The Miserables

Yesterday marked my last day working backstage on Les Mis.

I found that I really missed being backstage-- there's a strange beauty to half light on scenery, people goofing off before they step onstage into another person's life, cues over headset that sound like clockwork. Plus the pace of working backstage is entirely different than the pace of the booth-- it's all about that tricky balance of following orders and making on-your-feet split second decisions of your own. A fun time, stretching those old muscles.

That being said, it was a hell of a week. It's getting to the end of a very long run for this cast, and everyone is tired. With Lori out of town and a bunch of people calling out of the show, the week was a blur of putting on understudies and figuring out random last minute emergencies. Of which there were many. The drama quotient was super-high, and the hysterics were a little wearing. I must say that I am glad I'm not finishing out the run-- two weeks was exhausting enough!

And it all came to a nasty head on Sunday, the last day I worked Les Mis. We had so many people out of the show that we actually had to put the stage management apprentice, Tim Markus, onstage. He was amazing. Not only did he look really handsome in his costumes, but he kept a very cool head and was awesome onstage-- showing lots of intention and great focus! He looked just like he'd been in the show since opening-- a true natural.


I was able to snag a few pictures from my backstage vantage:

Here he is in the ABC Cafe scene, intently listening to revolutionary scheming. (That's him sitting on the crate)


Marching in One Day More. (on the left, with Murph getting his back)



So a tribute to you, Tim-- not only did I have a blast with you backstage (I'll miss our stage management waltzes!) but you were incredible onstage. You're going to go far in this world-- the theater community needs more level-headed, low key, smart guys like you.


In other news, we brought Hyde home today. I'm way too tired to blog extensively about it, but I will say that he is amazing and wonderful and I'm so happy he's a part of our family. More on the pup very soon.