Well we had a great experience in Ancona, from a very warm audience, but we certainly came off feeling like we had a lot to think about. The first night of anything is an education, by nature. That’s the moment when you finally find out which parts of the show that you’ve rehearsed really work. And which parts NEED work, or must go. There is no other way to determine how an audience will feel, except to actually do a show. After the first night, you then go back in, and, in the light of this chastening experience, start reshaping things, to make the elements of the show run the way they need to. It’s a bit like taking a car engine apart and cleaning it all up and oiling it and making some adjustments, and then putting it back together again.
Well that’s what we did today [22 Feb], making the plans on our delightful tour bus, and then running them in at soundcheck. The result was pretty miraculous.The reshaping made us feel confident and able to enjoy ourselves to the full, knowing we had eliminated 90% of the things which could cause a train wreck! And the benefits to the audience were hugely noticeable. Sorry to mix so many metaphors, but it’s the difference between being driven in a car and ducking to avoid possible accidents, and sitting at the controls of a car that you know has been fine tuned to the max.
In short, we had a wonderful night. The venue looked huge and difficult when we walked in, but it was deceptive. The place actually has a great sound, and soon felt quite intimate to us. The audience were warm and relaxed, and I think we really had a lot of fun. It’s funny how success is really not anything to do with perfection. It’s to do with a feeling of excitement and happiness and shared confidence. Things will always go wrong. But it’s what happens next but determines the feel of the night. On a good night everybody knows that there is nothing that can’t be dealt with. In fact, the little slips help to loosen everybody up, and make the room seem smaller.
I think the pictures tell the story really well. I see a lot of happy faces, including ours!
Thanks to our great team, and thanks to a great bunch of Padovians ! (I guess we would say “Paduans” in The UK.)
Onwards to another of Italy’s most beautiful cities — Florence.
Bri
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