Wait, I'm confused--Is this supposed to make us feel good or something?

              After two preview performances here in San Francisco, we finally opened this evening.  Now, this is where the original Broadway revival cast had their out of town try-out only two years ago, so there is some back story here.  Basically,  they got terrible reviews--this city was not kind to them.  In fact, one of their reviews was titled, Dance:10, acting:3 (which is a somewhat clever play on the title of one of the show stopping numbers in the show, Dance: 10, Looks: 3).  So, fast-forward two years and the same production company has another go at the same city, but this time with another cast. 

             Baayork Lee, our choreographer, has been sent out here to clean us up.  Again.  So, at about 30 minutes before curtain, she has the whole cast gather on the stage for a pep talk, of sorts.  I am sure she was aiming at getting us on our game.  I am sure she was trying to rile us up in a good way.  However, that's not what happened.  She looked at us seriously and said, Company, this is a very important city for us.  Reviews in San Francisco are critical.  Tonight's show is extremely important.  I need you to be on in your turns, aware of your spacing, dancing technically, and mindful that you are at an audition.  Keep your intensity up.  You need to be amazing.  

    Oh really?  You want amazing?  Cause we've just done about 70 shows already and what we were aiming for this whole time was passable.  Just fine.  Nothing spectacular.  We didn't know our turns were supposed to be good or anything like that.  And spacing?  Was that actually set? Because we thought all those numbers your gave us was more of a suggestion, but whatever.  And this is a--how did you put it? An audition?!?! Oh, well, if only someone had made that clear.  Sigh.  We would have had a whole different take on the show.  Sigh again.  And now--now you say you want amazing?  Oh, well--gosh, why didn't you say so before?!  Okay, now we'll aim for amazing...And reviews?  Goodness, what's that?  

    Really, all sarcasm aside, to be told something that well, obvious, was a little insulting.  We are all professionals and this show is very difficult.  We do not go on stage without bringing everything that we have.  Otherwise, we just wouldn't survive; it's that simple.  We all work so hard to be on--in our dancing, our singing, our acting.  This is why we were hired.  This is what we do.  

    And afterwards, a lot of people felt that we were a little jinxed.  See, we had more technical difficulties tonight than ever before--even when were actually teching the show in Denver.  The lighting was wonky and late at points.  And the sound!  Wow.  Three different actors were trying their very darndest to sing and speak above the orchestra without the help of a microphone. Uh-huh, the board froze or crashed or something in that unfortunate vein, and left three actors very exposed on the stage.  They were pros, though, and soldiered on.  

    On a personal note, I actually had a great show.  I nailed the opening combos.  Al and I had great chemistry in our song.  I felt good in my monologue.  So, that's nice.  However, it was not our best show, technically, that's for sure.  But, that was out of our hands.  Hopefully the reviewers won't be too turned off by the technical difficulties they observed.  Hopefully they will see that we tried to tell an honest story; a story that mirrors our own lives as aspiring performers on a Broadway stage. And hopefully they will see all the years of nothing but hard work that has gotten us here.  And if not? Well, who needs them?