Well, that's a wrap folks! "Glam" is over! Done! Finito! After countless Sunday afternoon rehearsals, run-throughs and dress rehearsals, the show is all done. This past weekend "Glam" played for four shows at the Citadel Theatre on Rebecca Street in downtown Hamilton. The end of a musical always seems a little bitter sweet. You are happy to not have to endure anymore six hour dress rehearsals but on the other hand, you are also sad because you won't get to see the cast you have become such good friends with on a weekly basis! Ah, the drama of a performer! Anyhow, the performances of "Glam" went so well! Our first and only dress rehearsal was the night before opening on Friday. I guess you could say that Thursday was sort of hardcore. We ran the show for the first time in the theatre, with sets, mic's, lights, the whole shebang twice that night. This allowed the cast and I to get used to the flow and iron out any fine details that were left in our delivery. The shows on Friday went extremely well and the response was great.
Me singing "Tell It Like It Is"
In the true nature of musical theatre, sometimes you are thrown minor hiccups that you have to deal with on the spot and come up with a solution for. In our case, the Friday evening show had a nice little surprise in store for us. One of my cast mates came to the theatre looking quite pale. Since she's a kindergarten teacher I could only think, "Uh oh". She told us she had been sick since last night and I mean SICK. So, immediately my directors thinking cap went on. The show must go on and go on it did. We had our backup plan in place; one of the girls who knew her songs well enough would go out there and fill in on her solos. We were all a bit thrown by this but just before the show started, my sick cast member came backstage like a champion and got through the show no problem. She was still sick but the audience would never have known. She rocked "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" like it was nothing and the crowd cheered loudly for her.
Full cast intro song "Anyway You Want It"
Overall, this show was such a great success. Some audience members came to see the show one, then twice and even three times! I was humbled to receive great praise for my solos which is always a good sign! Also, sharing the stage with all the talented adults and teens was so exciting and fun. I'm definitely looking forward to keeping my eyes pealed for the next great show to be a part of...
Me 'Vogue-ing' It
The Cast - Closing Night
Glam Matinee Show. If you want to check out my solos, go to 21:45, 48:55 and 1:25:35!
The last week before the big show. Anyone who has ever been in a musical or play before knows what this means. It means.... CRUNCH TIME. To put it into perspective for any non-musical theatre readers, its kind of like the few days before your final exam. A time that is full of anxiety, fear but also excitement because you know if you have studied enough, you are going to kill the exam. This is basically the way performers feel the week before the big show. All of the time you've put in to singing rehearsals, dancing rehearsals and blocking all come down to the live shows. As Glam: the Music of the 80's comes closer, I do get a few butterflies during the few dress rehearsals get to perfect any loose ends. Dress rehearsals allow the performers to perform the show, in full costume and makeup, on the stage which they will perform to the public. It lets the performers get used to the stage, the flow and the traffic of the show. For example, you get to actually see where the risers are on the stage or maybe where the exits are on each wing of the stage. The lights, sound and tech aspects of the show are tested out so there aren't any surprises come show night. This is also the time to perfect any lyric issues, missing dance moves or costume uncertainties. One part of dress rehearsals that IS quite enjoyable is costumes. Especially during this glam show, us ladies get to wear the sassiest, sexiest things we can find. There are lots of leather jackets, sparkly dresses and bright coloured tops that reflect the flare and spice of 80's clothing. One of my favourite outfits that I get to wear is a leopard dress and jean jacket. It's just so 80's and it really gets me into the spirit of the times. As all these things come together, there are few things that I find any performer should tell themselves before they get on stage and perform. Listen closely:
1. You Can Do It!
This may seem super obvious, but if you just remind yourself that you got this in the bag, you will feel much more confident in your performance and abilities.
2. Remember that YOU ARE FIERCE!
Right before I step out on stage, I usually have an internal pep talk with myself. Majority of that pep talk includes this reminder; you are fierce and people are going to love you. It is a major confidence booster to tell yourself before you step onstage! Try it out!
3. All your rehearsals and practices are going to pay off!
Before you perform, think back to all of the hours, time and handwork you have put into practising for this performance. Practice makes perfect, and what you are about to perform for all those people IS perfect. So show them what you've got!
Those are a few things that you can tell yourself before you have a big performance. Trust me, they will help you believe in yourself and will help you to give the audience a performance they will never forget!
This past week I got the opportunity to go see an old friend in concert who I had been missing quite a lot. His name is Josh Groban. Okay, so maybe he isn't an actual friend of mine, but I like to believe he would love a girl like myself if he ever happened to meet me! Throughout my time of being a Josh Groban fan, I have had the opportunity to see him perform live twice now. The first time I saw him was at the John Labbatt Centre in London, Ontario during his "Awake Tour" in 2007. I can still remember how excited I was to finally get to see this amazing vocalist live. My parents warned me prior to getting to the venue about the location of our seats which were literally the last row in the nose bleed sections. I was able to touch the back wall if that gives you a bit of perspective. Josh Groban sang his heart out and even though he looked like a tiny ant from where I was sitting, it didn't bother me one bit.
The best part of this concert experience came a few days after. I was sitting at home watching TV when a family friend rang the doorbell. As he came into the house, he called me over and continued to tell me that he had something to give me. As he pulled a CD from behind his back, I noticed it was a Josh Groban CD that I already had, but I had judged it too quickly. I took a better look at the front and saw the black sharpie writing that read, "To: Shelby, From: Josh". The moment I read that the screaming started. This was and still is easily the coolest thing that I have ever received! The simple fact that for a split second Josh Groban wrote down my name or even knew my name was good enough for me.
Fast forward to this past Friday night at the Air Canada Centre. Josh is currently on tour for his "In the Round World Tour". This concert was much more intimate because the stage was literally round circle in the middle of the arena. A few days eariler, my mom was browsing Groupon, a bulk sales website, when the offer for $25.00 dollar Josh Groban tickets popped up. Without knowing what seats we were going to get, we ordered four and were ready for round two with Joshy. Unlike the previous back seat concert experience, we found out our seat location and could hardly believe it! We could ACTUALLY see the stage! We were seated 10 rows from the ground floor and had the perfect view of Josh and his band. The band featured an outstanding violinist who at one point ripped the best solo of Aerosmith's "Dream On" I have ever heard. His opening act was a singer, previously on the show The Voice and a back up singer for the late Michael Jackson, Judith Hill. Josh's set was an hour and a half and a perfect balance of his newer songs and his classics. Some of my favourites included: You Raise Me Up, Remember When It Rained and To Where You Are.
Another major highlight of the night was his commentary. In between songs, he took the time to talk to the audience, tell us a bit about himself and also answer some questions that Toronto fans had sent in. One question came from Bob. Josh called out to the crowd asking where Bob was sitting and he just happened to be on the ground seats. Bob stood up and Josh told the crowd that it seemed that he had something important to ask his girlfriend. (Cue the entire arena cheering because it is very clear that translates to PROPOSAL). Bob got down on one knee and popped the question. Although to some people this might seem the ultimate example of cheesiness, to me it was just too adorable. Some very special moments take place during concerts. Whether its a proposal or seeing your favourite artist for the very first time, concert going is an experience of its own. Nothing beats it and nothing ever will.
This past weekend was a time to sit back and remember all the things you are thankful for. For myself, one of the things that would be very close to the top of the list would be my cottage. A major tradition in my family is to pack everything and everyone into the car and head to the cottage for Thanksgiving weekend. Saturday is our big family turkey dinner. My Grandma always says every year, "I am not cooking the turkey this year," but always ends up in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the bird. The cousins have the classic job of set up and take down aka set the table and wash the dishes after dinner. As the day goes on, the cottage slowly begins to start like heaven. The aromas of a slowly cooking turkey, warm stuffing and sweet turnip casserole come together and linger in the air. Once we are all set and ready to eat, there is always one more thing our family does which is turning on the music.
For some families, dinner is always accompanied by some light music in the background. And for some others, this probably sounds like a completely ridiculous thing to do. For the Brennan's, the sounds of Michael Buble tend to always play around dinner time at the cottage. This year at Thanksgiving Dinner, my Grandma Ann had a different request. As the same old Michael Buble CD began to play, she ordered that we mix things up a bit. As we scrolled through the iPod to find something suitable, my Dad said he had just the thing for my Grandma. This Thanksgiving was to be the Thanksgiving of Vera Lynn. The moment her music began, you could see the nostalgia stream across my Grandma's face. Although I wasn't hugely familiar with Vera Lynn herself or her music, I couldn't help but enjoy it. Every song was just so classic and beautiful. My Grandma began telling us about how this was the time of music she was listening to at our age. For my younger cousins and I, we couldn't help but realize how much has changed from then to now. To me, it seems that the music we hear on the radio today lacks the passion and intention that the music of the past had. There are too many songs out there today that sound exactly the same as the next which leaves little to be desired on Top 40 radio.
As Vera Lynn's greatest hits album came to an end, several Tony Bennett classics made their way through the speakers. And the only thing I could think of when 'I Left My Heart in San Fransisco' come on was, "Once a classic, always a classic." Here's to the oldies but most importantly, the goodies.
Throughout my four years at Western University, my theatre performing fell somewhere near the end of my priorities list. Between homework, social life and working, I really didn't feel that I had enough time during the week to commit to a musical. Although there had been a club at Western that put on musicals, nothing really ever caught my attention or drew me in. As the end of fourth year creeped up on me, I received a message from my old singing instructor, Erin Bree. She asked me if I was going to be moving home after I graduated, and considering my aching back account and upcoming new scholarly endeavours, I told her yes. This is where my exciting journey with "Glam: Music from the 80's" starts. This show is an hour and a half revue of all of the best 80's music. It is also exactly the songs you are thinking about right now and so much more. It features hits from legends such as Whitney Houston, Madonna, Heart and of course Journey. A few tunes that I will be belting out include 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' by Whitney Houston, 'I Want Candy' and a few more you will have to come to hear!
I have the privilege of sharing the stage with six outstanding female adult voices, and four talented teenage singers as well. At first, the thought of having to sing with such amazing talented women was a bit intimidating. I haven't done a theatre show in over four years and now am throwing myself right back into the swing of things. But, as we began rehearsals at the beginning of September, there was one thing that became very clear to me; I could still do it. Despite the fact that I hadn't been performing as much over the past few years, I still had the confidence and skills to be part of a great show. Every single person in the cast has the talent, drive and support in each other to get through the tough dance rehearsals and long vocal practices. As of right now, the cast and I are in high gear prepping for the final performances that are right around the corner. The last few weeks of any show are crunch time because no one wants to be the one who forgets when the last box step is in the dance number. Hopefully it isn't me! This show is guaranteed to have everyone in the crowd moving and singing along. The show features songs that everyone knows and secretly loves! If you are looking for something to do on Friday November 8th or Saturday November 9th at 8pm, come on out! The show will be performed at the Citadel Theatre in Hamilton with tickets at $22. For more show details, check out Erin Bree Production's for all things Glam. I am so thrilled to be back in the theatre, sharing my voice and some great music with everyone! Enjoy the show!
