chicago, day one.
in Funny Stuff, Performance, Thoughts and Feelings
as bum bum bum, bums, Chicago, costume designer, crazy schedule, dancing, dancing and singing, era, good company, gosh, lingerie, nighttime hours, paychecks, production, rehearsal, sex, strange things, time, tomorrow, yoga class
Dancing, and singing, and paychecks, OH MY.
Today was my first day of my new job and it was pretty awesome to be learning new music (the dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum…has been stuck in my head all night. See, I get to sing all the ‘bums’ (which is, by far, better than dating all the bums!)–some don’t get to sing them; I feel very lucky). And tomorrow we get to start dancing. So stoked.
And I will tell you something funny that happened today. During rehearsal, our costume designer was pulling us out, one at a time, for fittings and such. For this production of Chicago, they are trying to stay pretty true to the 1920′s era, so they are using some lingerie from that period. Our designer was gesturing to the different pieces she wanted me to try on, and was, I later found out, trying to say something to the effect of, “I haven’t had tons of success lately,” meaning they weren’t fitting the people who tried them on before me, I guess.
But what she actually said was entirely different. She looked at me quite frankly, with a little bit of regret sounding in her tone, and announced:
“I haven’t had tons of sex lately.”
I lost it.
I mean, it was just so funny.
But as I was laughing, I managed to tell her that she was in good company, cause neither have I.
So then she started laughing and kept explaining to me that she hadn’t meant to say that. Oh gosh, it was a pretty amazing mistake. I said I appreciated her being real with me. And then we started laughing again.
I took a yoga class right after rehearsal tonight. And I fell asleep during shavasana. I guess that’s the kind of thing that happens when you get up early and, you know, work all day. Whoa. This is a crazy schedule, rising with America’s work force. Thankfully, once the show opens, I can go back to my regular nighttime hours. But for now, I will be doing strange things like going to bed a little earlier than normal and falling asleep during shavasana, I guess.
change everything.
in Performance, Thoughts and Feelings, video
as art, benefit of the doubt, black, black and white, complexities, douchebag, hand gestures, pop, realization, song, strange things, way
Oh, here you go.
It’s a song.
I wrote it recently and so far, have only played it for my pop. He seemed to like it very much. But he seems to like most of what I do. It’s the things that I don’t do that he seems to not like as much. Like when I don’t vacuum my room. And when I don’t turn off the fan in the bathroom when I leave. Something that I haven’t forgotten to do in a very long time, you’re welcome, pop.
Oh, but this song. It’s called change everything. It’s about art and my perspective and how important the act of making art is to me. It’s about how the world isn’t black and white; I’m sorry, it’s not. And part of that realization has helped me understand that people can do terrible, hurtful things to each other and still love each other. That the two aren’t mutually exclusive, though to hurt someone isn’t exactly being loving, don’t get me wrong.
But we are all many different layers and complexities and yes, let’s try to keep it simple, please, but let’s also realize that sometimes we’re trying our best just to give each other the benefit of the doubt even though the last guy was a total douchebag. And sometimes we’re learning how to walk and we stumble and we fall down and as we do, we accidentally hit each other on the way to a hard landing on the ground. Or maybe it’s not an accident. But either way, not much is black and white when it comes to our hearts and our responses and our views. When it comes to us.
And so here I am. I respond to life by making art and it helps me immensely. I am not sure if that is selfish, but I am sure it’s necessary.
Oh, and I am aware that I do some strange things when I sing. Like hand gestures. But what are you gonna do, I guess.
