Well, it's finally happened. Dear reader, I've run out of words. The adjectives store in my brain has been fully exhausted. Please understand that despite my unfortunate-in-this-modern-age initials, I am simply one flesh-and-blood woman sitting down in front of a text editing app, trying to summarise the indescribable using nothing but her very own brain and a cup of tea. And said brain is currently (also wonderfully) tired and full of music.
We've had our final pre-concert KTB Music Theatre Chorus rehearsal in the Studio. The seats were full, our hearts were full, and very importantly, the boiler/kettle was full - we certainly needed it. Crying from laughter and crying from sheer joy is very dehydrating, and that's before we mention the absolutely incredible singing.
It is imperative, given that this is a blog about our Musical Theatre Chorus, that we discuss the absolutely incredible singing. One of my blog notes/outtakes from the first rehearsal, all the way back in January, is "Does anyone want any notes...?" which was said in a slightly plaintive and pleading tone by our Katy as a not-too-subtle hint. Fast forward several months and into the full run-through, and every single person in that room - KTB included - had unstoppable grins on our faces, and the cheering after every single number was explosive. I wasn't joking about the crying, either. What can I say? Surely by now, you know we're all blessed/cursed with a flair for the dramatic.
This rehearsal was made extra special by the return of our 'wandering' chorus members, who have been away performing in some brilliant local shows. They deserved every single glowing accolade and more, and simultaneously we are practically snatching them back into the MTC fold like Gollum with the One Ring. Calamity Jane and Sister Act cast members: we've missed you all so much!
We also got to hear all of our semi-chorus numbers tonight - some for the first time. As I've mentioned previously, we don't generally get to listen to all of the semi-chorus pieces - especially as rehearsal for those is sometimes done separately. For the audience, it's a chance to hear something more intimate and sometimes a more 'traditional' choral-leaning take on a musical theatre piece. As a chorus, it gives us something fresh to look forward to when going over the same set list for months on end starts to feel a little too familiar. This concert series has songs from the Shrek musical, the Barbie movie, Mary Poppins, and Swing Time for you to listen out for in our semi-chorus slots, and they are all fantastic.
I must give a very special shout-out in this blog post to two of our band members for coming along to tonight's rehearsal. Having a different instrument in the mix to give us some of our cues and build out the musical landscape really took things up a notch. I didn't think we had any more notches left, but it turns out I was pleasantly wrong. Another shout-out to Amanda, our incredible BSL interpreter, whose work we rarely get to see from our vantage point and whose translations are nothing short of balletic.
In short, if you're coming to our concert, you're in for the following: knockout performances, amazing soloists, a high energy atmosphere, lots of seat-dancing, earworms, laughter, gorgeous arrangements, and family-friendly fun. What more do you need in an afternoon/evening out? There are still
Now for some 'admin'. Next week we take it all to the stage for our dress rehearsal, and then it's show time. The blog entries may be merged for all of this - it very much depends on vibes around here. The absolute best way to find out what happens at the concerts is to come to one of the concerts. There may be some preview clips on our social media, but I promise you now that you will miss out if you don't watch the full thing. What you can definitely expect popping up on this blog is our reactions, audience reactions, and maybe some of the behind-the-scenes tea. Should I try to sneak in the full list of Things That KTB Has Banned? Some of the items may surprise you...
One question remains for my fellow MTC members... Did we all remember to warm down on the way home?
Written by Aeryn Isherwood
