The joys and challenges of music rehearsal

written by Billie Wildrick (Paquette in CANDIDE)

When someone is trying to calm you down and they say “go to your happy place," most people go to a tropical beach or a mountain vista or a cabin by the fire. I go to music rehearsal. I love music rehearsal more than maybe any other part of my job. And I love it most especially with The 5th’s own spectacular Ian Eisendrath (On the Town) and the wonderful Joel Fram (Candide). And it’s not because they’re mellow, gooey and kind. (Joel introduces himself at a meet and greet as Music Dictator.) But rather, it’s because they both work incredibly hard and in great detail on the score, and they expect the same investment from their singers. It is transcendent, the musicality specificity of emotional intention can bring to a score. The audience probably doesn’t know how much they have a musical director to thank when they can hear and understand every lyric in a show – how much a crisp, snotty “k” at the end of a word can provide in story telling.

Here is a copy of my music for the very last 12 bars of Candide – 12 bars out of a 300 page score.



Every circle and highlight and dynamic marking must be memorized along with the lyrics, notes and rhythms. And I’m sure there will be a few more marks before opening night. But that depth of technical precision and emotional investment is what makes it thrilling to the ear and the heart. Ian Eisendrath’s stirring work on “Sunday” in Sunday in the Park with George is another great example of this.

It’s such hard, detailed work requiring skill, practice and lots of focus. But for a singer who has strived and studied to speak the language of song, it’s like a student who fiercely loves and studies French getting to go live in Paris. Someone recently asked me what my favorite part of theatre is. Music rehearsal, and scene work for that matter, is better than applause and lights and costumes and a well-landed laugh. And I think that falling in love with the work and not the feedback or perceived “glamour” is what makes my life in the theatre so wonderful and satisfying. I’m a lucky girl!

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Special blog offer for Candide still available. Details here.

Spotlight Night on On The Town & Candide!

Reserve your FREE tickets now to Spotlight Night, online, over the phone at 206-625-1900 or in person at the box office.

Monday, March 22 at 7pm

Spotlight Night on On The Town & Candide

The final Spotlight Night of our 2009-2010 season will take you behind the scenes of two of “the greatest musicals you’ve never seen” -- On The Town and Candide, as well as preview this spring’s exciting Seattle Celebrates Bernstein Festival

Act 1

Seattle Celebrates Bernstein!

Over the next four months an unprecedented consortium of 19 of the region’s leading arts organization with join forces to celebrate the life and music of legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein. David Armstrong will provide a sneak peek of the incredible potpourri of concerts, theatrical performances, lectures, film screenings and special events that will make up this unique, first-of-its-kind citywide arts festival.

Act 2

The Best Of All Possible Worlds: Bernstein On Broadway

In this music-filled segment a host of our Seattle’s finest singers will help us review the life and glorious songs of Leonard Bernstein – featuring selections from his legendary Broadway musicals and other theatrical works including West Side Story, Wonderful Town, Trouble In Tahiti, Mass, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, On The Town and Candide. With musical performances by Greg Allen, Anne Allgood, Candice Donehoo, Mary Jo DuGaw, Brandon O’Neill, Matt Owen, Sarah Rudinoff, Billie Wildrick and guest artists Laura Griffith, Joe Aaron Reid and the Seattle Woman’s Chorus.

Act 3

I Can Cook Too: Serving Classic Musicals To A Modern Audience

Candide’s director, David Armstrong, and On The Town’s director and musical director, Bill Berry and Ian Eisendrath, will give you an inside look at how they approach the challenges and rewards of whipping up classic “Golden Age Of Broadway” musicals to meet the taste of a contemporary audience.

Making the MegaMix

When passing by our musical director's office, we usually hear the sounds of a familiar broadway tune playing on the speakers or perhaps a song from an upcoming pre-Broadway premier. In weeks past, however, it's felt a little like stepping into the twilight zone when walking by, when noticing that it's hip-hop and reggae music bumping out of the stereo system.

For the past few weeks, Ian Eisendrath (Resident Musical Director/Music Coordinator) and Albert Evans (Artistic Associate) and have been collaborating with local musicians for the Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat MEGAMIX!

The MegaMix is an energetic mini-retelling of the entire Joseph production at the end of the show and can range from 7 to 20 minutes, depending on production. The interesting
aspect of this piece is that that no music can be found for the MegaMix, which gives our Music
department a creative challenge.

Eisendrath writes “Our goal was to update the MegaMix so that it sounds like something current, fresh and hip that you would hear in a club in downtown Seattle. We hired Dave Pascal, a local musician who is fluent in all styles of contemporary/pop music and DJ Million,a local deejay and drummer who is active in the Seattle hip-hop club scene.”

Evans and Eisendrath created new vocal arrangements, DJ Million created the basic beat patterns and transitions, and Pascal created the instrumental tracks and produced the
recording of the MegaMix in his home studio.

Seen the show? Let us know what you think of the MegaMix!

Finishing The Hat - Nick DeSantis on his first role at The 5th

blog entry by Nick DeSantis (Franz/Lee Randolph)

On my very first show at The 5th Avenue:

I don't know how many auditions I have gone to where I have danced onstage at The 5th Avenue Theatre and looked out into that MASSIVE house and wondered what it would feel like to perform for an audience of over 2000 people on this stage - I finally got my chance to see what it's like! Now that I have, I'm not leaving. I'm never leaving. I'll just tuck myself up in a corner of the stage for Grease and stay there - they won't notice me I'm sure....I'll give myself big hair.

In all seriousness though - Sunday in the Park with George has been my favorite Broadway musical since I first saw it in my teens. I am profoundly moved EVERY time I see it (which is basically bi-monthly now that the DVD of the original broadway cast is available). I saw it on Broadway with Bernadette and Mandy, I saw it in Washington DC at The Kennedy Center with Raul Esparza and Melissa Errico and the DVD just stays on the shelf next to my TV so I can get a "Finishing the Hat" fix when I need it. I think it's a work that artists particularly, of any kind, can relate to in sort of a personal way. We've all had to sacrifice something to do what we do....time, money, a social life, whatever - so we've each, at some point, had to ask ourselves "why is it again that I love to do this?" Now that answer is, I'm sure, completely different for every artist, but we can all relate to the question as it is posed in the show. George can ONLY create art, to the exclusion of almost everything else in his life. When he sings "Finishing the Hat", he's trying to explain this very issue at the core of his soul - but the only concreate idea and words that he can come up with are simply that he has to Finish the Hat...and we kind of feel exactly what he means. It is such an honor for me to stand in the wings and hear Hugh Panaro sing this moving song so beautifully night after night. It's hard to keep my composure sometimes. Which can be a problem since the entire cast enters stage immediately after this song - and for any of us to be a blubbering mess might be a bit noticable.

One of the wonderful things about this experience is that this show holds such a dear place of almost everyone on the production team. Everyone is SO devoted and committed to creating a production that will do the work justice, it's a little overwhelming sometimes.

Actually, on that note - the first time we sang the Act I finale "Sunday," with a full orchestra, the sound and the emotion was so strong for each of us that many of the cast did begin weeping, myself included. I don't mean snivelly little soap-opera tears, but big, wracking, 7th-grader-who-didn't-make-cheerleader-after-practicing-her-pompom-routine-for-weeks-and-then-comes-home-to-find-her-puppy-ran-away sobs. I'm not sure but I think we might have frightened Ian Eisendrath (our impossibly talented music director and maestro) a little bit. Even though the tears have thankfully stopped, that moment at the end of the show as we all walk through "our" park one more time and inspire George to move ahead in his own life is one of the most personally gratifying and powerful things I have ever been given the privilege of doing onstage.

I hesitate to say this in an arena where it may come back to bite me, but if I never have the immense pleasure of doing another show at The 5th -or in my life really - this just might be enough.

Nah, that's stupid. I wanna do another!

George excitement!

We thought we'd post some interesting preview pieces & audience feedback that relate to Sunday in the Park with George, which opened last night and runs through May 10th.

George & all things orchestral
Ian Eisendrath (musical director) and Hugh Panaro (George) chatted with Misha Berson

KUOW PRESENTS
Misha Berson (Seattle Times) Theater Review: Mad Scientists, Quirky Painters and Accordions

Billie Wildrick (Dot)
Seattle Examiner interviews Billie Wildrick (Dot)
Slideshow of Billie Wildrick in a selection of 5th Avenue Theatre roles

Steve Wiecking interviews Sam Buntrock (director)
A walk in the park

Seattle Weekly Preview Piece

The Stranger Preview Piece

Audience comments are rolling in:

"Loved it....so beautiful...and the voices were fantastic!"

"My mom and I had the most amazing time at Sunday in the Park with George last night. What an incredible show! We LOVED it- no understatement. Lets just say there were tears."

"An awesome production, full of surprises and subtlety and very well performed."

"I saw this show last night and was BLOWN AWAY...relevant and interesting. This show is unparalleled."

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Leonard Bernstein called his friend Sondheim's show "brilliant, deeply conceived, canny, magisterial, and by far the most personal statement I've heard from you thus far. Bravo."