Phantoms and Hip Cats

I'm pretty impressed that these road boxes are just sitting on 44th street and no one is messing with them.

Of course, I haven't actually tried moving them. They probably are so heavy that anyone attempting to make off with a box of expensive lighting equipment would probably get about as far as the Majestic Theater down the street before giving up and abandoning the road box in front of Phantom. Where it would stay for the next 20 years...

There is a significant increase in activity in the Shubert- so much so, there was no clear shot of the stage today:

I am so fascinated by stagehands and load-in crew. I am determined to find some of them who will talk to me and tell me stories. Perhaps I can lure them to Sardi's with the promise of beer, cheese & crackers. The main question I want to ask: Were you always behind the scenes or did you dabble in the footlights as well? If they did, I would like to see pictures.

I also stopped by rehearsal which is always a huge pick me up in the middle of the day.

The new guys were working on the choreography for "Everybody Wants to be Black on A Saturday Night," which has a Temptations sort of feel to it in sound and movement.

My favorite direction of the day came from Choreographer Associate, Edgar Godineaux, who encouraged the guys to approach the dance moves like "hip cats." I'm proud to be associated with a show in which the phrase "hip cat" is being bandied around.

I hope someone uses "jive turkey" one day- though I'll have to get the dramaturg to look into whether that phrase was used in the 1950s.

Update: Friday Feast was a huge success.

There was even BBQ flavored popcorn.