After much nail-biting and hundreds of dollars spent in train tickets and cab fare, B&B finally opened last night to an extremely enthusiastic audience. I have to give the kids props for pushing through some extremely adverse conditions. And frankly, I was surprised by the audience reaction at times. Not that I don’t think they deserve it, but it really never occurred to me - certainly not while choreographing either "Gaston" or "Be Our Guest" - that these numbers would garner mid-number applause. I can honestly say that I did not intend to build this into the numbers. More than anything, I guess it has to do with expectation. If I’m to believe the stories of past productions, it seems that dancing has not been the drama department’s strong point. I guess if you don’t expect memorable choreography, then even my somewhat rudimentary attempt (perhaps not my most difficult work, due to the lack of trained dancers in the cast) must have really been a happy surprise for the audience. It was truly a joy, even for a jaded old bitch like me, to see the wide-eyed shock of the cast after the audience’s seemingly endless ovation following "Be Our Guest." Granted, how can you not clap for dancing silverware and napkins?
I’m happy with what I was able to get out of the cast, but also somewhat disappointed knowing that before snow days and scheduling changes, I’d have probably had at least an additional three or four rehearsals. I guess as an artist, you always feel like you’re trying to perfect your work even if your audience seems satisfied with the final product. If you’re not, you’re probably not a very good artist or you’re just a stuck-up asshole (or probably both).
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