After the matinee on Sunday of Opening Weekend is usually the day for cast photos of the show. Yesterday's photo shoot went relatively quickly, mainly because the 70-degree afternoon contributed heat to the already warmly lit stage. Everyone was too hot to sit long and they wanted to get changed so they could visit with family and friends who had come to see the show.
Opening night was well received and the entire weekend’s audiences excited by the actors, music, costumes, and “the show”. The run and season are underway! The audience was probably blissfully unaware of all little issues - curtains being set for the wrong scene and needing to be eased back open, musical glitches of the pit and singers getting a bit out of sync, spot light bulbs blowing and needing replacement during intermission or problems with costumes losing buttons and needing to be pinned. These are many of the reasons live theater is so fun – every night has something different that causes the show to be unlike any other. These actors are all looking forward to a run of slightly unique shows, where the story is the same but the presentation just a bit different every time.

--Posted by Margaret Barrasso

Cast Photo from “The King and I”

Cast and Crew photo from “The King and I”

Due to the large cast size, “The King and I” has been running dress rehearsals since last Thursday. The kids are having fun with their costumes, shoes and makeup, some darkening their hair with a tinted hairspray. Buns on top of heads for the girls’ hair, and some of the boys have ponytails. The ladies playing the wives have had to become familiar with hoop skirts for one scene, but Elaine Benoit, playing Anna, has a corset and hoops for the entire show. Suddenly doorways become an obstacle!
The hundreds of details have been coming together this past week – from the painting of set pieces and completing the set, to the many props (the children’s procession has a dragon that took over 10 hours to build!) and hanging and focusing of the lights. The ‘tech rehearsal’ a week ago Friday took nearly 5 hours to enter light cues and determine set piece locations. Luckily, the cast didn’t have to attend that one!
These last several nights doing run-throughs with all the elements – set, lights, the orchestra and costumes – have made for late nights for all involved. Tonight is a night off to rest and recuperate, and the first dress rehearsal with an audience is tomorrow evening. The show opens on Friday, Sept 15th -nearly four months from the first auditions, and three from the beginning of rehearsals!

-- posted by Margaret Barrasso

Eva, Uncle Tom and Topsy in “Small House of Uncle Thomas”

Tuptim, narrates “Small House of Uncle Thomas”

Royal Wives, include head wife, Lady Thiang

Some of the Royal Princesses and Wives

Lady Thiang, a Royal Prince and an Amazon

The Royal Wives

The King and Anna