For those of you just joining us I am currently in rehearsals for the Broadway Musical “1776″ with Theatrix Productions [1]. Since it’s such a huge part of my life I have been blogging a bit about it [2].
You spend weeks rehearsing a show. You learn everywhere on stage you need to stand, develop muscle memory for the dances/songs and run lines with anyone who will talk to you. You think you’ve got it down.
Then you get your costume. And you realize it changes everything. If it’s a long skirt you find yourself tripping over it as you walk up and down stairs (I almost pitched myself downstairs in Cinderella years ago). If it’s a hat you find it falling off your head as you turn it too quickly.
[3]
So when you begin rehearsing- before you have a costume and before you have even figured out your character- actors often wear the shoes they plan on wearing on stage. It’s the one thing they don’t want to be surprised with in the actual show. And most of the time they look pretty funny.
(It actually makes me flash back to prom. I bought new black dress shoes for prom and was terrified I would fall down dancing because they were so slick. So I took them out in my parents drive way and scuffed them up the best I could. Was I the only one?)
For example yesterday the lone other girl in the cast (who plays the lovely Martha Jefferson) was in a really cute pink skirt, black shirt… and brown ankle boots. But she has a dance scene (with my fictional husband no less) so it’s super important for her to be completely comfortable in those boots.
[4]
So if you ever see an actor walking around in shorts and a very strange out of date pair of shoes, don’t worry. We all do it.
(Want to come and see the show- it opens July 4th! Tickets are on sale now [1]!)