Porter ended up writing her some more lyrics, so she could vary it a little. And remember, this was her first show, so when the audience made her sing it again - 11 times, by some reports - she must've just thought, "Well, this is how Broadway works." She sang it sweetly, like the ingenue she was then, but she also did a sort of mock strip-tease, dropping the shoulders of her fur coat, and the combination just brought the house down on opening night. Or Mary Martin singing a little Cole Porter ditty - "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" - in her first Broadway show. Real showstopping encores, where the audience takes control and won't let the show start up again until the actors sing the song a second time, I had read about, but they always seemed to be from some previous era: Ethel Merman holding the "I" in "I Got Rhythm" for 16 bars -ġ6! - and the audience making her sing it over and over, because they couldn't believe she'd done it. Really smart staging, but not a real showstopper. It was gonna happen even if nobody applauded. For her to be able to play this next scene, they had to dance all those waiters off the stage. And that's the moment when it's clear that the whole thing - all that saying "No," the watch-checking - was fake. Only this time, all those waiters dance off the stage and into the wings, leaving just her to play the next scene. Īnd they're off, Bailey whipping up a frenzy all over again. And the audience roars, because now it's clear that she's gonna do another chorus. But they're still cheering, so finally she walks to the side of the stage, kicks off her shoes, and hitches up her girdle. Then after a while, she looked down at the conductor - and he pointed to his watch and shook his head no. I remember Pearl Bailey really milking that applause, the crowd screaming "More!" and her grinning broadly but shaking her head no. All those waiters arrayed behind her, arms stretched high. There's a runway around the orchestra pit, and right at the climax of the song, she leads them in an arm-waving parade around it, close enough to touch. Hello, Dolly! Two dozen tuxedoed waiters at the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant have for several minutes been welcoming our heroine "back where she belongs," with flamboyant choreography and compliments sung to the rafters. Take the encore that audiences have always demanded after the title number in And until I saw the genuine article, I used to think I've only ever seen one real, audience-driven, can't-go-on-with-the-show-until-you-sing-it-again (because encore means again) showstopper. Just don't do it unless you have no other options.I'm not much of an opera buff, but I've been going to concerts and musicals for decades, and I'd give anything to see another encore. The further you grow with this company, the more you'll learn of its toxicity. If you do pick this employer, get what YOU want from them and leave (or stay part-time so you can access their training modules. I wish I had done that rather than waste 8 years of my life, and sacrificing countless hours with my family, all for nothing. In 2018, when the company was forced to pay far more in bonuses (due to exceptional service scores), instead of congratulating everyone on a job well done, they made the metric higher (impossible to obtain for 90% of the locations).ĭo yourself a favor and join your local IATSE instead. They claim to value their people, yet they make it nearly impossible to hit their goals. Most locations are seriously understaffed to provide "world class service", and the tiers of fat cat above property managers is ridiculous. The benefits are pretty good, but not good enough for the low wages and hour expectations. They pay their techs well below industry standard, and expect unreasonable amounts of work from you. They have truly lost their way on the path of global domination. Being PSAV management for 8 years, I feel I know this company well, and advise to avoid this company.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |