Geva Theatre Center's "In the Heights"

One of the perks of being in the “Scale the Heights Producing Group” for the upcoming production of In the Heights at Geva was the opportunity to attend a rehearsal. What a thrill! And as a bonus, we had lunch with the director, Melissa Rain Anderson, and some of the cast. One of the actors replied to a question about her reaction to Rochester – she hadn’t expected there to be so much art and culture here to explore (I certainly could relate…). Several of them also commented on the personal relationships they have developed during the rehearsal period, and how instrumental that is in their ability to successfully portray the relationships among their stage characters. About a third of the actors have been in other productions of “In the Heights” elsewhere. But each director and choreographer brings his or her own interpretation, so none of them can phone it in.

The actual rehearsal began quietly, with two of the main characters, “Benny” and “Nina” (actors Sidney Dupont and Mia Pinero), working on the final duet, “When the Sun Goes Down.” At the piano, musical director Don Kot gave them ideas on how to blend more effectively, asked Sidney to get the sound more forward on a particular note, and helped Mia when she was unsure of a few notes. Then Anderson said, “Let’s put it on its feet,” and “Kevin” (played by Tony Chiroldes), joined them for the scene. They worked on blocking, and Melissa asked Sidney to display more “hope for your own story.” There was lots of discussion about motivation and what Sidney thought has happened or will happen – for example, what “Benny’s” journey will be. It was incredible to see the effect of these simple directions on the actor’s subsequent run-throughs.

Director Melissa Rain Anderson

Anderson’s direction was, in many instances, very specific, but she also gave the actors room to explore and find what felt true for them, and, like an effective manager, she complimented many of their instincts and choices. At one point, she gave the couple an image to focus on when they’re looking away from each other, and both of them had an “aha” moment. Each time they sang through the song, I got chills, and Sam, one of my companions, commented that “it gets better all the time.” After just half an hour, the scene had progressed incredibly, to the point that Anderson declared, “That’s beautiful. I don’t want to touch it too much.” And with that, we were led from the rehearsal hall to the Fielding Stage, where a dance rehearsal was in progress. Productions don’t normally get to rehearse in this space, so it was a luxury, and they were making the most of it, with movable mylar mirrors.

Movable mylar mirrors (Equity rules prevented me
from photographing any of the actors...)

There, the choreographer, Julio Agustin, was directing the ensemble: lots of moving people and pieces. He was incredibly fluid when he illustrated a couple of movements for the dancers, and it was fun to hear an entirely different vocabulary from the vocal one upstairs that I could understand – for example, asking for them to “pump air,” and “hit” versus “melt.” At one point, he even described a certain movement as “a little bit alienesque.” The cast definitely worked well together as a team, and many of them seemed to know all of the songs (if I understood correctly, Jeffrey Nunez, the actor playing “Piragua Guy” was subbing for “Usnavi” during this rehearsal, to give the lead actor a rest, and Nunez had the rap song down pat). Just as with the scene upstairs, the dance came together incredibly quickly. 

Once home, I checked the cast list against the auditions I had attended. Neither of the two women I thought had done a fantastic job had been cast, but another woman and one of the men, whose rap audition had been quite good, had made it into this production. Both are non-equity local hires. Sam also pointed out a young woman in the dance number, Adriana Scalice, who is a current Penfield High School senior and past performer in Geva’s “A Christmas Carol.”

I was a dope for missing this musical when it was performed on Broadway (during its run, you would think I could have seen this Tony-award-winning musical, instead of, say, the dreadful Happiness and Addams Family…). I plan on making up for that loss this fall – I already have tickets to see In the Heights twice, and who knows, I might just find time to see it a third time, if some of my friends want to join me for a weekend matinee!

For more information and tickets, visit http://www.gevatheatre.org/2017-2018-season/

The Museums of Historic Palmyra

When my friend Krista suggested an outing to Palmyra to visit the museums there, I didn’t know that she had lived in that area for years! So it wasn’t a new adventure for her, but it was for me. Thankfully, we didn’t do anything Mormony.

the tool room

There are five Museums of Historic Palmyra, and although they are relatively small, it actually took us just under 2.5 hours to complete a guided tour of all five, with a little bit of time in the gift shop at the end. Krista chatted briefly with her friend Bonnie Hays, the Executive Director, before we set off with our docent, Steve, and another couple (from Webster). First up was the Historic Museum, in an 1800’s building that had originally been a boarding house (with 16 rooms and one bathroom…). 

creepy wreath made out of
one woman's hair from
different times of her life

Apparently, the building was moved from a nearby street, after the existing structure burned down in the mid-1960s. The rooms were organized by theme of memorabilia – military, medicine, religion (can’t get too far from that subject in Palmyra, it seems – the town also has the unusual distinction of being the only one with four different churches at each of the corners of its main street downtown), dolls and toys, etc.

Steve was a font of information, and talked quickly, so I didn’t take in everything, but the town was on the Underground Railroad as well as the Erie Canal, and has links not just to Joseph Smith, but also Winston Churchill (his grandparents were married there), and Henry Wells, founder of Wells Fargo.

Next up was the 1826 Erie Canal Depot, where goods were unloaded from the barges, and where the hoagies (the men who drove the mules) bedded down upstairs, while the mules were boarded in the basement. In addition to various artifacts, the building houses a cool diorama of Old Lock 30, a defunct double lock in Macedon.

At the Print Shop next door, we learned a bit about printmaking, and sliced up a phone book with an incredibly large and sharp paper cutter. A crafter's dream!

the washtub...

We transitioned to the Phelps Store just as a thunderstorm rolled in and Steve was explaining how the house was haunted. I got to use my new favorite phrase, courtesy of my sister: “But, science…” 

Steve opened several bottles so we
could sense the scents of 1940

The store was certainly eerie – Julius Phelps had locked the store for good in 1940, and all of the dry goods (and even some egg shells) were frozen in time. Upstairs from the store were the living quarters, where Julius’ daughter Sibyl (an Eastman School of Music grad and a “spiritualist” who was friendly with Houdini) lived until she died in 1976. Although there was a closet containing a toilet, it had never been connected, and the house had no running water. Most of the furnishings are original, although much restoration was needed because toward the end, she lived in squalor with lots of cats. Luckily for historical preservation, the house was converted into a museum within six months of her death.

My favorite, by far, was the Alling Coverlet Museum, our ultimate destination. The only museum dedicated to America’s hand-woven coverlets, it houses over 350 coverlets and quilts, including Merle Alling’s own collection of over 200 coverlets, as well as several looms. Every year, 60 coverlets are selected for display, and they are beautiful. Some of them are fine examples of the prolific weaver Ira Hadsell, whose work is in the collections of museums such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Sadly, demand for hand-made coverlets declined with the rise of the cheaper, machine-made versions.

Krista and I were happy to make some purchases on our way out, to support this all-volunteer organization. They have a nice selection of pillows made from antique coverlets (ones that are donated, but aren't wholly intact…). I can definitely see taking visiting friends to Palmyra in my future!