two more nights, minus two sax players and a orchestra director

the Edrevi

A dealer here may be unloading an Edrevi violin (otherwise known as Plamen Edrev of Cremona) for under 8,000 even though it typically retains for over 10K. I'll need to check it out of course, but it's also gone on my short list of possibilities. And it IS in stock.

At the introduction to one of my songs, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" [not my favorite song by any stretch even before the saxes ruined it for me] the saxes began to wail away even though they had been told not to play at all on the song. I'm moderately certain that they were not overtly defying the director, but were instead following the orders of the "orchestra" conductor. 

This time I was prepared. I had a basket hidden just off-stage on the side on which I was situated. In were yarn and knitting needles. I was to sit on a stool as I sang this song. When the saxes stared with their cacophony. I called to another actor to bring out my basket. i sat there on the stool smiling and doing the best imitation of knitting I could come up with (I know the very rudimentary basics, as in "knit one, pearl two," or that sort of thing, but if what I knitted had to actually look like anything, I'd be up a creek.  I commented on how it was going to be a nice sweater for Danny. When the Kenickie character walked onto the stage, I pulled all the yard out of the basket and held it up to his back as though I was fitting the sweater for someone, which looked rather stupid since it was 95% loose yarn. Then I had him hold his hands out while I would the yearn around them. 

After the orchestra had played through the entire song,  crew members carried a digital piano to the front of the stage, along with a chair. They hooked it to an amp. I assumed it was for me, so I accompanied myself as I played the song. Eventually the drummer, guitar, and bass joined in softly. I didn't know, but the saxes and the "orchestra conductor" were given their walking papers. The conductor is a pretty good violinist and filled in on parts where the keyboard player  had difficulty, so that is something we will miss, The conductor is such a jerk, though,  that I'b be glad he was gone if he were Itsak Perlman. The guitarist and bass player will have to pick up the slack. There's nothing I can do for any of them in terms of piano if I'm supposed to be dancing n stage. I can manage the Sandra Dee Reprise and the "Hopelessly Devoted to You" easily enough.

The audience must have wondered what the hell was going on. The director was furious. The cast thought it was hysterical. Various members wandered on and off stage just to kill some of the dead air time. The guy who plays Doody was doing flips and walking on his hands for no apparent reason, but it took up a bit of time

I have a major test in the morning. Then I can sleep until almost performance time. I am buying my violin on Saturday, but I'm also studying this weekend. Our group always studies right after tests, which is one of the reasons we do well on tests. (We do study before the tests, too.   We're not total morons.)

This performance isn't from Grease. It's just from some concert.