I’m not a particular fan of comedies—as you could probably deduce from my musical selection—but Dirty Rotten Scoundrels holds a special place in my heart.
This might have something to do with being in my high school’s production of the musical.
The musical is based on the 1988 film of the same name, starring Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and Glenne Headly. Before we began rehearsing for the show, our director showed us the movie—it’s an absolute riot, so I’d definitely watching it if you ever have the chance.
The musical begins at a lively casino in the French Riviera. Here, we meet one of two male leads—Lawrence Jamieson, slick and suave British conman, who is accompanied by his “bodyguard” Andre. His loyal follower warns him about a new con artist who has made his mark on the French Riviera, someone who goes by the name “The Jackal.”
During a train ride, Lawrence witnesses an American named Freddy Benson scam a female passenger—albeit making a lot less money than he does, of course. The two become friends-of-sorts, but after a while, Lawrence starts thinking that there’s only room for one of them on the French Riviera. Thus, they make a bet: The first man to swindle fifty grand from a woman gets to stay in town—the other would be exiled. Immediately after their deal is settled, “The American Soap Queen” Christine Swindle arrives, and she becomes their unlucky target. However, she isn’t who she appears to be…
Instead of sharing my thoughts about this particular musical, I would like to share what I learned from being in a musical production.
Musical theatre is a great medium to get out of your comfort zone. If you have introverted tendencies, which I very much did in high school, you gain a lot of courage by transforming yourself into another person—a character—when you’re onstage—even if you’re a chorus member. I admit that it wasn’t easy at first, but if you settle your mind into your character’s and remember to have fun with your character while you’re singing, talking, dancing, acting, or all four, it’s definitely more manageable and a lot less intimidating.
Each and every student that played a role in the production had to make a budget for the show. This was the first budget that I ever made, in fact. Not only does every single one of us pour our heart and souls into the production, but every cent and dollar spent matters. There are things that are required, such as a full pit orchestra (otherwise, the instrumentals just don’t do the chorus numbers justice); things that are nice to have, such as nicely painted sets; and things that people can pitch in from home. (Prop-hunting definitely doesn’t teach you to be a hoarder or a frequenter of garage sales…) In reality, we have to prioritize certain things over others for the sake of time and/or money as well.
Another important part of the budget is generating income to help cover expenditures, such as ticket sales and advertising. If I remember correctly, each of us had to sell seven tickets to the show and find another minimum of $50 from sponsors. Ticket sales could be tricky if you had a lot of friends in the production with you, since they would also want to sell their tickets to your mutual friends. However, you quickly learn to ask anyone and come up with a “sales pitch” to sell the show to potential audience members. The same goes for finding sponsors, on top of convincing them how advertising could help their own businesses, too. It never hurts to start learning how to sell yourself or a product (in this case, our production) early.
Respecting fellow cast members was another important lesson that I learned and is apparent in our daily lives with our family, peers, friends, coworkers, and complete strangers. If rehearsal is agreed upon at a specific time, show up for that time—if not earlier. When you’re that one person who’s constantly being waited on, you’re quick to top everyone’s blacklist. Not only is it disrespectful, but it’s also a waste of everyone else’s time. In other words, avoid being the person who is late to show up for appointments/meetings/gatherings.
In particular, you learn to respect authority—in this case, it’s the director. I remember during a rehearsal, one of my friends suggested blocking the scene slightly differently. Our director was furious, and my friend was reduced to tears. Rehearsals—especially as they approach opening night—can be extremely stressful for cast members. However, the director’s stress is at least twentyfold. As cast members, we must believe in our director’s expertise and support his/her judgement call in artistic expression. Even though we are sometimes tempted to defy authority, it’s a good idea to stop and think if the temptation is truly for the collective group’s benefit.
Being in music theatre has definitely given me new perspectives about working with people and dealing with school/work.
I suppose the saying does ring true: “Life imitates art; art imitates life.”
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