show#1

Hurray! What a great opening night.
The play-by-play as far as I can remember:
Warmed up with only lip trills around 2pm in a hot shower.
Ate pineapple throughout the day, ginger, seaweed salad, banana, then met the parents for a bbq dinner (during which I nibbled on some grilled chicken out of the sandwich I ordered and wrapped up the rest for POST show).
Got to the theater around 6pm to leave the goodies and treats for the rest of the cast,
makeup/hair call at 6:30.
At 7pm I really started vocalizing. Easy scales, sirens, one aria, check that the high G is there, and then start doing a speed-through of scenes/words at seed-voice.

Curtain at 8pm, and by 8:20 I have my first entrance.
Yes, my heart was beating fast. But only because of my entrance (coming down a raked path about 45 degree angle hanging on with one hand to the back of a cart being dragged by another person...yea....)
And from then on it was really smooth sailing. Really.
The show is so high-energy that there is no TIME to stop and think about whether I'm nervous.
The first duet and aria were paced well, the love duet was maybe the best it's ever been, end of Act I aria to finale was 'touching' where it needed to be.
And through it all I felt vocally and dramatically like I was really involved and giving it everything.
Act II the stakes were raised-- it's the 'comedy' act with a lot more action than plot, and the audience even seemed to have a higher level of energy.
First scene- hilarious and fun. Next slow aria to fast return aria- took more time to shape my cadenzas and I think that really made a difference in the delivery- more heartfelt AND fun, and then I was home free- the finale and one little arietta and THE END!

So far, great feedback all around...
Here's hoping for more growth, relaxation, and fun in the next three performances.
But first, 3 days off.