"Annie" Opens!

We opened "Annie" last night at DMTC! By and large, it was a real smooth opening. Fortunately, the show doesn't have high-wire, split-second timing issues, such as many of the quick costume changes that other shows have, so we were able to focus on the task at hand.

The audience was small, but filled with enthusiastic supporters. Annie and the Orphans won great waves of applause.

I had a few problems myself, such as messing up lyrics on some songs and bumping into a few people. My biggest problem of the night occurred in the Cabinet scene, over which I preside as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But first, a little background...

Any theater company has a standard corps of people that can be relied upon to fill standard roles you might typically find in musicals - cops, musclemen, landladies, etc. Because of her dancing skills, general good looks, and stage presence, DMTC regular Dian Hoel has often filled the 'sexpot' role in DMTC shows. In the Cabinet scene of this show, however, partly because of our lack of men, Dian is taking the role of Louis Howe, Roosevelt's campaign advisor (she's been redubbed as Lois Howe).

When I introduce Annie to the Cabinet, I'm supposed to say, "and this is Lois Howe, my friend and aide." Instead, what I said last night was "and this is Lois Howe, my friend and companion." A true Freudian slip! I spent the rest of the show on the verge of giggles as a result of my blunder!

I'm pretty tired today. I bet the others are too: last night, little Leona said she wasn't going to eat any opening-night chocolate cake because she was so tired. But we perform again tonight, so once again, we will summon our energies and sally forth. It's a Hard-Knock Life!