The Heart of Rock & Roll Is Still Beating

Do you remember that song by Huey Lewis and the News from the '80s? I used to love it, and I still do whenever I happen to hear it. High Fidelity is such a show about rock-and-roll, so what an appropriate title for a post, perhaps...

That, and my heart rate is also up because I'm so excited about the show. Each rehearsal adds so many more cool elements. I haven't chimed in for about a week (which is my goal - about once a week), so there is much to report. How about a recap of the past three days?

Sunday, 4/27/08: Choreography Rehearsal
Robin Berger put her amazing spin on "Desert Island Top Five Break Ups." What a pleasure to work with Robin again, by the way. We've performed in several shows together, often as dance partners, which is always a blast. I've also been in several productions that she has choreographed, and I always love learning about her vision and very cool interpretation of a piece. So this particular number is no different. Think rock star with very sexy female backup singers/dancers.... I don't want to give too much away, but there are some very cool references to '80s pop culture and musical influences. There are also a few measures where I stand firmly planted and sing, while the 5 "exes" caress me from head to toe. I have to say that was quite fun to rehearse. Hopefully it was okay for the ladies, too. I know that some had more of a ball than others. There is a pun there, but I don't want to embarrass anyone further...

Monday, 4/28/08: Read-Thru/Sing-Thru the Whole Show
This was incredibly cool. For the first time, the whole cast gathered to go through all of the dialogue and music in the show. It was so energizing to finally have everyone together, showing off their stuff but also supporting each other. It really went quite well, and gave everyone an idea of the flow of the show. We also all got to see some renderings of the set, which look very cool. Things seemed to go smoothly, and I was pleased that I still had a voice after singing everything consecutively.

Tuesday, 4/29/08 (tonight): First Blocking Rehearsal
We really got a ton done tonight... The first three scenes of Act I are now completely blocked. We worked with a "stand-in set" that gave us a good idea of spacing, and also allowed us to think about set changes, etc. Again, it seemed to go so smoothly, and it's so cool to start really digging into the material. We blocked/staged each scene and song, and then ran each one 2-3 times. I walked out feeling great about the scenes, except for the intimidation of all of the lines that I need to memorize. I'd better stop typing and go study a bit before it gets too late...

And so it goes. Great people and much fun on the horizon. Again, best wishes to all who read this

Rock on,
Jeff

Back On My Game (mostly)

Okay, so it's so much easier to participate in a music rehearsal when you can actually sing. Many thanks to my doctor for the medicine, as well as to the creators of all of the various supplements and vitamins that I rocked through my system over the last week. Things were much better by last Thursday, and I'd say I'm almost 95% back vocally this week.

We're moving right along. Last night the whole cast ran through the big finale' number "Turn the World Off," and it sounded great. Tonight was just for the guys. A fellow cast mate put it well when she told me "the bitches have the night off." That's hilarious. Anyway, the fellas worked out the songs "Conflict Resolution," "Saturday Night Girl," and "9% Chance Of Your Love." We had a good time, but this is definitely tough stuff. And such long songs! And high!! The third time we ran "9% Chance...," I honestly thought I saw one of my vocal cords fly out of my mouth. But then I realized it was just the gum I was chewing... Gross.

Another hilarious part of the evening was attempting to emulate Axl Rose, The Beastie Boys, and Snoop Dogg, all in one song. That is actually written in the script. You'll have to see this to believe it. "Shall we leave it at that, then?"

Rock on,
Jeff

The Last Real Record Store

Rob Gordon here. These are my records, currently organized, not alphabetically, not chronologically, but...wait for it... autobiographically. Yup, the order in which they were purchased...

Rob Gordon, High Fidelity

Jeff Wright here. This is my online record of the experience of New Line Theatre's production of High Fidelity. I have no idea how it will be organized yet, although it would make a lot more sense to do it chronologically and autobiographically, instead of alphabetically...

A bit of history: High Fidelity is a musical production based on the movie (starring John Cusack and Jack Black, among many others) and the novel (by Nick Hornby) of the same name. There was a short-lived production on Broadway in 2006. Believe it or not, I was one of the few to actually see that. More on that later. This is the first production of the show outside of that Broadway run, which is actually very exciting for all involved. The show runs June 12 through July 5 at the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre at Washington University in St. Louis.

I'm playing Rob, which is an amazing opportunity, and more exciting than I can possibly say. We had our first rehearsal last night. The cast is absolutely awesome. Several of them are good friends of mine from previous shows at New Line or with other companies around town. Many new faces as well, which is always very cool.

I had a unique perspective last night, as basically that of a bystander or audience member. We rehearsed the song "The Last Real Record Store," for which Rob sings a lot of solo and lead with the whole ensemble. So why wasn't I singing? Well, I got laryngitis the day before. Seriously. The timing was awful, but far better to occur early in the rehearsal process of a show. Anyway, it allowed me to listen to the rest of the cast make some really amazing harmonies with each other. What quick studies, and what a great sound! Scott Miller sang Rob's parts while I recorded them, and he also did an awesome job (thanks, Scott!).

My daytime work is in the healthcare arena, where I cross paths with physicians all the time. I spoke with a very trusted otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat physician) today about my inability to speak or sing. He gave me some great advice, as well a prescription for some great meds, so hopefully I'll be back on my game at my next rehearsal on Thursday.

I've never blogged before, so this is all news to me, but I'm excited to give it a shot. I have no idea if anyone actually reads these posts, so feel free to post comments if you like. My goal is to try to add a post about once a week, from the first rehearsals all the way through the closing production week. We'll see how it goes. Since I can't talk today, I probably got more long-winded on the keyboard than I will in others.

So now it begins. Best wishes to all who read this.

Rock on,

Jeff