Speaking of Jilly

Eric Singdahlsen sent this to the blog. Please read and enjoy it as much as I did:

I’m delighted that the show has been extended. I am delighted also that we’re taking Thanksgiving off. I’m a bit tired. This became increasingly apparent to me in the form of line errors as the weekend wore on, starting with saying “Jilly fond young person” instead of “Silly fond young person.” In the immediate aftermath, I cursed myself for butchering the line, but I ultimately comforted myself with the thought: “Who will notice?” That fantasy was shattered as soon as I reached the dressing room and was atuned to the error by my warm-hearted colleagues. It went downhill from there, and I’ll admit, I was tempted just to say “Frilly jocund person” just to be done with trying to get the line right. I butchered several of my lines. A few examples:

“Well, Good Will, thou hast thy work cut out,” became . . .
“Well Good Will, thy work hast thou cut out for thy.”

“Sick-thoughted Venus,” became . . .
“Thick-sotted Venuth.”

“Thee, me, we, whoever,” became . . .
“Thee, me, we, me, thee we, whatever.”

I switched and dropped lines. I missed an entrance (which gave Val a chance to show her cool professionalism in adding “Lord Oxford! I’m ready!”). Several times I found myself onstage thinking things like, “It’s well after Labor day, why is she wearing white slacks?” or “I keep losing at Chess, and Austin keeps mentioning new rules. Is there a connection?” And suddenly I’m late on a cue.

I lose my focus, or worse, I focus on the fact that I’m out on stage in front of dozens of people who are happily following the story, and who are watching Wendy wait for me to answer a very important question. I liken the experience to Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff after the Road Runner. It’s only when he realizes that he’s in mid-air that he falls.

The fresh audiences are a dream to perform for. It is they who make the show new for me each night. I must point out, though, it’s the camaraderie of the cast that makes it such a blast to come back night after night. I know full well that I am not alone in making line errors and I know that if the rest of the cast with me right now, they’d pat me on the back and say, “Yes you are.”