- Jan 9, 2001
- 7,572
- 2
- 76
I've basically spent all my outside-of-school-and-homework time for the past few weeks in Elgin, IL , playing for Les Miserables. I really gotta get out of this theatre crap-everytime I get hired by a company, I end up doing three times the work I initially agreed. (Granted-they usually raise my fee for this, but not considerably).
It all started out when they needed a fill-in for their regular rehearsal pianist several months ago. I said sure, what they hey, 25 bucks a rehearsal, not bad. Then they approached me about playing in the pit orchestra for the actual production. But not for piano-they'd heard that I play double reeds (oboe, english horn) as well, so they wanted me to play that in the pit. Ok, I was fine with that. There was tech week, the every night for ungodly long hours rehearsal schedule bit, and then opening night. They were only going to do a total of about 10 or 12 shows or so. (To give you an idea of where I'm at, opening night was Oct 4). Just before tech week, on that sunday night, I met the pit conductor and did a run-through (on piano) of act one with the cast and him getting a feel for the score. Frankly, I discovered that night that he is a jerk! I won't go into too much detail, but that night (and for many more nights to follow) he was one of those guys who likes to jump and down and swear and insult a lot.
So I'm going about my merry way last weekend, playing the show on oboe, figuring I would do the same this weekend. Well, last Sunday, they informed me that the entire pit orchestra would be unavailable for the following Friday (today) matinee performance, and they needed one pianist-apparently me. So basically, this morning I performed Les Miserables in its entirety: solo. (with the singers, of course).
It was scary as hell, let me tell you. I don't know the score very well, and here I am trying to perform it straight-through for an audience. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the show, but there is no dialogue (which technically I guess makes it an opera), everything is sung-and played. 3 and a half hours or so of solid music. I was dreading it all week, because I really didn't have time to practice it anymore. I didn't have any time set aside for that kind of thing because I was unaware that this was going to be happening.
But, in the end, I guess it all worked out. I made my fair share of mistakes, certain parts were "interesting" as I like to put it.
All is well, I didn't get shot, I got my check, and left. What sucks now is I gotta go back again and perform tonight-on oboe. I'm so sick of doing this. I repeat: I have got to get out of this theatre crap. Last weekend was shot, and so is this whole weekend, cause I have to go play god knows what instrument for hours at a time for a conductor I really don't like and a director (of the show) that I never see.
But hey, one cool thing about it though: I'm the only high-schooler in the pit. The rest of them are Northern Illinois University Grad students. Flattering in a way, intimidating in another.
It all started out when they needed a fill-in for their regular rehearsal pianist several months ago. I said sure, what they hey, 25 bucks a rehearsal, not bad. Then they approached me about playing in the pit orchestra for the actual production. But not for piano-they'd heard that I play double reeds (oboe, english horn) as well, so they wanted me to play that in the pit. Ok, I was fine with that. There was tech week, the every night for ungodly long hours rehearsal schedule bit, and then opening night. They were only going to do a total of about 10 or 12 shows or so. (To give you an idea of where I'm at, opening night was Oct 4). Just before tech week, on that sunday night, I met the pit conductor and did a run-through (on piano) of act one with the cast and him getting a feel for the score. Frankly, I discovered that night that he is a jerk! I won't go into too much detail, but that night (and for many more nights to follow) he was one of those guys who likes to jump and down and swear and insult a lot.
So I'm going about my merry way last weekend, playing the show on oboe, figuring I would do the same this weekend. Well, last Sunday, they informed me that the entire pit orchestra would be unavailable for the following Friday (today) matinee performance, and they needed one pianist-apparently me. So basically, this morning I performed Les Miserables in its entirety: solo. (with the singers, of course).
It was scary as hell, let me tell you. I don't know the score very well, and here I am trying to perform it straight-through for an audience. I don't know if any of you are familiar with the show, but there is no dialogue (which technically I guess makes it an opera), everything is sung-and played. 3 and a half hours or so of solid music. I was dreading it all week, because I really didn't have time to practice it anymore. I didn't have any time set aside for that kind of thing because I was unaware that this was going to be happening.
But, in the end, I guess it all worked out. I made my fair share of mistakes, certain parts were "interesting" as I like to put it.
All is well, I didn't get shot, I got my check, and left. What sucks now is I gotta go back again and perform tonight-on oboe. I'm so sick of doing this. I repeat: I have got to get out of this theatre crap. Last weekend was shot, and so is this whole weekend, cause I have to go play god knows what instrument for hours at a time for a conductor I really don't like and a director (of the show) that I never see.But hey, one cool thing about it though: I'm the only high-schooler in the pit. The rest of them are Northern Illinois University Grad students.
Flattering in a way, intimidating in another.
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