Opening Night, again

I didn't really expect to experience an opening night until the new year, when I hope to be cast in a local production of Dog Sees God (any play that the illustrious BigMike approves so heartily of automatically gets my stamp of approval as well, and when I read the script I decided that I have to play one of these characters), but here it is - opening night all over again.

Last night I got my final costume, and it's pretty much a doozy. Since I'm playing a redneck drugged off my ass and dragged to a wedding, the costume works. I'm in my jeans, my black cowboy boots and belt. Suzy dragged a pale blue ruffle-front tuxedo shirt out of costume storage, and paired it with a Herb Tarlick inspired blue tux jacket, complete with blue velvet lapels and a blue velvet clip-on bow tie. It's an impressive sight, lemme tell you. I'll try to get a picture before the weekend is through.

This is an odd experience for me, because it's like I'm just figuring out who the character is, and now we're opening. Technically tonight is a preview, but in my opinion, if there are people in the seats, it's an opening. And I don't get to finish it. The actor I'm replacing will be back next weekend (good thing, too, since I'm in Orlando on business), and he'll do the final three performances. So I get to start the run, and just as I'm getting comfortable with the routine, I'm done. It's definitely a new experience for me, and wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable if the cast wasn't a bunch of people that I already know. I'm very familiar with about half the people in the show, so it was no problem jumping right in and becoming one of the team, as it were. I don't think I would have ever volunteered if it had been a cast full of strangers. But I did, and tonight we're gonna put it on its feet.

I think the show's very funny. It's much better than I expected it to be, from a script standpoint, and everyone is milking every laugh out of the show, so I expect audiences to enjoy it a bunch. Like one of the other actors told me last night "I know all of these characters, they're people I grew up with!" So I hope folks will come out and see it. It's not gonna change the world, but it's a good time.