"Lend Me a Tenor"

Well guys, the play was a success!

On Monday (March 23rd), when we went for our stage and tech rehearsal, I walked in with a feeling of awe. G. D. Birla Sabhaghar boasts a lovely stage. The acoustics are brilliant, the hall is beautiful, the seats are cushy and there's a sense of grandness and plushness all around.

While the stage was being set and the sets were being nailed into place, I took a walk all around the hall. Stage right, from the wings, there are a set of stairs taking us up to the first floor where we have the green rooms. Our costumes were already hanging in the closets and they seemed to be winking at us. I then went to the second floor where we would be changing. There was a sign outside our door that read, "Female Artist". I don't know why, but I got a real kick out of that. I was a 'female artist'. I felt as if I had arrived...I could almost hear the applause in my head. I paused outside the door and looked at the words for a while, drank them in and let them tumble about inside my head for a bit. Then I went in and saw that our costume designer had pasted sheets next to a mirror for each of our characters, listing out our costumes, accessories and props, scene by scene. That made me stop, stare and smile too.

Tuesday night (March 24th), or Opening Night (that sounds so much grander, don't you think?), the audience was great. There were a few glitches on stage, but thankfully, nobody noticed. Strangely enough, I wasn't really nervous. Excited and all fluttery-butterflies-causing-a-mildly-pleasant-ticklish-sensation-in-the-stomach, but not nervous. And the reason for that is that no one from my side was there to literally mark my every move.

But, just before I was due to make my entrance, a hundred thoughts started swirling in my head. All the possible 'worst things that could happen to me right now on sage' scenarios started to play themselves out in front of my eyes... What if I tripped on the hem of my gown while twirling onto stage as I made my grand entrance? What if I stumbled and fell thanks to the uncomfy high heels? What if I forgot my lines? What if my co-actors suddenly blanked out? What if? What if? What if? Too many ' what the bloody ifs?' for comfort. But, but! Once I got on stage and became somebody else...they all just melted away! :)

The second show (March 25th) was fabulous. The hall was full to bursting, the audience laughed more, thereby totally pumping up out morale and we even felt ourselves cranking up our performances a few notches. A few new goof-ups, but the audience was none the wiser. And I was shaking like a leaf! The pleasant, fluttering butterflies had morphed into giant UFO's playing football with a planet in crowded outer space. Reason? MIM, parents, in-laws, BIL-ly Boy, SIL and HOARDES of friends were in the audience. Even our lovely dipali of 'this and that' fame was there! And she even came backstage! Awww! I was so touched! Phew!

And yes, truth time, I goofed up on day two. I gave one of my co-actors the wrong cue, thereby totally stumping him. But I quickly righted my wrong and we carried on as if nothing happened. Not a good memory to relive!

I can't even begin to tell you how liberating it felt to be on stage again, doing something that I absolutely LOVED! I didn't realise how much I missed it until performance day. It really had been a long time.

I think I'll do it again sometime.

Provided I'm asked, that is!