If a poor rehearsal is the omen of a good show, I should have known that tonight’s Christmas Concert would go spectacularly – because honestly our rehearsal (which took place at nearly midnight yesterday evening) was one of the most disorganized and frustrating events many of us had ever attended…
But the show?
The show went beautifully.
Traditionally the shipboard Christmas concerts follow exactly the same staging format, I think it’s actually scripted somewhere. While we kept the standard songs, we threw the staging script out – brought the piano to the fore of the proscenium, and staged the entire thing like an old-fashioned carolling session. All relaxed curved lines and perching on stairs. And we interspersed the traditional choirs (of which there are three: International, Filipino and Indonesian), with solos and duets with the cast members (one of the classiest versions of Baby It’s Cold Outside that I’ve seen thus far.)
In a twist of fate I honestly didn’t expect, about five minutes before the curtain came up, one of the girls from the cast – whom I barely know on this ship – tugged me down from the riser I’ve been originally placed on (cast always goes in front nearest the mics, everyone else stands behind). I looked at her in surprise, and she tugs my wrist again
You stand down here, you can sing!
I’m…not really a hundred precent sure how she knew that. I mean the cast knows that I dance because we’ve had brief discussions about it – but I don’t remember mentioning that I sang.
So I ended up in the front row…with the F1s and F2s that I’m…so not used to standing with.
Despite one unfortunate interruption by one of the guests who’d likely just had a bit too much champagne, the final number brought a tear to everyone’s eye (though, as an aside: it’s really very difficult to walk down a darkened theatre aisle, while holding a candle and singing, in a long dress without looking down OR tripping…but somehow all of us girls managed it).
And after the show was over, it was time for wine and cheese and Christmas cookies and deep fried apples (don’t laugh, they’re yummy!) and old bridges were rebuilt and old friendships rekindled, and the occasional whisper of forgiveness that’s been a long while in coming reached the right ears.
And finally finally…just as the clock struck midnight…it started to feel like Christmas again…
And for those of you who aren’t here – who bloody well should be – know that each and every one of you is in my heart, so…you’re not really all that absent after all…
Oh, and we’re tracking Santa from our bridge radar 😉