In my head for I don't even know how long today has been the song "Opening Night" from the Producers. "Will it flop, or will it go?!" An exciting day on so many fronts. First, my mom came in this afternoon, and she decided she had it in her to come to our opening performance (thank goodness--I'm convinced it was her laughter that got the crowd going! her, and a few other key presences which really made it for us). So thrilling -- I can't really describe another sensation quite like having no idea how something is going to go. Sure, last night's dress rehearsal was our best yet -- but that didn't necessarily mean it was objectively _good_.
After Mom got in, I showed her my apartment, and then we left shortly after to do a drive-by near MGH (where both of tonight's cops work, in their day jobs :)) and picked up D. and S. The drive to Georgetown was certainly interesting with our crew, and once we got to G'town there was a flurry of hair and makeup behind the stage, somehow much of which was caught on film by G., who brought a very nice camera in to document (above, you can see me as Chris Gorman through his lens).
And then it was time. My character is the first to appear on stage [I'm now having flashbacks to an 8th-grade production of Peter Pan -- not the standard version, but an adaptation -- in which I played Wendy, also first on stage I believe, opening with a scream, perhaps?] -- and it was electric. Such a cool feeling. Dear world: if you ever have a chance to do community theater, do it, because it's a helluvalotta fun. And SHOCKING. If you'd have told me three months ago that a performance like tonight's would have been possible, I would have laughed at you. At any rate, it was a great time, and hopefully we can continue the energy for three more nights!
The after-party tonight involved a mad dash back to Cambridge to try to meet up with some people for karaoke. Most had already bailed, but a few of us enjoyed ourselves, and D. and I managed to sneak in for one song, "Walking On Sunshine" -- _almost_ as upbeat as I was feeling.
