When Suzy works, it's as if she takes a lump of clay at the beginning of the night, and in three hours, she's sculpted a balanced, graceful, living, breathing work of art. These pictures don't do justice to our progress on the opening number last night, but the top left shot shows the cast singing "There's No Business Like Show Business" for her (she asked them to raise their hands when they were singing). Then we see Annie and her three siblings (and that's Pawnee Bill in the upper right corner of the picture). In the lower left are John (music director and multi-character ensemble member) and Jena (ensemble and Annie's understudy) in quite a different pose from the one I posted during their music rehearsal a few weeks ago. Finally, here's the cast in the pose they strike just before the climactic kickline part of the number. Suzy scribbles notes while she's listening to the number, seems to get a grasp of the piece after about two repetitions, and then works in sections. After consulting briefly with John and me, she jumps on the train and takes everyone for a thrilling ride. Watching the cast (especially newcomers to her work) responding to her ideas and instructions makes for great theatre in and of itself.
