Welcome to the Twlight Zone
You enter into what could only be called the Twilight Zone, where everything is going full steam ahead but at the same time in slow motion. Small things become mountains, whereas huge tasks seem to be solved with a hot glue gun and some pressure.
I am up to my eyeballs in production on the new show I鈥檓 Free, opening this Sunday downstairs at the Midnight Shift.
Wheels needed to be set into motion, higher powers needed to give green lights, we had to wait till Mardi Gras was out of our systems.
Surely it must be easy, you鈥檙e thinking. Throw some songs together, some costumes and jump around a bit.
If only it was that easy. Show production is a fabulous blend of excitement and dread, going hand in hand.
The excitement of bringing something new to the stage, hoping to have your audience laughing from start to finish, sends tingles through your body. Learning new routines and making costumes bring out the showgirl in everyone. Showing the world what you have worked so hard on, and waiting for their reaction, has your insides almost jumping out.
But then there comes the flipside, the dread, but it鈥檚 not really in a negative way. It鈥檚 more the constant waves, crashing on top of you, as you try to float to the top for air.
Walking into Bunning鈥檚, with just a list and no idea at all. Standing in front of a wall of paint, just after black paint. High gloss, low gloss, no gloss, matt all jump out like a bad dream.
Waking in the middle of the night. 鈥淪hit, I forgot the buttons for the bottom of the suit,鈥� then hacking off four from a perfectly good coat you have in your wardrobe.
You find yourself doing things you鈥檝e never done before 鈥� sanding back walls, painting sets, glittering phones.
By the end of the first performance you will see huge smiles on our faces. We will be in the moment and loving the performance but there will be a little bit of, 鈥淭hank God that鈥檚 over鈥�.
The show is loosely based on the BBC classic Are You Being Served. If you like campery, lots of jokes, a little rudeness, be at the Midnight Shift, 11.30pm Sunday. 鈥淢y pussy is sitting on the edge of the seat with excitement.鈥�
