Theatre Now and Theatre People have been granted access to Jacqui Dark’s Diary as Sound Of Music rehearsals get underway.
Earlier this year Jacqui was playing the role of Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Next year she will return as Fricka in the revival of The Ring Cycle. In between Jacquie will play Mother Abbess in the national tour of The Sound of Music which opens in Sydney on the 17th December.
Jacqui Dark steps into the rehearsal room and she is going to share the experience with us.
Lead artwork by Gavin Christensen
WEEK 1
Day 4-6 – Thursday – Saturday November 12-4, 2015
“It was in this rehearsal that we all realized what we have on our hands here”
The rest of the week was spent setting the opening scene and consolidating the work we’ve done on our scenes and characters, and culminated in a run of most of Act 1 on Saturday afternoon. It was in this rehearsal that we all realized what we have on our hands here. From the nuns chorus and How Do You Solve a Problem (so much fun that it should be illegal – this convent is beyond fabulous!), into Amy’s beautifully realized Sound Of Music, and then through scene after scene of beautiful, witty, heartbreaking dialogue and stunning music, we all sat entranced by the performances of our colleagues and remembering why this show is such a smash hit. There was laughter. There were tears – I tried to hide mine until I realized that Marina, sitting next to me, was dabbing at her eyes as well, and then glanced around the room to see the whole cast and crew dabbing away, and the stage management team wandering around handing out tissues. I started blubbering in Do Re Mi – the kids are extraordinary and I marvel at how a song beloved by the world and written over 50 years ago could burst out the rehearsal room with a freshness, spontaneity, energy and exuberance that elicited a delighted ovation from everyone in the room. Cameron is heartbreaking and poignant as The Captain, and his scenes with the children had me begging stage management for the tissues again. We were all beginning to sense that this show and this cast were just a little bit extraordinary. The buzz in the room was palpable. We all headed out to our Sunday off knowing that what was said in the speeches on Monday was true – this show is going to be something special, and something we will keep with us for the rest of our lives. Week One and it already is.
Stay tuned for Week 2
A very special thanks to Jacqui Dark, The Sound Of Music Team and Theatre People for allowing us access to this material.
Theatre Now and Theatre People are sharing the same information. A link to the Theatre People article is here.
