by Annie Laurenson
I think it's fair to say, we all knew – committee, cast, me – that it was going to be a popular choice of material for an end-of-year show. I would have had to have done something pretty drastic to have messed it up. But during the later rehearsals, a cast member commented that “die-hard fans” might not approve of what I had done, and it got me thinking:
Would I alienate fans, with my Choristers?
Would integrating two episodes feel like – excuse the pun – some kind of sacrilege?
Would it bewilder audiences and confuse them, by shifting from present to past?
(Well, it DID confuse my husband, bless him, but he's not your typical benchmark theatregoer, to be honest; and he enjoyed it HUGELY despite the confusion.)
And then, there was my cast - Choristers included. I could see very clearly in my head, how it was all going to meld together; how it would ‘flow’. But explaining that to people OUTSIDE my head? I'm not sure I did that particularly well. Or possibly at all.
But audiences got it. Whether they felt a bit confused like my husband, whether the lighting gave them sufficient cues, or whether they didn't care, and just came with us for the ride – they got it.
And enjoyed it! I heard no complaints, no dissatisfaction. If they left early, disgruntled, I haven't heard about it.
After the sad state of community theatre during and post-Covid, it was a delight to see the theatre full of happy people, laughing and sharing their enjoyment with each other. I hope the Beaumaris Theatre coffers are fuller for their enjoyment.
My cast was truly brilliant! It was an unmitigated delight to watch them each night; the subtle variances in performances to accommodate differing audience reactions, the dries, the unexpected changes. They all inhabited their characters so perfectly!
The Choristers were amazing, all gorgeously robed by the amazing Deb Carpenter. They fully embraced their roles, and expanded upon them, bringing hilarious details – some tiny, some massive – to each performance. The Chorister Wrangler, the hugely talented, absolutely lovely Rhonda Vaughan, was such an essential part of the production. I have no idea how I would have managed without her. And she made us laugh soo often!!!
Steve Morris, Cast & Chorister Wrangler, was fantastic, managing everything with such ease. It can't have been easy to begin with, being such a ‘created’ play, but he took it all in his stride, exhibiting some talents I didn't know he possessed. (If you need sandwiches made - he's your man!!)
Matt and Emma were marvellous in the bio box, the cues were great and they were both really sweet and eager. They came on board and embraced their roles with barely a hiccup.
The delightful Emma Browne – what can I say?! Despite setting lights for Frankston’s show, she made time to set mine, too and her professionalism and dedication are unmatched. I was so happy with the outcome, and she is such a honey.
And it was a new and very pleasant experience, sharing my joy in each performance, acknowledging the changes, and giggling over the occasional bungle or dry with an Assistant Director, who understood each of those moments as I did, and took joy in them too. Michael may not think he did much, but that is certainly not the case. He did HEAPS.
I was given quite a long lead with the Vicar, I think, and I am grateful to the Committee for their trust. If it was as successful as it seemed, the credit goes to everyone involved, and I am in awe of the abilities and talent of every single member of the production. It has all been such a great joy. Thank you.