My Fair Lady heads to Canberra
Week 17
Canberra, here we come! I drove down from Sydney with ensemble member Lisa Cooper, also a member of Opera Australia’s fulltime chorus, whom I’ve been staying with during the final weeks of our Sydney season. I’m certainly glad I packed jumpers, though they haven’t been warm enough. At any given time I am wearing half the clothes I packed (leggings, trousers, t-shirt, 2 jumpers, 2 pairs of socks… all this while indoors!). That being said, our reception has been very warm indeed!
The Canberra crew have taken on the challenge of our production in great stride! I almost forget what a feat it is to run this show from a technical standpoint, and bumping into a new theatre is a great reminder of how many hands it takes to run this production. After three days of rehearsals, we opened on Saturday night to a packed and receptive house. The audience applauded Reg Livermore before he even delivered his first line! The opening night party was, as always, a lavish affair. Held on the Playhouse Theatre stage, we enjoyed live music and an open bar while surrounded by our flowers from Ascot and the chandelier from our ball scene! The crew had actually managed to transfer these props to the venue during our performance interval! The party was still going by 1am when I took my leave (though it still took another 10 minutes to defrost my car before I could drive home!).
Most of the cast is staying in accommodation near the theatre but I am living with some family friends out in Spence. The altitude is higher so I have a sensational panoramic view of Canberra on my daily walks up Mount Rogers, plus we were spoiled with SNOW on Sunday which was a real treat! Canberra has many hidden delights found in the decent cuisine, diverse locals, and fabulous shopping centres! Still, the cast of My Fair Lady manages to make their own fun (note the photo of us posing in the wooden cut-outs of our Ascot costumes, featured in the foyer of the Canberra Theater Centre). But after enjoying two days off we hit the stage again tonight for a busy week of eight performances and two rehearsals. For now I’m off to do some laundry, I’ve worn all the clothes I brought in only 6 days!!
Weeks 12, 13, & 14
We’re now over the half-way point of our Sydney Opera House season and the whole cast is revelling in such a relaxing schedule. Performances have been energetic, audiences have been wonderful, and we’re all enjoying ourselves in Opera Australia’s resident theatre.
As I mentioned before, I design jewellery and run my own business. This time of year is usually quite manic for me as stores start buying for Christmas in August. Therefore, in order to keep up with my clients and stockists, I’ve been stringing in every moment I’ve had off-stage in order to keep up with demand. I’m not alone in filling the gap between performances as most cast members are taking on various activities to pass the time. Matthew Willis (Cockney and Servant) works in the Opera House box office. Nick Christo (Zoltan Karpathy) is putting the finishing touches on his new one-man-show “The Fabulous Frances Faye” which will premier at the end of this month. Anna Tsirigotis (Pearly Queen, above) works at Dolcetti Pasticceria in Wareemba between shows, often starting her shift at 6:30am, which is quite a feat as we leave the theatre at 11pm at night! (We are very spoiled when she brings in some handmade cakes for the cast!!)
But this schedule also allows for some breathing space. I’m actually home at the moment as I write this… ahhh, to be home! We had a show last night after which I crashed on a friend’s couch in the city only to wake up at 5am to catch the first flight of the day to Melbourne. It seemed like a good idea when I booked it, I couldn’t resist such a cheap fare! But as I slumped in my plane seat this morning, comatose from less than 5 hours sleep, I vowed to spend the extra $20 in future and fly at a NORMAL time!
It’s not easy being away from home. I’m elated to see Peter, and thrilled that Maya (my Spoodle) still remembers me, but I can’t deny that the element of homesickness detracts from the joy of being on tour with such a prestigious company in such a spectacular production. I shared this with a colleague of mine on the The Phantom of the Opera tour. She says they have done 300+ performances to date and are only half-way through their 20 month tour. Wow… what an incredible job this is! It is challenging, compromising, and all-encompassing. But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Except perhaps in bed, catching up on the sleep I lost last night!!
