) and, most importantly, our lacy bloomers embellished with hearts. Pictures are sure to follow this posting! For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the MOT website: http://www.michiganopera.org/2014-2015-season/opera/the-merry-widow
OTHER UPDATES:
Before I left the city, I presented my third solo cabaret at the Duplex, "Quarter Life Crisis". Despite the universe's attempt to get us snowed out, it was well attended and was possibly one of the rowdiest and high-spirited crowds I've had yet (though that might be the two-drink minimum). This cabaret was especially important to me because not only did my dear friend and music director DREW WUTKE collaborate on the writing and developing process but he actually participated in the show. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be the last time that his witty commentary pops up! I was also blessed with the voices of four phenomenal singers who helped bring my crisis to reality, SARA GLANCY, SCOTT MONTGOMERY, GRACE GRIFFIN, and NATHAN COCKROFT. Putting together group numbers can be such a hair-raising experience but these four made it not only painless, but SO. MUCH. FUN.
Check out the whole cabaret below if you're in the mood for some goofy songs and my attempt at stand-up comedy!
OR if you've only got time for one, check out the number that inspired my "Quarter Life Crisis":
I was also given the opportunity to sing in Tim Realbuto's "Bookseller in the Rain" concert at The Metropolitan Room. It was an honor to sing some of my favorite music in all of the theater world for the composer, Maury Yeston himself. I was even give a teeny-tiny one line solo in "Lady's Maid"!
That's probably enough for now since this is already a pretty hefty first blog post! I'm off to go stuff my face with chocolate and attempt to put bunny ears on Burt. Happy Easter everyone!
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