The Forbidden Phoenix - Preview Performance
The train has left the station. We had our first public performance. Phew! Lots of great feedback from the audiences who loved the story and the music. I was most impressed to hear from a colleague that he saw two 9-year old boys in rapt attention throughout the show.
I very nearly cried in the show a couple of times. Once during the love duet between Sun Wukong and Phoenix and once when Laosan broke down during his scene with the Empress. The heart is really coming to life in the play now, and just at the right time.
We're still finessing the tech elements, and we still need to incorporate script cuts so that we can get under 90 minutes, but the good news is that the first act ran 52 minutes today, so we're getting faster. With the proposed line cuts and some more trims to the first act fights, we should get down to about 47 minutes for the first act, which I think means we get to keep Daddy's Coming Home. I'm most relieved because it's the song most people are talking about.
Tonight, the crew works with the cast for five hours to work in script cuts and to clean up some things in the second act. It's all about cleaning up and making sure the production is elegant and heartfelt. I think we're getting closer every time out.
Sadly, I'm sitting at home trying to finish my last Edmonton Journal article before I head off to Grande Prairie. This weekend seems to be the end of many things. End of a 7-year journey with the play and the end of a 3-year stint with the local newspaper.