One of the main concerns with Act 1 is the use of space, other than that, it is only minor - requires slight tweaking. In the 'Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats', the beginning of the music has little action, making us (actors) appear unsteady and indirect. Therefore, we need to assign ourselves specific activities, which will make us look smooth and direct. This will also fill the beginning of the music, ensuring the stage isn't empty and that the opening is strong throughout.
I had the issue of finding the time to change shoes after 'Naming of the Cats' in to 'The Old Gumbie Cat'. It has now been decided that tap shoes can be left onstage. As me, Ellie and Grace are models, it makes sense to change shoes infront of the audience, as opposed to the rush of running on and off. It can reflect the hustle and bustle within our fashion house.
Another thing which has been decided is the addition of year 12s for the beginning of Rum Tum Tugger. This will enhance a piece which is already considered very energised.
Bustopher Jones' comical journey is still progressing. For those who have solo verses, we have had the thought of creating a hat with a different coloured ribbon, which they could wear. This would represent the signature Bustopher hat. We may also incorporate a cane because he is fairly old. Movement still needs to be bigger to emphasise Bustopher's size.
For Old Deuteronomy, the press conference feel needs to be maintained. It is easier when all the year 12s are involved. I enjoy them being on during the song, as it provides more miming opportunities.
The Jellicle Ball has slight timing issues, for example the two slides and a turn in our lines. Otherwise, it is just the matter of rehearsing solo sections. Also, the clicking at the back during other solos needs to be spaced out; stage left and right needs to be balanced in terms of the number of people. Lastly, we need to create some mess at the end of the song. I put forward the idea of poppers/streamers, as the song is a large grand party in our concept. The mess can provide Grizabella with the activity of cleaning in 'Memory (1)' and it will work well for 'Moments of Happiness', which is showing the morning after the night before.
Act 2 is rather different to Act 1. In terms of music, it is a much slower pace, which means that our movement and vocals need to go up a level. Another difficulty with Act 2 is the clarity of the storyline.
In 'Moments of Happiness', each character involved needs to have a goal in their mind, which they can achieve by the end of the song. My goal is to find Josh (Asparagus), as I am his PA. So I am going to act worried but also frustrated towards the other characters on stage. Finally, the choral singing of 'moonlight...then a new life will begin' needs to sound more assured. At the moment, it isn't coming across this way because I am slightly unsure on the cue in the music.
For 'Gus: The Theatre Cat', I need to sing through my solo verse, as I am struggling sliding from chest to head voice, which there is a lot of in the song. In terms of the look of the piece, me and Josh have planned to take pictures of us dressed in several different costumes. They will show us in our past shows, highlighting the nostalgia. The pictures will be put on PowerPoint slides, which will be projected on the back wall. Next, 'Growltiger's Last Stand' needs recapping both movement and vocal wise.
Finally, 'The Ad-ressing of Cats' has to show the return to everyday life in the crazy world of fashion. Instead of flicking through the rails and fixing mannequins, me and Ellie are going to enter the song as special guests/experts. The models on the runway have earned some type of qualification and we are there to congratulate them. A real life version of us would be Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hahdid.
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