Well, Amadeus is finished

We had our last performance Saturday night. The last night of a show can sometimes be a letdown, but I honestly think it was the best performance of the entire run. Especially the first act. I think everyone was nailing it that night. I know I could feel it, and I think the audience could as well. Which is great, since my parents had flown in from Florida for the show, and my daughter had driven in from Denton.

Strike wasn’t much fun, of course (it never is, really) but at least it was done quickly. No time to dwell on the fact that we were saying goodbye to something that had been such a significant part of our lives.

I especially want to thank Jason for taking a chance and having faith in me. It would have been easy enough for him to say “forget it” and just go ahead and take the part of Salieri himself, after he had gone through three other actors in the role. But he didn’t. He let me take it and run with it. It was a real stretch for me, but with the help of Jason and the rest of the cast and crew, I was able to pull it off.

The comment I got most was that people were amazed at how I memorized so many lines, and in relatively short time (I got the part 3 weeks before we opened.) And, while I certainly appreciated the praise, it only went so far. Memorizing is something that usually comes pretty easily for me, so I didn’t feel like it was that big an accomplishment. But I did get some comments that really meant a lot to me. One person commented on my staying in character for the entire three hours. It may sound small, but that actually meant a great deal to me.

Now, it’s over. I’ll enjoy having more time, but I’m certainly going to miss the show. Though, there’s talk of “reviving” it next year to take to the AACT festival. So we’ll see …