Opening Night. April 30, 2010


Susan didn’t feel well. If you were in the opening night audience, you heard HGO General Director Anthony Freud reference Susan Graham’s fear she might be under the weather, and to please be understanding. It is sometimes hard for a singer to determine – am I getting sick? do I have an infection? am I just really tired? is this allergies wearing me down? What? Susan went through that the last few days, feeling under the weather. She did what most singers at HGO do if you don’t feel well, you make a trip to Dr. Richard Stasney to hopefully verify what is going on, and see if there is anything serious (he is also a supporter of CrimeStoppers of Houston, I ran into him at their annual luncheon). If you are Susan Graham, you come in the dressing room that night and show Larissa (who thought it was really cool) and Dotti (who looked away) pictures of your vocal cords showing that there is nothing major going on.

Well, the curtain went up, and out she went, and she had not a worry in the world. Precautions were taken of course. Dr. Stasney stopped by backstage before the performance to check in with her, we had energy/electrolytes drinks ready, as well as other comfort items - but she gave everyone an “all clear” and off she went to a stunning performance.

I can’t say opening night went completely smooth backstage. A zipper on the leg of her Act I pants split (fixed on the spot), and a button came off her Act III vest. A quick sewing job while the vest was still on fixed that. For the pants, we were afraid of the zipper splitting again, so we zipped it closed, and used the buttons to take the pants off. A picture of the pant’s buttons was on my last blog posting. The zipper held for the quick change.

She also had beautiful flowers waiting in her dressing room from her family, longtime friend Jackson Hicks, and a fan. Not to slight him, her boyfriend did send her flowers, but to home, so no picture. I realized my picture has the tea pot and makeup in the picture. Oh well.

At the end of the show, she was tired – but happy. It was a terrific show.