My Fair Lady Part I

So, I'm in this musical. That's pretty unusual. I've directed a number of musicals (five would be that number) at the high school level, but this is the first time I've ever been in one. Last summer and this summer, I've acted in our local community theatre's summer straight show (for the non-theatrical, a "straight" show is a non-musical). I quite enjoy it, but I'm not a big fan of musicals in general. This year I knew that auditions for the summer musical, My Fair Lady, did not bring in many people. The director and board of the summer theatre had to recruit. The director, who also directed the straight show I was rehearsing for at the time, said to me one night, "Daryl, have you ever been in a musical?"

My basic response is I don't sing and I don't dance, why would anyone want me to be in a musical? But they did. I auditioned, and I got a role -- actually, several. I was hoping to be able to do a non-singing, non-dancing part, but I've ended up doing a little bit of everything. Here's kind of a breakdown of my bits:

I start by coming onstage at the very beginning of the show, but if all goes according to plan, I should be off within 30 seconds or so. This is my unnamed, high society character. I return in scene two as the bartender of the local pub. I like the bartender role. I get to throw a couple of guys out of the pub and across the stage, and I get to do that twice. In the first of those scenes, I have one line, and when I do the bit again in scene four, I have two lines. I return in the very beginnng of the next scene as Henry Higgins' butler. I have only one line here, but it's a fun one for me to do -- I base my character on a cross between Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, and Jarvis, the Avengers' butler (both of whom are, of course, British). I'm offstage for a good bit then (that scene is quite long and contains four separate songs). I next appear again as the butler at the horse race scene, where I sing (what??) along with about 20 other people on stage. I can fake that. Then, in a bit I was just added to tonight, I appear wordlessly once more to help Higgins on with his cape as he prepares to leave for the embassy ball. I appear in the last scene, at the embassy ball, again as my unnamed high society character, where I have to dance a waltz as part of about twelve couples. Pity the poor woman who got stuck with me for a partner. She's been quite a good sport about it so far.

I am also onstage (as the butler) in the very beginning of Act II, where I have to sing a refrain of a song along with about ten other "servants." I don't know this one very well (again I was added last week after rehearsals had been running awhile), but also in the scene is the girl who was my "star" at the high school for the last four years, so I simply follow her lead. I then appear briefly in scene three as the bartender (two lines), and I'm done.

It's really a rather oddly written play. A number of people are only in Act I (perhaps not all that unusual) but there are only six characters who appear in about the last half of Act II. Most of the cast is finished by then. And only two characters appear in the last two scenes. It's a strange ending.

So rehearsals have been going fairly well, I feel, though I'm quite uncomfortable with the dancing parts. I don't really like the singing bits much, either, 'cause I really don't know how to sing, and I tend to sing quietly because I don't really want anyone else on stage to hear me and realize how bad I am.