By Michelle Gao
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Sunday, April 8, 2007, The OG, features

[Note: Junior Michelle Gao is a cast member of Uni High's spring musical, “Anything Goes.” For the rest of this week she'll give us a firsthand look at what goes on behind the scenes as cast and crew work to put on the best show they can.]

THE CAST OF the spring musical, Cole Porter's “Anything Goes,” spent five hours at school Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. for the first tech rehearsal. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.

Most of us started out by singing through some large group numbers and making sure everyone knew how long each note was supposed to be held; we have a problem with people over-holding.

Others were building last-minute set pieces, and the sound of a hammer rang out over our voices. A few girls in clicky heels were walking around, too, and the clacking added to the cacophony. The noise eventually made even the most exhausted cast members slightly more awake.

We began to run the show after about half an hour. Looking back on it now, it's kind of a blur. People were running around frantically backstage, asking in panicked whispers, “Wait, what scene is this? When does (insert musical number here) happen? Which side do I enter from?”

It's part of putting a show together. Before a tech rehearsal, only individual scenes are rehearsed. People only have a vague idea of where scenes are in relation to each other. Tech week also involves using lights for the first time, and it makes it feel more like a show when everything is dark but the stage.

It was also the first time we made use of all the props. It was the first time we got to see Ethan Berl fling a spoonful of whipped cream onto Sam Klein's face. It was the first time that many cast members saw scenes that only involved a few of the main characters, because they would usually have separate rehearsals until now.

And many felt a lot better about the show. We all saw that the show was further along than we'd expected. Still, there's a ways to go. We still have to figure out how to get everyone costumed and made-up. We still have to smooth out the pauses between lines. We still have to get the lights completely right. We still have to figure out how to sing and dance at the same time without forgetting something.

But we're getting close.

It's going to be a good show.

RELATED

— Gargoyle photo slideshow: Getting ready for “Anything Goes”

— Gargoyle coverage: Spring musical cast members selected, rehearsals begin

— Gargoyle coverage: Auditions for spring musical to be held Monday, Tuesday

— StageAgent.com: Overview of “Anything Goes”

— Internet Broadway Database: Original Broadway run (420 performances) of “Anything Goes”