the callback

Last night’s despair may have been premature.

They called me this morning and asked me to come back for a callback for the role of Joseph. That surprised the hell out of me. When I arrived right after work, there were two other guys there for the same purpose — both excellent singers.

I’m really pleased that
a) I got a chance to redeem myself, and
b) I think that’s what I did.

I can at least walk away from this audition process knowing that I finally gave the performance that I wanted to give. And now, the wait…at most until the end of the day Friday, when the cast will be finalized.

the audition

I got there right on time at 6:30 and was ushered to a frigid room where the other hopeful cast members-to-be talked among themselves about the shows they had done together, how so few female roles are in Joseph, and how cold the room is.

7:00 passed.  So did 8:00.  I waited patiently, knowing that I was number 33 on the list.  Jesus’ age — lucky, right?  Except for the crucifixion thing, I guess.  Rotten luck, that.

Finally the other 4 in my group and I were called to the gym for the singing audition.  The gym was even colder.  I was the third to perform.  I watched as two women each sang their tunes to 4 people.  Without sheet music.  Check.  With some acting.  Check.  Apparently that’s how these things are done.

No problem, I thought.  I’ve sung this a hundred times in my car.  I know this tune.  I walked over to the pianist and pointed out the 32 bars I had chosen.  I walked to the free throw line and faced the table.

“Find…”

“Sorry, can I start that again?”  (that was in key, but the wrong note)  Hmm, starting at the second verse is proving tougher than I thought.  I jumped back over to the piano.  He gave me the cue note, and I hurried back to the hotseat.  Floor.  Whatever.

“Find glory in a song that rings true, truth like a blazing fire.  An eternal flame.”
“Find one song, a song about love…”

“…”

Ok, no big deal.  I’ll just jump back in.  Hearing piano accompaniment instead of guitar is proving to be more distracting than I had anticipated.

“a young man.  Find one song before the virus takes hold.  Glory before the sun sets.”

Ok, those are the wrong words.  By this time I was doing my absolute finest deer-in-headlights look.  Something tells me that’s not the way Roger is blocked in that show.

“One song to redeem this empty life…”

He stopped me.  I didn’t even get to do the money line.  The high note, the grit, the passion.  Denied.

Instead, he asked me to grab a score for Joseph and quickly learn the first few lines of One More Angel In Heaven.  This request came amid a flourish of apologies.  I noticed that no one else in my group was asked to sight read, something I do with the skill of a drunken ape.

I made it through, but there it was, written right in the score…”BROTHERS.”  By this point I figured my destiny was assured.  Brother.  One of 11.  Otherwise known as a chorus.

And why not?  I choked.  I would have been better off singing the climax of Close Every Door, although I thought that might have seemed a bit pretentious.  The truth of the matter is that I wasn’t prepared to sing anything from memory.  Actually, I could have used C’est Moi.  But Lancelot is a baritone.  Joseph is a tenor.  I’m trying to capitalize on the new notes I’ve found in my range over the last year or so.  I was totally going to do the Donny Osmond thing.  Uh huh.  What was I thinking?

I could have prepared a bit more carefully, but I was trying to go into it with a relatively carefree attitude.  It would have been nice if I had been honest with myself about what I was hoping for.  I felt something after that performance, for sure, but it definitely wasn’t carefree.

Callbacks are tomorrow.  Everyone will hear about the casting, yea or nay, by the end of the week.  I really wish I would have represented myself better.  I needed my A game.  I pinched off a C-.

And now I’m starving.  Maybe I can at least find some comfort in the pieces of Mediterranean Cylinder Beast that will be playing the lead role in My Big Fat Greek Sandwich.  That is, if I can hack my way through all this self pity to reach the door of my apartment.

post-show afterglow

Driving home after the show last night, I was awash in euphoria from a great performance.  There was a fairly large crowd in the theatre for a Thursday night, and they were very responsive.

I smiled and recalled the jokes that got laughs, the songs that got applause… everyone did really well last night.  The scent from the makeup-removing cloth mixed with the thought, “there’s nothing I’d rather be doing right now,” and left its imprint in my memory.

Last night was fun, and I’m confident that the rest of the weekend will just keep getting better.  I can’t wait.

more Camelot info

Show times:

• Thu Nov 2: 7:30 PM
• Fri Nov 3: 7:30 PM
• Sat Nov 4: 7:30 PM
• Sun Nov 5: 2:00 PM

• Thu Nov 9: 7:30 PM
• Fri Nov 10: 7:30 PM
• Sat Nov 11: 7:30 PM
• Sun Nov 12: 2:00 PM

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for under 12 and over 65.

The show is playing at the beautiful Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, WI.