How Did It Go?

Confused?  Yesterday was opening night, not dress rehearsal.  So, what's the deal?  Briefly, and you know that's not realistic, the show was a bit rough last night.  Not our best, not our worst.  It felt like a dress rehearsal.  Thus the picture above!  Let me back track a bit.  HomeGroan Sketch Comedy consists of 6 very different people.  5 white people and me.  We all have different lives, jobs, goals, interests, schedules, etc.  That last one is a kicker.  Schedules.  3 of us have night jobs, 3 of us have day jobs.  Which makes it difficult to get together for rehearsals.  Now, I'm not giving excuses.  Just 'splainin' my piece!  We all took off work to accommodate rehearsals, but I felt, and still feel, like the p.m. workers took off more than the a.m. ones.  I took off at least 1 or 2 days a week for the last few weeks.  Even coming in 2 hours late on Sunday, so I could stay in rehearsal longer.  We took Monday off and decided to meet early Tuesday for about 3 hours for a run thru or 2.  We couldn't get the space that we were performing in for rehearsal, so had to rent a space elsewhere.  We got a small room in one of the rehearsal spaces we always use.  Our room was a tiny piece of shit that was hotter than a whore on nickel night.  We complained and were told that the air comes on here and there.  Asses.   I was sweatin' all up in my area!  Anyway, we mostly did the run through without costumes and it went quite well.  Everyone still seemed to have some trouble with a line or 2, but for the most part, we were ready! 

Now, we always do things at the last minute.  And it always comes together.  This time felt a bit more rushed.  Less organic.  We added 3 new sketches last week alone!  Shoooooot.  More lines to learn!  But, we sallied forth (who sally's forth?) and gave it our best last night!  My good friend, Kevin Conn, opened for us with his own brand up stand up comedy.  Funny stuff!  Being the first show, we didn't expect a huge crowd.  I'd say about 25-30. (The theater seats 100.) Not bad and around what we thought.  They seemed a bit tepid during Kevin's bit.  Still, I heard many a laugh, so I was excited to start!  And the show began.

I'll take the blame in the first sketch for slowing the pace down.  I have the majority of lines in the beginning and set the pace.  I felt it dragging a bit, but we had never really run it on stage with costumes and props.  Other sketches some people flubbed lines, cues, entrances, etc.  We were adjusting as we went.  Some sketches were brilliant.  Others, a bit shaky. Our vocals in the musical numbers actually sounded quite good!  Nice harmonies and stuff.  The show was just not up to our personal standards.  The material is good.  Scratch that.  GREAT!  It was just performed in costume, with lights and sound, on the stage and full out for the first time ever last night.  Thus, feeling like a dress rehearsal.  The saying goes, bad dress rehearsal, great show.  As I said, the show wasn't bad, but perhaps it just means that the next 3 will be brilliant!  Hell, I know they will be!  For the small crowd, they responded and laughed and seemed to enjoy.  They weren't the most vocal in responding and no big laughers in the crowd.  Always helps to have a big guffaw-er in the bunch.  I'm one of those audience types.  You can always tell when I'm there because I laugh loud and hard and with feeling.  Sometimes in the wrong places.  Sorry, I just find HAMLET hysterical!

We ended the show and just felt a bit down at first.  Then we went out and talked about it.  Not that bad of a show.  Not a bad dress rehearsal.  We can only get better.  We are going to tighten things up some in another rehearsal this week.  Well, that is if we can get together.  Calm down, peoples.  We will.  We'll be fine.  I have no fear that next week's and the following shows will be rockin'. 

Fret not, my loyal fans.  For those of you that saw it last night, a big thank you for checking it out!  I am not going to apologize,  because it wasn't a bad product, just not perfect.  You saw some funny stuff!  Hopefully, your money's worth.  For those that haven't seen it yet, start getting anxious to check it out!  I guarantee a good time, bitches!  If not on stage, then back at the crib when we play naked twister and drink bourbon and do origami.  Wait, we do that on stage too.  Oh well, I'll come up with something. 

Remaining show times are a few posts below.  Check it! 

Comments

[Lisa Leming]

I finally got around to checking out your blog-geez, you have some long entries!! I hope you are well and I just wanted to say hello.

Lisa