Runthrough notes

I warn you, this is really long, but it is critical that you read all of it. Again, I want to remind you that I am extremely proud of all of you.
-Josh



Cast Blog Notes for Music from Mrs. Debbie

The enunciation for the most part was very good. Never let the energy drop on your diction. The entire musical overall could use much stronger male vocals and harmony parts. Gotta hear good harmonies, so review them all. Eat your Wheaties!

ACT I

Oh, the Thinks - Cat, magnificently electric! Everyone, "You think ... and think ... and think ... " not together. Sing the correct rhythm there, please don't just guess at it. If you don't know for sure, ask someone who does to help you.

Horton Hears a Who - Bird Girls didn't enter together vocally and weren't blending. There are no solos, ladies, act as a group and blend. Review your vocals, rhythms, and entrances. Horton, remember to ALWAYS sing "person", not "persin". Once you got going, it was fine, but you slipped a little in the beginning.

Biggest Blame Fool - Kangaroos, what can I say? You rock! Wickershams were strong in the beginning, sounding and looking good. Once the song broke into parts and individual solos, the parts were difficult to hear, as were the solos. Please review your parts so you can be even stronger. Perhaps you'll all be miked, so that will help greatly, but only if the parts are good and solid. Less "noise" while others' lines are being said or sung. Bird Girls, review your harmonies and bring them out more.

Here on Who - Mr/Mrs Mayor really need to solidify their vocals to provide a solid foundation for the rest of the song. Whos and remaining cast singing from the wings, please, please review your harmonies and lyrics. Good job getting some of those tough rhythms down! Diction was great as well. Watch the pace in Parts 4 and 5 since the tempo has slowed...you'll really have to listen carefully to the orchestration and stay with it.

Oh, the Thinks (Reprise) - Cat/JoJo, be careful on your pacing just after Mr/Mrs Mayor finish their lines and before the song starts.

It's Possible - JoJo......lyrics, baby, lyrics. You must get them down. What a spectacular voice! You can do this!

The Military (Verse) - Mr/Mrs Mayor, "ouch!" on the "Here is your pencil, Here are your mittens, Here is your sword." Gotta get that nailed down.

The Military (Genghis) - Schmitz, I promise that sound file will be there. Apologies that it wasn't tonight! Good job with vocals, all of you!

Alone in the Universe - Horton/JoJo, beautiful together! Great job, you two!

Amayzing Mayzie/Gertrude - Mayzie and Gertrude, you girls thrill me! Outstanding! Bird Girls " ... Doctor Dake by the Lake ... " couldn't be understood. Really overdo the consonants there. Some harmonies were very nice, but they need to be tighter still overall. Final note was late, ladies. After Gertrude sings "all", it's a quick 4 beats and you're in on "All" and must cut off with the sound track.

Monkey Around - Wickershams started off excellent. The further you got into the song, though, those tight harmonies were lost. Please review them so we can get them back.

Chasing the Whos - Everyone review and clean up your parts and entrances. Basses really need to bring out "Cha - sing the ... Cha - sing the Whos!" Wickershams 1, you were WAY early on "Still chasin' your dust? Why, it's safe as can be." Make sure you review the correct entrance there. All of those spoken lines MUST be louder. Whos, don't scream so long that you miss coming in at the right spot for "We're Whos here....." The section that sings about "That black-bottomed eagle was cruel as could be..." was very shaky and needs to be very strong. Please review it, everyone.

Notice Me, Horton - Gertrude/Horton, AAAHHHHHH!!!!!

How Lucky You Are (Reprise) - Mayzie, sweet, sultry pout! Love it! Cat, when you're echoing "How Lucky..." under Mayzie, try speak-singing those pitches rather than all speaking.

Finale - Bird Girls, you started off well, then lost it when it came to "a terrible storm!" and "And then came the winter......and his feet." You MUST nail those parts for the storm scene! Everyone, good strong ending for the most part. Still need more parts to come out, though. Then it will be awesome!

ACT II

Our Story Resumes...(Part 2) - Cat, remember to wait a couple of measures into the music after it begins playing. Horton, wait a little longer to say your lines "Shoot if you must..." They should be spoken over the orchestration that sounds like "Oh, the Thinks". Cat/JoJo/Bird Girls, all need to work the timing of this song. It can be really cool....or really awful.....let's shoot for really cool!

Egg, Nest and Tree - Everyone, nice job overall. Still need basses to bring out their lines "egg, nest, and tree...nest, and tree! egg, nest, and tree...nest and tree!"

Circus McGurkus - Cat, work on making your line delivery more in sync with the rhythm of the music so that "wherever you go" and "ten cents a peek" are during the silence of the orchestration. That should set you up perfectly to finish on time before it rolls into the entry of the next section. Everyone, review what, when and where to sing and cut off during Part 2. Again, bring out those great harmonies on Part 3.

Circus on Tour - Horton, keep working on your entrance there. It's quite short, but you had it on Monday night. See me if you need additional help.

Alone in the Universe (Reprise) - Horton, take your time on the entrance at "Well, this time I swear..." It's a little longer than you think.

Solla Sollew - Everyone, I hate to say it, but tonight was definitely not your best. This is a pretty song. Bring out its beauty. Revel in the gorgeous harmonies and let your audience hear them. Review parts and entrances, everyone. That last phrase doesn't slow down, so keep it moving to the end.

Whos Christmas Pageant/Roast Beast - Grinch, you were awesome! Whos parts must be sung quicker, livelier, and much crisper. Please review those notes, people. They move fast, but you can get them with just a little more work.

JoJo Alone - JoJo, very nice job, girl!

Havin' a Hunch - Everyone, pretty good overall. Nice "oohs" and "ahs"! Hunches, you know, don't you? Your first entrance, the echo "late, late, late, late" was too loud. You caught yourselves and did the others great. Now, just do it first time as well. Everyone, still need those parts to come out!

All for You - Gertrude, solid, lovely! Wish we could pitch it back up, but......... You can do it! Bird Girls, parts, parts, parts on this song. GOTTA get them solid...quickly! Remember the pacing and breaks between all the "ahs" and "oohs" at the end.

The Whos Return - Horton/Gertrude/Mr&Mrs Mayor/JoJo, this tiny song will probably be one of the toughest to get the timing down on. We'll keep working to get the music underscore in the right place. When you all sing "A person's a person no matter how...", try holding that final note until the next track begins, as though you're being interrupted. It's just so awkward cutting it off and simply waiting.

The People vs. Horton the Elephant - Judge Yertle, watch entrances and especially timing for "remanded to the Nool Asylum for the Criminally Insane." Everyone, review your "Boil, Boil, Boil" sections. Gotta get them right.....NOW! The one in Part 4 is particularly important, because if you keep going when you're supposed to cut off, you've just interrupted the Cat's lines and the flow of the song.

Yopp!/Alone (Reprise) - Horton, stay up in your vocal register rather than down to sing with Gertrude "One small voice in the universe..." Review your timing to correspond better with the music here.

Finale 2 - Everyone, please remember that ONLY Cat sings "Oh, the Thinks you can think! Think and wonder and dream far and wide as you dare." Next are Principals, singing "When your Thinks have run dry, in the blink of an eye, there's another think there!" ALL JOIN and the music starts going faster here (so you should, too): "If you open your mind, oh, the Thinks you will find...."

Bows - Everyone, not bad tonight! Review lyrics for Bows again and again. We'll get the timing down.....promise!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!! KEEP WORKING!!! WE'LL HAVE A TERRIFIC SHOW THIS TIME NEXT WEEK!!!!!



Notes from Amy

Act I
Caroline - In "brain" part of "Oh the Thinks"--you need to be lower
Cat - Motion everyone off at end of Oh the Thinks
Cat - Motion for Things to get drums
Jungle - Need to bring on trees for Jungle of Nool
Horton - Supposed to be in circle of Bird Girls?
Jungle - ALL need to stay in character!
Mr. Mayor - Pg. 25--entered too early--enter after "calling over and over"
Whos - some of you are looking all over during "Here on Who", not engaged in the song
General - may need a t-shirt under costume
Cat - After "Here on Who" need to position M/M Mayor while they are frozen to give JoJo time to change
JoJo - line--"you got me in trouble"
JoJo - move with Cat to centerstage at beginning of It's Possible
Cat - Fishing Pole with "How to Raise a Child" brochure
JoJo - at end of "Alone in the Universe"--end at 45 degree at CS with Horton--you are head on and he is at 45--both of you 45, also wave to Horton when you say goodbye
Bird Girls - in Amayzing Mayzie (and other times) faces need to be more engaged!
Things - Bring clipboards into Dr. Dake scenes
Cat - After Amayzing Gertrude--I have you exiting SL--you went SR--check to see what works
Vlad - I forgot to check if you entered SR at beginning of Monkey Around--did you?
Things - Clovers go on earlier--when cat says "Curtain!"
Things - Did you trip JoJo? I forgot to check

ACT II
JoJo - Pg. 66--study "We're lost in the clover…" lines
Gertrude - Pg. 66--missed "Horton, Horton" line
Circus - Ally--downstage left for your balloons--great facials!
Things - You are supposed to cover Horton with sheet in circus
Cat - Pg. 69--line at bottom of page "And now all you folks…"
Circus - exited too soon--not until Cat says "Houston"
JoJo - in Solla Sollew you were blocked DSL
Mr/Mrs Mayor - In Solla Sollew you were blocked USL
Whos - applaud after Max says "Woof!"
Desi - You only say the line "Well, in Whoville they say…"
Cat - Things In All for You--blocking was for Dr. Dake and Things to enter SL--you entered SR
Sour Kangaroo - Pg. 92--hard to understand the word "mother"--enunciate
Horton - What noise will he make in People Vs. Horton? Need bigger elephant trumpeting
Gertrude - Pg. 98--line missed "they've proved they…"
Young Kangaroo - Your back was to audience during People Vs. Horton--turn around



These are the notes from my friend Josh. He took a lot of notes. Some I agreed with, and some I didn't. I have only included the ones that I wholeheartedly agree with. So, take these notes as if they are from me.

Act I
Horton - Be more willing to commit
Mr. Mayor - Fantastic Projection
Everyone - Hand/Arm-- make movement more pronounced, definitive
Everyone - Walk softly on stage--don't stomp
Bird Girls - Be sure of yourself
Monkeys - Watch videos of monkeys on youtube to learn what real monkeys do
Gertrude - Great vocalization, characterization, Goosebumps--hilarious
Grinch - Try to put more character voice into songs
Whos - All heads move together at end of "Here on Who"
Cadets - Need crisp moves, needs work
JoJo - Great job, need to find something to do with your hands
JoJo - Great commitment to the role
Mayzie - Work on enunciation--some words dropped off
Everyone - Try not to let eyes wander--FOCUS!
Everyone - Top the Lines/Entrances
Wickershams - Projection/Diction
Orange Bird - Don't look at the ground
Whos - When falling--faces look canned on some of you--everyone needs to look scared!
Gertrude - Hilarious
Everyone - Instead of calling for line, get yourself out of it
Horton - Bigger movements, stay in charcter during songs. Non-movement
Everyone - At end of Act I--hold ending pose!

ACT II
Cat - Great characterization
Hunters - Project
Horton - Put more movement with "vomit"--go for a big laugh
Circus - Don't count during your scene
Horton - Looked great while "blinking loudly" during circus
Cat - Look up Rosie Perez on youtube--it might add to your character with Mayzie in Palm Beach scene
Horton - OFF BOOK
Everyone - Stay in character--if you don't, audience will see you and not the action
Cadets - Enunciate while marching--"Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz"
Everyone - STAY QUIET BACKSTAGE!
Everyone - Focus center stage during trial
Cat - may need to move you a step or two during trial so we can see Gertrude struggling--may be okay at Berry
Elephant Bird - ADORABLE--please look up though so audience can see you
Things - move upstage 3 steps or so--upstaged Cat and JoJo



Now, here are my notes. I saw many of the same things and had many of the same notes that have already been listed above, and I see no point in repeating what has aready been said. So, I am only going to include my notes that have not already been covered by others. I am sorry that I had to come down so hard on everyone last night. That's not like me. I don't like being the bad guy. But, I felt that after last night a wake up call was needed. For all of us, myself included.

JoJo - be more excited, more emotion
Everyone - Don't let costume things throw you
Everyone - If you mess up the choreography, just move on and keep going. Don't get the "Oh No!" face.
Horton - Great facials during Biggest Blame Fool
Wickershams - Make more monkey noise after "It's the Wickersham Brothers"
Wyatt - Project
Whos - "Here on Who" Choreography needs work
Horton - Loved your expressions during "Here on who"
Grinch - Great!
Mr. Mayor - Emphasis on "OUR" in "our troubles"
Everyone - know your lines
Fish - all exit same side at end of song
Cadets - know your choreography
JoJo - you look lost
Horton and JoJo - Alone in the Universe i my favorite part so far
Things - Exit at end of All For You right after my "slip was gripped by a viscious dog"

I know there were some parts that some of you were unclear about last night. That's my fault, and we will clarify everything tonight. So, I need you to all be there if at all possible

My biggest note is, do not talk bad about your fellow cast members or your production team who are all trying very hard to make you look good. It does get back to us every time. It is childish and very unprofessional and all of you know better. If you have a problem with someone or a question or concern about something, go to them directly. Please do not talk about people behind their back. How is causing division and strife ever a helpful decision? It will only end up hurting you and this amazing show.

I did not expect last night to be perfect. However, after the run through I heard excuse after excuse of why certain things went wrong. My biggest frustration was that many scenes were better in our run through last week. We need everyone to give their all at every remaining rehearsal. If you can honestly say that last night you gave me 100%, then I am not talking to you.

Remember, on stage you are not you. You are not an actor playing a part. You are your part. There is no excuse to ever drop character. If you are on stage, you should be in character no matter what.

Let's write last night off as a fluke, and fix what went wrong. Tonight, David will be working with Military Academy, Here on Who, and Circus. I will be running through scenes and blocking with everyone else, starting with act 2.

Tomorrow, I plan to work on group songs, then do another full runthrough. we will also do blocking for bows.

I am very proud of all of you, and I know that this will be an amazing show!