Do you hear the people sing?

Les Mis fever is already sweeping the Walnut... the costume shop is awash with artfully drab costumes, the marketing department is in full swing with their promotions and it is absolutely impossible to walk into the building without hearing selected songs blasted at the entranceway. (Side note: "Master of the House" is one of those songs that will NOT LEAVE MY HEAD, so if I'm walking into the building and it's playing, I must look like a crazy person trying to distract myself: "Lalalalala!!") And the actors, who have been crazy for it since last year, are gearing up.

Ever since it was announced that we were doing Les Mis, every actor I know has had the same sort of reaction: "I want this so bad, I love this show, I want this so bad, I was born to play (insert character here)". Then auditions came around and that was the newest subject of obsession-- I mean conversation: "I nailed it, I was awful, I was awesome, they'll never cast me, they'll HAVE to cast me, I want this so bad, I love this show, I need the money, I want this so bad". Then the cast was announced, and that was all we heard for a while: "Did you hear that so and so got cast? Did you hear that so and so didn't get cast?"

I thought myself as above all of this-- the "too cool for school" Studio 3 stage manager. I'm not involved with the show, so no point in getting too excited about it, I reasoned.

All of that changed when I got a call from my boss Roy. It seems that Debi and Lori, the mainstage stage managers, need to take their 2 week vacations during the month of July so they need an Equity stage manager to cover the whole month-- was I available?

Yes, yes, YES!!!! Count me as a fellow obsessive. I'm so excited! Not only is the money awesome, especially during a month when I would normally be unemployed, but I'm really thrilled to be working a big show on the mainstage again. What an awesome challenge! What great experience! What fun!

In honor of my new appreciation for the Walnut's production of Les Mis, I would like to present the following "trailer". Thanks to Lori A. for this.