Spray the Love

Hairspray... yeah. So, when i took this job I was told that I was being hired to “help with the language barrier.” Since we're going to China, I figured this meant that they just needed more hands on deck to train dressers because I don't speak Chinese. .Except they only need 6 dressers and there are already 2 wardrobe people on this show where I was training 10 dressers by myself on Producers. But I get to go to China! So, whatever... right?

I show up the first day for work and the first thing the Wardrobe Head says is “So, what are you going to be doing, exactly...?”

Yep, welcome back on tour.

There are several things you can depend on when you are on tour :

1. You will always be apprised of the closest place that serves alcohol.
2. A lot of learning your job involves showing up and paying attention because you don't get anything as formal as “training.”
3. You will rarely know about your travel arrangements more than a week in advance and usually more like 24 hours in advance.
4. Schedules and itineraries will change without notice and you will usually hear about it through the props person or the E2.
5. Everyone has a horror story about working in Waco.
6. Somehow you continue to work and get paid and it's still one of the best jobs in the business.

I sat out and watched the show on Tuesday and it's really fun. I love the idea that we are taking an idealized version of America – the place where celebrities fall in love with chunky girls and the civil rights movement went as smoothly as integrating a TV show – to Asia. I guess I shouldn't complain. Our biggest cultural export was Baywatch, a show equally as true to life. In that case the Chinese should love us and most of them will think it's real, the same way that we think most Chinese can fight like Jet Li and Jackie Chan.

Point being that i don't really have a real job. I'm training in the tracks of the Wardrobe Head and the Wardrobe Assistant, which allows for the completely unheard of possibility that one of us could be sick and actually not come to work. We're still reeling from the idea. I'm kind of the crew local. Who gets to go to China. There are many worse jobs.

We're playing the Music Hall in Dallas and it's a great gargantuan space with a 2 truck dock. The crew seems very competent and the show's been going well.

I haven't seen anything of Dallas. I have a stellar hotel room to myself and after months of crashing on my infinitely patient and fabulous friend's/family's couches, I'm enjoying the solitude. I'll be back in Dallas (and at the Music Hall) for 2 weeks with Wizard and Ryan will want to see everything worth seeing so I'll do it all then :)

Right now I'm trying to figure out everyone's name and what they do or who they play and learn to recognize all the actors out of makeup and wigs. And learn all the backstage rituals.

Every musical you see has crew members back stage doing all of the choreography in the wings. Or their own choreography. Or singing along to the songs but with their own lyrics. It's one show on stage and another one back stage. Sometimes the two intersect and other times it's a parody. This show has a lot of fun choreography so most of the crew attempts all or parts of it in the wings while waiting for other things to happen. It remains to be seen whether I'll get it down but it's fun to try :)

We leave for China on Monday! We fly thru Seoul and arrive on Tuesday night and then have Wednesday off. I'm very excited... so more later.