Bryan's Little Corner

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

The Show Must Go On

Growing up I discovered I enjoyed tinkering with things. My first "stereo" that I had took two items, one to drive the left channel, one to drive the right channel and produce sound. I hooked up a turntable and I was in heaven. At last, more than just an AM radio. I got to listen to two songs that became my favorite of the time. These Boots Were Made for Walking and Downtown. I also found my favorite group, Chicago. I had a lot of fun as a youngin tinkering around.

When I entered High School, I became involved in band, both marching and symphonic. I played french horn, melophone, and french trumpet if you want to call what I did playing. I did OK but I took so much away from this experience. I developed a true love of music during this time. I also developed something unexpected.

Our band did a lot of performing. We did things like the Cabaret where we served Spaghetti Dinners and played as entertainment to raise money. We did spring concerts, we played football games and parades. We even made a trip to Europe in the summer of '73. In all that time we always went all out with the production of things, but nothing was like Band-a-Rama. This usually occurred right around November 15 We put on 4 shows and the production was a dream. We would fly 50 lights at one end of the gym and at least 30 at the other end of the gym. We had mirror balls, black lights, 4 spotlights, and the usual array of gym lights. I was in heaven helping get the lights set and the control equipment in place. Gelling and focusing the lights, running microphone lines, microphones and getting the sound board ready. I regretted not being able to run any of this except the one time because I was in the bad performing but I had a blast getting everything ready and tearing things down.

I also started to record the band and our coral counterpart. I started with just getting a feed from the main sound board to actually having microphones and lines of my own. I recorded many a performance and learned the hard way to always have backups. Sometimes there was a hum, other times someone would turn the power off and what you were counting on. Sometimes equipment failed. But I was in my glory then.

One day in my senior year of High School a friend approached me and said to come along with them. We ended up going to a strange end of the High School, one I hardly knew existed. Upon entering I saw people sitting on the ground spackling and painting and building things. They were building sets for the spring musical, The Music Man. I was leery about touching anything, I did not want to screw up the play but they welcomed the help. I helped out for a few days and really started to enjoy myself. By the time it was time to move to the stage I was excited.

We had many a run threw over a two week period. Getting acquainted to the stage, working through lines, altering things here and there to make things fit better. Somewhere in the process I started helping out with what lighting we were doing. Well one day they came to me and said "how would you like to run a spotlight." Most people would think who cares but I took it as an honor. I also helped out getting the lighting ready, the cues recorded, and the placing microphones for the performance.

A funny thing happened while all this was going on. I fell in love with theater and all that goes on behind the scenes. I got to see first hand as the play came together. I also fell in love with my now favorite play, The Music Man. I have seen it in over 12 different locations from Calumet Michigan to Louisville Kentucky. I have seen it done at the High School through professional levels. My favorite by far is Community Theater. I have also seen both movies although how could Matthew Broderick hope to compare to Robert Preston? I would say I am more than a little obsessed. Another thing came of the time of my life in the late winter / early spring of 1975. I found McDonalds Shamrock Shakes, yumm.

Well it was now less than a week to the first performance. The scenery was being completed and I was putting my carpentry skills to good use.

Bamm Bamm Bamm

with my hammer

Bamm Bamm Bamm

as I helped to assemble the rail on Winter Paroo's house

Bamm Bamm Bamm

as I proceeded to hit my thumb nail. Ouch!

I hit my thumb and did it hurt. That would not be to bad but I had to run spots and I took it pretty serious. To make sure I was running things smooth and to run things the best I could I reached my hands way forward on the spotlight. With that came a lot of heat. With the heat came a lot of pain but that could not stop me. I was in my glory.

At long last the play came and went fairly fast. A few little things happened but for the most part it was fairly uneventful. Boy were the people that I hand around with, getting ready to put this show on, a blast. Why did I never follow through and try doing this more. I did record a few plays after that for people but it was never the same.

So some day I would love to try out for a part in Music Man. Nothing big, maybe just the town's people that are saying trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Yes, as little singing as possible for me, maybe someday. I think this is also why I am jealous of a certain fellow blogger for all that she does both for work and for herself.



Marian Paroo: No, please, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Harold Hill: Oh, my dear little librarian. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering. --The Music Man
14 Comments:
Blogger Crabby said...

We used to go to the theater all the time. I loved it! But the Music Man wasn't in town any of the years that we were members. Sigh.

I did see Phantom of the Opera though and Grease and Miss Saigon. I'd be happy just to be an usher.

Ok. that's not true at all. I'd have to be somewhere on the stage. I have this "OO OO look at me" syndrome.

Oh and btw, I just caught your little post down there about the Buckeyes. left ya a little something to think about. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh ha ha ha ha ha!

February 08, 2006 3:28 PM  
Blogger barman said...

Crabcake, I would love to see Phantom of the Opera, Tornoto would be better but anywhere would work. Grease would be great too. I know Miss Saigon, when it played it the Worton (our local broadway level theater in town), was a big hit. Those all must have been great to see.

I once saw That's Dancing at the Fox Theater in Detroit. It was not a super play but the dancing and, more important for me, the lighting and all the other technical things they had to do to put it on ... I loved it.

I'll take the usher job, you go take the spot lights and become a star craby. See, you have one fan already.

Why, I suppose they would be a woman.

February 08, 2006 5:24 PM  
Blogger SignGurl said...

Nice memories!

I would like to run the spot light someday.

February 08, 2006 7:24 PM  
Blogger Kelly said...

Theatre is something that I'm not versed in. Besides the crap plays that my high school put on (a million years ago) I've only been to one "show."

That show was Blast!

It was great, and you would love it--the music was phenomenal.

Ummm, what's a melophone? ;-)

February 08, 2006 9:20 PM  
Blogger barman said...

You got it Sign Gurl. Just don't point the darn thing my way. Actually, as long as no one is looking ... gahead, point it my way. I do kinda like it!

KB I love plays. They can be very entertaining of course not all of them are. I suspect Cats in person could be fun. They are doing Lion King here now and the would be great too.

A mellophone is like a baritone or a brass tuba only a lot smaller. The one I used you more or less hugged and it had it's horn pointed forward. Marching with a French Horn is very hard on the lips at best so this replaced that. The French Trumpet is just a trumpet on steroids only I believe it is in the same key as the French Horn.

February 08, 2006 11:41 PM  
Blogger Deb said...

I remember the band days where I sat 'first chair' with my saxaphone. Those were actually horrible times, because I couldn't read music---I played everything by ear. I ended up playing guitar and still playing after 18 years without any dictations from some flamboyant music teacher.

I think if you can balance out what you love to do for a hobby, as well as work...you can eventually make your hobby into a career----if you really really want it bad enough. I believe you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

Great post. It actually brought back some cool memories!

February 09, 2006 8:34 AM  
Blogger barman said...

Deb, I read music when I was in school but ever since then I just play around with the keyboard from time to time and all of that is by ear. It is something that I will never do anything with but it brings me pleasure just the same. I hope you get a chance to play your guitar for people from time to time besides just you and Madelene. I love listening to people playing guitar, especially acoustic.

I think what I need to do is check into being involved in community theater. This will never be something I do for a living but that would be fine. Besides, sometimes that can make things less fun. But you are right, I really should do this for me. Even being a stage hand would be most enjoyable.

It brought back some nice memories for me as well. I hope you are all better now. Gotta go celebrate that birthday!

February 09, 2006 1:08 PM  
Blogger John C. Goacher said...

Bar, Bar, Bar,...How I recall your love for the Music Man. And your help recording and mixing my humble guitar and voice playing at Leon's when I finally returned to the stage after 10 years away - I still have the tapes.

Thank goodness for high school music and drama programs. Let's never let budget worries get in their way.

Cheers.

February 09, 2006 9:01 PM  
Blogger Wenchy said...

i've tagged ya

February 10, 2006 7:36 AM  
Blogger CozyMama said...

nice post, I keep seeing you over at Roxi's so I thought i would drop in.

February 10, 2006 10:40 AM  
Blogger barman said...

Hi GoGo... I loved the Open Mike times. I enjoyed every minute of it even though I was not playing the guitar or singing. Those were fun times indeed.

Wenchy I will be right over after work to give it a shot.

Jodes, Roxi seems to have got stuck with me. Glad you stopped by but I am afraid I can not begin to compare to her blog. With RoxiMoon, you never know what you might see ... with me, you never know when you might see something.

February 10, 2006 2:11 PM  
Blogger mkecurler said...

Yes we've got trouble
right here in river city
That's a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for pool!!!

I love that song!!!!!!

Hurry Hard! It's all on the ice baby 2/13!

February 11, 2006 12:48 AM  
Blogger jungle jane said...

I quite like the sensation of a hammer banging into my thumb. it keeps me alert...

February 11, 2006 4:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great post Bryan.
I hope someday you get your wish to participate in Music Man again.
tc

February 11, 2006 11:30 AM  

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