Little Pit Band of Horrors.

I dedicate this post to my buddy Alan, in fond memory of that hideous production of West Side Story we did almost two years ago, where the music director was sooooooooooo bad, we were drinking between acts until finally we resorted to drinking in the pit.

Well I'm doing Little Shop of Horrors right now with that theater company whose actors are all developmentally disabled. I'm sure I've ranted about this idiot music director (MD) before. Nice guy, but I have just a few issues with him:

1) I don't know how a guy can graduate from the Eastman School of Music and not be able to count to 4.
2) The band spends a whole lot of time sitting around doing nothing during tech week. These are 4-5 hours rehearsal for which we do not get paid.
3) His rehearsal thought process is not spent on figuring out how to make the band sound good, but on how else he can get himself on stage.
4) He always spells my name wrong in the program.


All that aside, the band isn't wearing concert blacks for this show, we're supposed to look like bums from Skid Row, the setting of the show. So we all look like slobs and it's hysterical. The other guitar player has been working on these shows on the tech side for years, so he gets all the free beer he wants. He goes up to the bar and brings me back two glasses at a time, and we slam 'em down while we're playing the show. Of course, I needed a prop to go with my costume and I thought my flask would suffice nicely, but in true method fashion I decided it should be filled...with a little brandy. Theatre veritas and all...

When Alan and I were doing WSS we had to sneak that beer in and drink it on the sly. Here nobody cares. Drink on. It appears that music is a hazard to my health and sobriety these days.

I must say I haven't enjoyed doing this production. I've been frustrated with the whole thing, at least from the musical standpoint. I've always loved working with this theater company and watching these people work against all odds to get up on stage. I've watched as the director threw sudden changes at them that I've seen "normal" actors freak out over, yet they say okay and execute it perfectly first shot. But I'm about at my wits end with this MD, and there's no learning in it for me. I didn't even get the score in advance. I got it first night of tech week. Luckily I played the show about 7 years ago and it's not hard, so I can sight read it. But still.

So I'm trying to decide should this be my attitude on it? Maybe I need to change my perspective? Maybe I should just suck it up and take the attitude that I'm here so these actors can work with the band all week, so they can hear what it sounds like; that this is a special situation and I shouldn't expect from this company what I should expect from professional theater groups. Still I get so frustrated because most of the wasted time could be avoided if the MD and the director did their homework and were better prepared for the rehearsals, because most of the wasted time is because they're still blocking scenes or figuring out the score.

What to do? Should I do it again next year, or is it time to move on? And when I say "move on", that means moving on to nothing. Not like I have any other opportunities knocking at my door. And this gig pays.

Hel-looo... YOU have the power...

Everyone has pissed and moaned all year about those bums in Albany, the red tape, the political games, the back room deals, the ass-kissing to Sheldon Silver, the inability to pass a budget on time, blah blah blah.

So what do all you morons do? Go right ahead and vote the same assholes into office again. It's your own fucking fault. You have no right to bitch about it now.