I arrived at rehearsal this week to an unsettling silence. I climbed the stairs of our rehearsal venue, pried open the door and was greeted by . . . . an empty room. Had everyone gone on an impromptu “research” trip to the pub? No, surely not. Oh of course! I felt terrible, obviously everyone else except for me had gone to the wrong venue. Howembarrassing for them. I mean, what are the odds? Unless . . . . I was in the wrong place . . . . crap! And this at my first official rehearsal as Morrie! Not a good look. Thats right folks, obviously my line reading for our missing Groom last week was a little too good. By the end of the night I was unofficially the new Morrie and by the next morning I was officially Morrie-fied. Now all I had to do was learn the lines and make it to rehearsals on time. But was the character already rubbing off on me? 

Hmmm . . . . Mental note: Check to see if Morrie’s ineptitude is rubbing off on you, or whether Rob cast you as Morrie because you are inept.

(Dan and Chris as the drunkards Mutton & Bayonet)

Finally arriving at the correct venue I was greeted by the hearty tones of a Dimboola sing-along. But something was different about it. It seemed to be more . . . audible and . . . in tune than usual. Perhaps M.T.’s vocal coaching was paying off, or was it simply the deceptive acoustics of the carlton courthouse? I was quite impressed, it seemed entirely possible that come opening night we might not drive the audience screaming from the theatre! Don’t get me wrong though, we sounded alright, but it was a ‘special’ kind of sound. Not dissimilar to the type I imagine would be heard at a Pirate Pub. You know, where pirates hang out with their parrots and prostitutes, drinking and singing salubrious sea shanties.

Hmmm . . . . Mental note: Stop comparing everything with pirate life. It may be weirding people out. Maybe check to see if this is one of those mental disorder things.

(M.T., Juliana and others at rehearsal) 

It was an almost momentous rehearsal this week, in that we had almost everyone in the cast present. With only one person down, we were as complete as we had ever been, and it felt spectacular. And with our trusty stage manager Keiren filling in for the missing Knocka - and doing a bloody magnificent job at it may I add - it felt as though we were one big complete family. Or rather, two families . . . and some friends . . . who don’t really get along too well. It was great to be able to really get into the dialogue and movement without the impediment of missing members (no pun intended, wish I’d thought of it though, what a cracker!). And all were indeed in fine form. Chris and Dan being the gatecrashing piss-heads that they are, impressed us all with their song and dance routines, while our newest member Natasha Jacobs wowed us all with her Animal Crackers song & tap routine! Not bad for a nine year old**. But did I detect a ripple of jealousy flutter across M.T.’s furrowed brow? Surely not, but perhaps we should give M.T. a Shirley Temple number to perform to sooth any savage beasts within.

Hmmm . . . . Mental note: Keep an eye on M.T. while Natasha is around. She seems like a sweet lady but you never know when an ‘accident’ may occur. Plus Shirley Temple was always known to be a shifty little bugger!

(Robynne as the spinster Aggie, apparently mounting Chris' Bayonet)

Having all present gave us a good opportunity to practice the entry of the bridal party into the reception room, complete with its minefield of improvised conversation between cast and audience. Everyone took to this exercise like a Catholic Priest to a playground, jumping in head first to the improvisation. Who would have thought we would all play drunken country bogans so effortlessly?***  Honorable mentions must be made of Robynne Kelly who commanded the role of Aggie like she’d been a boozed up spinster her entire life. She scared the pants off me, that’s for sure! Juliana Clements as the beautiful bride also slipped into the role of country bogan like she’d been flown in direct from Ballarat. But I can’t say too much about Juliana cos she told me not to say anything bad about her . . . . and I am her husband . . . . plus I want to save it up so I can write an entire blog entry about the debauched tails of Juliana Potato Farmer! Liz McColl also reigned supreme as the spurned wife of town drunkard and showman Horrie. To the point where she was instructing Phil Roberts to “just bloody burp in my face,” Liz grabbed the reigns of Mavis as tightly as she did the testes of poor old Horrie, leaving Phil with a few bruises in the process! Just one look from her and I wet my pants a bit! Honestly, and not in a good way!

Hmmm . . . . Mental note: Check our liability in regards to cast members physically abusing each other. If its not on, someone will have to tell Liz to lay off beating Phil . . . . hmmm . . . . maybe get Doug to tell her if thats the case. He’s good with conflict.  

It really was a great rehearsal all around, with everyone getting on board to get through as much as we possibly could in the short time we had. Confidence was up not only from the cast but from Director Rob Chuter as well. It seems Dimboola is shaping up to be as debauched a production as ever, so don’t miss out, whatever you do!

Until next time my little bloggeroo’s, stay tuned for the next installment of:

“DIMBOOLA: The Matrimonial Makings Of A Monster.”

=Lachlan - rippa bloody beauty bonza mate - MacLeod=

Directors Assistant/Assistants Director.

Fly On The Wall Theatre. 

**Just kidding, Natasha is actually thirty five, and was apparently adopted into a circus of little people when she was only three! Great skin though, she looks much younger than she is.

***This is a rhetorical question, please refrain from posting a response! Unless it is particularly funny. Or rude.