Surviving opening weekend.

OK, so I lied. I am going to post more. 

When I posted the last time, I figured that my job was about over and essentially, it is.  The cast and crew have done a masterful job of executing the show through the first weekend.  I attended the preview performance on Thursday evening.  It was very strange to sit in the audience and just watch. No notes to take, no changes to make. I just sat there and experienced the show with the rest of the audience, trying to get a sense of what they thought and if they enjoyed it.  Apparently I didn't do a very good job of observing because, I really thought as I walked out of the theater that the audience didn't enjoy it.  Even my wife sitting next to me, seemed polite but not emoting.  I think that what I took for disinterest was really a bit of shock.  The audience was sucked in and emotionally spent by the time it was over. GREAT!

This show is my first to be reviewed by media critics.  I don't think that I realized how I would react to that process.  Most of the critics attended Friday evening's performance and reviews began coming out over the weekend.  While no one said anything negative about my design and some actually raved about my work, I still have a lingering feeling of insecurity.  All but one mentioned the set and/or the lighting to some degree. A couple credited all of the furnishings to the props staff. Those of you who have followed me through this process, know that I went through great pains to find just the right pieces to furnish this "farmhouse in 1968". Oh well... They didn't dislike the furnishings, they just didn't realize that I had done it.

I read the first review as my wife and I drove to Chicago on Saturday for her to run in the Chicago marathon.  I was so relieved and totally pumped as that reviewer glowed about my work using words like "magic" to describe the set.  Each subsequent review had me nervous, like getting tests back in school...hoping for a perfect score, but just wanting to not be embarrassed with a failure.  It was almost addictive, waiting impatiently for the page to load and reading through to see if there were any comments about set or lighting.  I don't think I like the review thing...too nerve-wracking.

Now that this is passed, I can relax and enjoy the rest of the run.  I am really proud of the whole company and the job that we have done with this show.  ALL of the pieces fit together well and really make this show an experience. 

I have three weeks to enjoy my first show at New Line. Then we tear it down and pack the pieces away for reuse in some undetermined future show.  Normally, I don't get emotional when a show closes. I view theater as a temporary art and closing night is just as great as opening. The few people who came to see the show are the ones who are lucky enough to have the memory.  That being said, this show's closing will be a little bittersweet for me, being my first.  I poured my heart, sweat and tears into this project hoping to really knock it out of the park.  I feel good about the results...critics or not.
R