We had an amazing two-weekend run of Over the River and Through the Woods (by Joe DiPietro). The first weekend had small, but very responsive crowds who seemed to really enjoy it. Having those smaller audiences were beneficial since we could get used to performing together and work off of each other. We still had loads of fun those first few shows.
After a nice little break, we came back and did it all over again. This time, we had two sold-out crowds the final two performances. That was quite the experience for us since we could play to the people who sat in our "balcony" seating as well. The laughs and the overall energy from this last weekend really helped us as we all tried to mix it up a little bit in our acting.
In the end, we felt like we had really hit our groove by that last show. We were fully comfortable with our characters and each scene. We were no longer worried about missing lines. If we did, or something happened (i.e. wine glass being dropped and breaking on stage) we were in-character so much that it did not halt the performance. We had handled it like pros.
The last performance was also very sentimental for us since it was our closing performance at the venue where we rehearsed and performed during the whole process. I like to think that this show came into my life for a purpose. The show is about relationships with grandparents, and where I had just lost my one and only recently, I had a lot of strong feelings about the subject. It was so powerful reading the script for the first time that I broke down crying at the realization that, for a while, I would have grandparents again. It was so motivating for me to do a great job in this show.
I believe that's what happened too. I worked so hard to get my lines and the blocking down and we all worked together like a well-oiled machine. The end of act 2 during the final show had never felt so touching or authentic. There's a line that one of Nick's grandfathers (Frank) says that is packed with feeling. He says to his grandson who just told them all he was taking the promotion all the way across the country, "I just don't want you to go." That line got me to break down for the first time in a performance.
The whole scene is very powerful because the other grandfather has cancer, but only his grandmother knew. Emma, the grandmother, wanted Nunzio to tell Nick. What he did tell him was, "I will always be there with you." I was full on sobbing at that point. The transition into the next scene is a quick one, but I had to take my time to let all of those feelings out. It was the most cathartic I had ever felt in a show. I had lost my grandmother, and I was about lose my grandparents all over again. That moment was when I had felt the closest to Nick. He loved them so much, but he knew he needed to make his life something of his own doing, and that's why it hurt to leave.
We are fortunate to have one more performance tomorrow night. It's in another venue that will serve Italian food for a dinner intermission. It's going to be a fun night. I'm so excited for some yummy lasagna. Heck, I've even decided to cook pasta tonight for dinner.
Oh, how I love food...and my family.
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