HMS Pinafore

There is a group here called the Durham Savoyards who perform one Gilbert and Sullivan play each spring. Alexa and I have sung with them for some of their mid-year concerts at various locales, but we haven't been involved with the actual spring plays.

This coming spring they're doing HMS Pinafore. I really like the music - it's good manly seafaring kind of stuff. "We-ee sail the ocean blue, and our saucy ship's a beauty.." So, I auditioned to be part of the stage chorus. Given what I heard at the play last year, I figured I could get in without a problem.

So, I went down there Saturday for my audition. I had to wait around a few minutes before they were ready for me, but that turned out to be a good thing. I was talking with the tech director and some other folks about things and one of them mentioned that she was having a hard time envisioning the setting this year. (Background: the director is known for doing very non-traditional settings for these plays. Last year, Patience was set as a 1960's hippie movement). Hearing this, I casually asked what the setting was going to be. The answer: French clowns. Yea, like Cirque du Soleil. Definitely not anything like the British sailors I had in mind. For a few minutes I tried to envision myself as a manly seafaring clown. Nope. Wasn't happening. I auditioned anyways since I was already there.

That night, they called and told me that they wanted me to come to callbacks to audition for two of the minor lead parts. Given that I only auditioned for stage chorus, this was pretty cool. It was a heck of an ego boost to get that kind of offer, but I had to tell her that the French clowns setting was just too far out for me. Sigh...why does Durham have to have such wacko artsy people?