OUT OF THIS WORLD

So, here we are, FIRST DAY OF REHEARSALS for ‘Out Of This World’ (OOTW) and time to meet the entire cast, the creative team and stage management department. It feels so good to be out of the audition room and in to the rehearsal studio.

Rehearsals are held at Chester House, an old converted warehouse (well, that’s certainly what it looks like!) located just off Brixton Road by Oval Tube. There are five large studios, a ‘Green Room’ (actors waiting lounge), a kitchen, and washrooms … all situated on the second floor. This same space will accommodate two other CFT productions – ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (AMSND) and ‘Cruel and Tender’ (C&T).

The first week is musical numbers! My only number is the comedy love duet (the song I sang at audition), so I’m not needed for most of the week.

The first week in a show is an important time. It’s when you begin to get to know the individuals in the cast and start the bonding process. Fortunately, I already know a couple of people :

• there’s the leggy blonde from Putney who I worked with at Leicester Haymarket Theatre a few years ago

  and

• the giant New Yorker (and his gorgeously bubbly wife) who I was recently introduced to by my (gorgeously bubbly) girlfriend!

And of course there’s Anthony Drewe and Richard Balcombe, both of whom I met at the audition.

That still leaves a lot of people to get to know once I’m needed back in rehearsals. In the meantime I do some name-learning homework, and by the end of the week I’m nearly name perfect! Now all I have to do is work out who’s playing who in ‘Just So’.

My fellow foodies may be wondering what we guys do for lunch. Well, I’m a packed lunch kinda guy. I prepare this myself (however “gorgeously, bubbly” my girlfriend is she is not going to get up at the crack of dawn to prepare my lunch!!!). This not only suits my ‘budget’, but also means I never have to worry about if I’m going to eat, and where I’m going to find it! The less time I have to worry about finding food means I have more time to spend time with my fellow cast members – an ideal opportunity to continue the “getting to know you” process (as well as the chance to learn some lines).

Today’s break is spent chatting to ‘MGM’ (nicknamed MGM because her surname is the same as one of the famous Hollywood movie moguls). She tells me she has taken her young tomcat to the vet this morning. I ask MGM if he is OK and she replies … “Oh, he’s fine - he’s just having his balls cut off.” I respond (as any man would) with a wince and a sympathetic murmur.

At this point the Actress playing Juno saunters in to the Green Room. MGM includes her in the conversation, repeating, “My cat’s gone to the vet today to have his balls cut off”.

Juno’s response is pure drama! (has she just heard the Titanic hit an iceberg!!) …“OH MY GOD, why?” she gasps.

“Well, it’s best,” replies a very matter-of-fact MGM.

Pause, and quizzical look from Juno … “his what cut off?”

“His balls, his testicles. It’s normal practice for young boy cats”

“Oh thank God!” responds a relieved Juno … “I thought you said his PAWS!!!”

There is a moments’ silence as we picture a poor tomcat hobbling around with bandages over his four stumpy legs … (I’m going to enjoy working with MGM and Juno!).

I’m reliably informed by Mr D that, bar two, all of the ‘Just So’ cast are appearing in ‘OOTW. I already know that in ‘Just So’, the leggy blonde is the Giraffe (what else!), the giant New Yorker is the Rhino (what else!) and MGM is the Wildebeest (what!?!). But who’s the Jaguar? Who’s the Parsee?

It’s the middle of the second week and we’ve done a read through and a sing through of ‘OOTW’. By a process of elimination, and simply by asking people, I’ve worked out the ‘Just So’ cast. Now I know who’s who in both shows and I can ask around about sharing Digs. Once I’ve arranged my Digs and got ‘OOTW’ up and running I’ll be a happy man. Roll on 4th May … the first day of rehearsals for ‘Just So’!

Visit Simon Greiff's website...

Read the next part of his diary - Finding Digs