What's your all-time Favorite Theater gig?

gottawalk · #1 07-27-2006, 03:53 PM

I'm in the middle of my second show of three in a month and a half and just got the opportunity to add "Rocky Horror"

at the end of September! After doing misc. theatre gigs for about 8 years, now, I'm finding out there's a lot of fun shows out there to be "had"!

What is the most fun show you've ever sat in the "pit" for?

rllefebv · #2 07-27-2006, 11:37 PM

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown!"

I'm a Peanuts fan from way back, and it was a treat to do this a few years ago... Used an Ashbory that I had at the time to nail the vibe... Not a tough score, but the cast, band and hang were all top-notch

Also rans:
West Side Story
Grease
Oklahoma!

All great shows, (though the "Oklahoma!" leader was rough)...

-robert

LM Bass · #3 07-28-2006, 12:51 AM

Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim.
We had a great cast, and I got to play a lot of high arco.
Some memorable tunes, and interesting harmony.
Done lots of others, but this one sticks out for me.
LM

MichaelVee · #4 07-28-2006, 09:29 AM

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Never had so much fun in a show band. May never again.

Just a blast- good production and fun and talented musicians to work with.

I enjoyed a couple of The Fantasticks especially, out of the four productions of it I've done thus far.
.

tplyons · #5 07-28-2006, 12:05 PM

Footloose.

Half the show was improvised

ZonPlyr · #6 07-28-2006, 12:36 PM

Ain't Misbehavin and Jesus Christ Superstar. two great shows for a bass player.

gottawalk · #7 07-28-2006, 03:51 PM

+1 for Footloose. I'm currently playing that one,

(opens tonight, as a matter of fact). 2nd time doing this show in a year and a half in two different companies.

Still waiting for the opportunity to do "Superstar"! I've wanted to do that one since the album came out LOTS of years ago!
Might have "Oklahoma" in the fall...we'll see how the home schedule can handle it...

Aaron Saunders · #8 07-28-2006, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelVee

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Never had so much fun in a show band. May never again.

Just a blast- good production and fun and talented musicians to work with.

I enjoyed a couple of The Fantasticks especially, out of the four productions of it I've done thus far.
.

Man, what a great show. I saw a production a couple years ago (Ryerson Theatre School -- my bro's a theatre tech student there, was ushering for it) and it was hilarious.

I've only played for two shows -- Seussical the Musical and A Solid Rock Musical. Both were a load of fun, and great for my reading. Can't wait to do more -- I'm going to try and use my brother's presence at Ryerson to try and worm my way into playing in the pit for their annual musicals

.

tplyons · #9 07-29-2006, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gottawalk

+1 for Footloose. I'm currently playing that one,

(opens tonight, as a matter of fact). 2nd time doing this show in a year and a half in two different companies.

Still waiting for the opportunity to do "Superstar"! I've wanted to do that one since the album came out LOTS of years ago!
Might have "Oklahoma" in the fall...we'll see how the home schedule can handle it...

Break a leg! I still can't hear the theme without playing air bass

BTW, I think I'm looking at doing JCSS this November, either that or Godspell. Either way I'm kinda excited.

SteveC · #10 07-29-2006, 05:52 AM

I think JC Superstar was my favorite. Grease was OK (the cast was weak) and Little Shop of Horrors was fun as well.

Bard2dbone · #11 07-29-2006, 06:44 PM

Little Shop of Horrors is fun.

Seussical, the Musical is fun.

Phantom of the Country Opera was a hoot. (Phantom of the Opera parody in which the thinly disguised Ryman Auditorium is haunted by the janitor, a formerly huge but now forgotten country singer, and the father of the female lead, who started out as an opera singer but decided to follow her heart to Nashville)

Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was fun. They actually had us up on the stage for that one.

Guys and Dolls was okay.

Once Upon a Mattress was mostly fun, except where the director insisted I play upright on two of the songs. I'm not an upright player. The school owned a couple so they just brought one out three rehearsals before opening night and said "Play this on these tunes." It didn't SUCK, exactly. But it wasn't a comfortable experience.

gottawalk · #12 07-30-2006, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tplyons

Break a leg! I still can't hear the theme without playing air bass

BTW, I think I'm looking at doing JCSS this November, either that or Godspell. Either way I'm kinda excited.

Godspell was fun. I did it a few years ago. I found a spot to drop the bass-line quote from the song "Money" in the middle of part of the dialog and it stuck.

That was a kick! We were on a flat-bed "truck" off to the side on stage for the whole show. Good music!

gottawalk · #13 07-30-2006, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

Once Upon a Mattress was mostly fun, except where the director insisted I play upright on two of the songs. I'm not an upright player. The school owned a couple so they just brought one out three rehearsals before opening night and said "Play this on these tunes." It didn't SUCK, exactly. But it wasn't a comfortable experience.

I'll be starting "Guys and Dolls" next week, playing fretless, but I'm amazed that they didn't look for an upright player for this one. My gain, though!

SteveC · #14 07-30-2006, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

They actually had us up on the stage for that one.

I've been on stage a few times - Chicago, Little Shop and Man of LaMancha. I prefer being heard and not seen. Although I did get to flirt with Roxy in Chicago during an intro vamp to her big tune. I guess it isn't all bad.

The pit gives a nice view for my current gig - Cabaret. Lets just say the costumes are quite skimpy. I'm curious as to how the usually fairly conservative theatre going crowd reacts to all the sex in the show.

tzadik · #15 07-30-2006, 03:00 PM

A well-run musical is always a blast. With a good, capable, smallish pit band and an expereinced director/cast, fu ncan definitely be had by all.

Some of my recent favorites...Into The Woods, Fiddler on the Roof, Footloose, Funny Thing Happened..., Peter Pan, The Wiz. I am also a huge Gilbert& Sullivan fan. I adore the clever/corny lyrics. I don't think I've played for G&S, but I acted in several a few years back....nothing HUGE but almost every night sold out! :-) I miss doing that. I only stopped acting because the most wonderful director died unexpectedly on the night Footloose auditions were being held. Everyone got together a few months later and pulled off the show without her, in her memory. I was glad I already had the music memorized because I sobbed (as did most of us, we were a mess!) through much of opening night.

tplyons · #16 07-30-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

Once Upon a Mattress was mostly fun, except where the director insisted I play upright on two of the songs. I'm not an upright player. The school owned a couple so they just brought one out three rehearsals before opening night and said "Play this on these tunes." It didn't SUCK, exactly. But it wasn't a comfortable experience.

I actually had the exact opposite thing. For Sound of Music, I was hired to play upright. Three weeks of rehersals on upright, hauling it back and forth every night for three weeks.

Then the last dress rehersal, they ask me to play electric fretless. It took them this long to realize a 6 foot tall musical instrument didn't fit in a 3 foot deep pit.