THE AMATEURS, BLESS THEM

There was a time when 'amateur' was a respectable word. If someone called you an amateur, it was actually considered a compliment, the implication being that you must be very good at it, since you devote a great deal of your time to it without being paid. Sadly, that same word now has pejorative connotations in spite of the fact that I have seen some amateur community theatre that has knocked my sox off! And really, if it weren't for amateur Gilbert & Sullivan societies around the globe, the operattas probably would have sunk into obscurity by now because who else does them?

So, here I am rehearsing this production of "The Mikado", while still performing "Dial M...". (Yes, my days are jam packed and wildly varied...and I'm really looking forward to March , my next day off). All the leads in Mikado are professionals, hired under the Equity independent Opera contract, and all the chorus are amateurs, members of the G & S Society producing the thing. The director, choreographer and music director are also pro.
Here's the rub....2 weeks just isn't enough time to put together a show of this size. Especially when you have a chorus of 18 who don't do this for a living. The poor things, bless them, sound amazing, but getting some of them to sing while executing a step-ball-change or even a step-touch is a bit like building a sky scraper.....one floor at a time....and it takes forever. Mind you, some of the pros are not necessarily fairing any better due to the massive amount of material being crammed into their brains in such a short time period. And it's not like the dialogue is easy to remember when one has to say things like: "Merely corroborative detail intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative." Or how about, "This is no time for airy persiflage!"