So here the post on how I turned cockney.
My Fair Lady, a classic in its purest form, loved by millions over generations it seems to be time proof. So HITS (Hanoi International Theater Society) thought, and well they were right. A decade of HITS is something of a big deal so the good theater people decided to go big, big as in My Fair Lady.
Thanks to my friend Dana, I was convinced to go to the auditions, not that it took much convincing… a musical? A musical! Of course I’ll try be a part of that. Hoping to satisfy that internal agony that wonders why life can’t be a musical, I found myself surrounded by drama people singing “A whole new world” and forgetting the words at the audition, this was end October last year.
Throw in some hard work over the following months, giving up at first Sunday nights then also Thursday nights, and then Tuesday nights and then in the last week just giving up sleep a group of dedicated, passionate, for the most part amateurs, Hanoians (expat and locals) put a damn fine show together. I’m a little bias.
Well many and I mean many a rehearsal later we performed to three sold out shows at the Hong Ha “retro” theater. I was a flower girl, with a few ‘cockney’ lines, as well as a snob at the Ascot races, and then also the Queens lady in waiting. Dancing some of the numbers was by far my personal highlight.
I woke up with songs like ‘Get me to the church on time’, hummed ‘With a little bit of luck’ all day through and went to sleep to ‘Wouldn’t it be loverly’. Even now a week later I can’t help but sing ‘I could have danced all night’ while driving.
For me the best part of being in this show was working with all the talented people, such a pleasure to be around creativity in motion. Hanging out with people who enjoy performing as a hobby, or for a living, means that there is hardly a dull moment.
This is something I would not easily be able to participate in back home. For the theater lover there’s plenty of option on any given weekend so not much demand for a couple of people to come together in their free time and put on show. In Hanoi however there is demand plenty, which explains why 450 seats per show was sold out days before opening night. Hmmm pressure was on.
It was also the first time that a show had Vietnamese subtitles, expanding the audience.
The Rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain
To round it all up, all proceeds where donated to HEDO, Highlands Education Development Organization, in keeping with the theme of education.
A well worth it experience!
