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Sunday, May 17, 2009

holding hands in the dark

I am pretty sure Colt thought I was crying tonight.


The thing is, I wasn't. Not this time, at least.

See, Colt plays Al, my husband in A Chorus Line. And there is a part of the show when three ladies are singing a ballad, At the Ballet. Instead of doing something crazy like give the rest of the cast a break and allow us to go offstage during this trio, we all must stand frozen as statues upstage, in the dark.

Well, that's the goal, anyway.

I don't always stand as still as I should, being a bit of a fidgeter by nature as well as constantly searching for that illusive standing position in which my feet don't hurt in those heels. That has become my own personal holy grail, and I will probably die still searching for it. Either that, or join a tribe of pygmies and go barefoot. Actually at 5'8" the pygmies would not know what to do with me, so that's probably not the way to go.

Anyway, back to At the Ballet.

So I am standing there in the dark, trying not to move too much, but still burrowing my fingers into my fishnet tights because really, the audience just can't see that and honestly, I am the soul of discretion when it comes to the art of sticking one's fingers into one's tights. Mid burrow, I suddenly get something caught in my throat. Maybe it's phlegm. Probably it is. I start sniffing profusely, and maybe my eye itches on top of that because I vaguely remember swiping at it.

Colt notices.

He reaches over, grabs my hand, and whispers, You're gonna be okay. I smile and nod, hoping that he gets it even in the dark, but the point is I don't stop him. I don't tell him that I am not crying because it's a cardinal rule that you don't talk during At the Ballet and to be perfectly frank, I enjoy the comfort.

Because, every once in a while, who doesn't need their hand held and to be told that they are going to be okay? Crying or not, it's a really nice thing. And I am not about to turn it down.

9 comments:

peaj said...

Glad Colt can give you truthful comfort. You are going to be OK. :-)

Gah, what a pain having to sing later without being able to properly clear your throat. But I guess hacking or whatever wouldn't really be in character.

Hope the leg was OK last night, or at least not made worse.

peaj said...

Singing this morning. Wish you were here.

Mom said...

Well, you COULD use some comfort right now...so, I'm glad Colt gave it!

I hope you are feeling better. I think Drew, Jenna, and I are going out tomorrow night to celebrate a new job and great grades! Wish you were here too!

Natalie said...

To be honest, that's really cute!

So I saw 'Every Little Step' on Friday night, and my increase for you ('you' meaning you personally and the ACL cast as a whole) increased tenfold. To see what the audition process was like for you guys was absolutely incredible and very eye-opening. You guys rock!

Jessica said...

Peaj--you'd be surprised how many hacking fits actually do go on onstage. I think (hope) they are masked by the orchestra, though. Sometimes if it gets really bad, the actor will just leave stage for a second and try to compose themselves. And thank, I wish I was there, too!!!

Mom--that sounds lovely; of course I wish I could be there, too;-/

Natalie--So glad you saw Every Little Step! Did you like it? I really enjoyed watching it, actually--and it's awesome to give the world a glimpse into what the audition scene really is like.

And thanks!!!

Natalie said...

"my increase for you..."

Um, apparently I don't speak English? That should've been "respect." Uh, yeah.

I actually really enjoyed Every Little Step. I think it was made more interesting (for me, at least) because I have the OBC Recording of ACL, not the Revival, and I had no idea who was in the revival, so I was in the dark as to who got which roles. The only thing I knew for sure was that Nikki Snelson didn't make it into the Revival cast and ended up doing Legally Blonde before going on to be Cassie (not Val!) on Tour.
I legitimately cried when they showed Jason Tam's audition for Paul.
I didn't know that ACL was created in the way it was, or that it was the first show to use the "Workshop" technique. I definitely learned a lot!

mine said...

Really? Colt...Really...are you sure you're not mistaken and Venny or Cliff was actually on???

Just kidding...

It's times like that that I would realize why I let him get away with some many other things!

vgreen50 said...

I love how you turn everything into something positive. Inspiring!

Jessica said...

Natalie--yes I thought the original interviews with the dancers was particularly interesting--so glad you liked it!

Meemom Bear--thank you! And your name is clever and adorable;-)

Mine--ha! Surprisingly enough, it was Colt...;-)