Lift Up Your Hands!!!

It feels very weird to be typing this at 1923 at night, (shouldn't I be in rehearsal?) but after the day we had yesterday, we needed a break! We started off rehearsing in the afternoon, which went much better than the day before. I think it was because we were used to the ridiculously small space--plus there was the added pressure of knowing we were going to do this for keeps last night. We managed to run act two and it went incredibly well. So here's me sighing a sigh of relief. Then we packed it in and headed back to campus--I have been carrying around the Hed-wig on it's foam head back and forth for the last three days, and getting a lot of weird looks. Of course, that was nothing compared to the costume designer who was holding out a still wet fur coat--we forgot to splash the paint on it until four hours before the show. (note: real paint, fake fur. if anyone knows what we can do with a fake fur coat that has paint on it, let me know...)

Then, THE SHOW. We performed in the student union last night, which was a little scary. The union people had to set up all the equipment, and then the soundcheck took forever. It was nearly seven before I got Angus into makeup and almost quarter to before I got Emma's beard on. Then I almost had a heart attack because when I went out to look at the stage, the table was in the wrong spot, props were missing, and the aforementioned fur coat was hanging over the back of the chair--completely spoiling the gag since the audience was already there! Ah, the thrill of the live performance. I actually didn't see the show last night since I was stuck up behind the projection screen doing quick changes. (for some reason my classmates think the idea of me stripping Angus out of his garters is incredibly funny, which they indicated by giggling like little schoolgirls. Clearly they have never been backstage, fumbling for a bra strap in the dark while...oh, never mind.) I could hear it all, of course, from the applause and cheering for Angus' entrance, to the breathless silence when he finally put everything on the line for love. Being able to sit behind the screen did have one advantage--I could rock out as hard as I wanted, which included me flipping my hair around for "Exquisite Corpse." (oh, I forgot to mention--I got to step in and sing Tuesday when we were rehearsing. So I got to sing "Exquisite" with the full band, screaming into the mike. Highlight of the day.) The show sounded incredible, and from what I gathered...it looked that way as well. I knew that some of my roommates would be there, but I was pleasantly surprised when two of my classmates turned up as well--and Greta! the lone representative from home. I'm so glad she braved New Cross to come and see it. :) Hopefully she'll have a review from out front soon. This is how I know the show went well--everyone from Alison the diehard Hed-head to roommates who have never heard of Hedwig before liked it. We did it. We really did it. I feel so proud.

After the show we had to hurry and pack everything away--I will say one thing about the show, it's nice to be able to stow all the costumes in one bag--so the union could turn into a club. It was too loud for a proper afters party, plus I had was majorly crashing. For some reason, running on pure adrenaline will do that to you. Liza, Alison and I got home about midnight-thirty, then we had to rehash all the moments of the show. I wanted to hear about how it looked--from Yitzhak's grand entrance as a drag queen to Angus squashing tomato all over the band to Matt's guitar string breaking and delaying the start of "Midnight Radio." And then I, exhausted, fell into bed and slept the sleep of the dead...until I had to get up at 8 to go strike amps from the student union offices. Ah, the life of a stage hand.

Today I had classes all day. I know, right?!?! Classes?!?! How can I go to classes?!? But it's also--whoo hoo!! the last day of the semester. So I had six hours of classes (after a coffee with Matt, Holly--producers-- and Stu, the drummer) then a pint, and now I'm home doing domestic things like laundry, vacumming, updating my blog and wondering where the hell Tommy's silver paint has got to. It's got to be in here somewhere. I finally found my script which was missing for two weeks--turns out it was inside my writing binder. I also had to wash Hedwig's black bra..."Why are there tomato pips clogging up your sink?" "Ummm..." (don't worry, I didn't put it in the dryer.) It's very strange to think that in twenty four hours we'll be performing the show again, and then that will be it. Plans are already afoot to tour...but I think for tonight I'm going to stay in with a nice big cup of TEA.

Liza wrote a review for her online magazine, if you'd like to read what it was like to be out front, check out: http://www.somewhere-else-magazine.co.uk/articles/tommy_can_you_hear_me/