Final Dress Rehearsal.

Susan’s energy is in the upper levels, and when I walked in her dressing room she was stretching out, doing high kicks. This is a common occurrence, as she warms up her body as well as her voice before a performance. During this rehearsal, I discovered that she was backstage, out of my sight, and doing high kicks in costume. She was SOOOOO busted. She knows if she tears a costume she is in trouble because she can’t just wear something else out on stage. She can be incorrigible, but her energy and humor is infectious, and I wouldn’t win the argument with her over it.

Most singers don’t push themselves too hard for final dress. They generally don’t sing full throttle, and while they aren’t plodding along in the staging, they aren’t exerting the energy of a real performance. Pace.

Final dress rehearsal was fine. In fact, in went very well. Xerxes is a big role, a very demanding role for a singer. It’s been a busy couple of hard weeks of rehearsal, and Susan had months of preparation before that. This is a new role for her. A singer’s voice, and their body can be so fragile, so sensitive to changes. Singers have to pace themselves, saving energy for opening night, and the following performances.

Any guesses what costume piece the picture below is?