What a night!!!
Tonight was our first double show night, premiering IN CONCERT on the first formal night of the cruise. We blocked it faster than usual, which meant more energy spent toward the performance energy and the little sparkly extras that make these shows so incredible to watch.
Both shows went really well, but I think the audience for the second show was more enthusiastic...I even got a round of applause for my big note in "Because You Loved Me" (even though I had a nice ball of phlegm settled right in my throat the whole time!)
We celebrated Evan's 23rd birthday between shows, but he couldn't stick around to enjoy his cake...tonight was ROCKY!! It was a heavier heave than what I remembered from the Maasdam, but the Zuidey is a much bigger ship, so the time between rocks is much longer. It definitely still made for some interesting moments on stage, though! Matt almost head-butted me in "Dedicated to the One I Love" when a very close face-to-face moment got enhanced by a sudden lurching of the stage. Being the champ that he is, he caught himself just in time, but it definitely made the song more interesting! Sean also got a gold star for effort from me tonight when he noticed during the first show that I barely made my final entrance in time, much less to take a swig of water before singing through a four-song marathon. I got to the stage for the second show to find Sean with my water bottle open and waiting for me. Gotta love that Zuiderfams teamwork. :)
The girls got fitted for costumes for DREAMPARK after the show, followed by a quick anti-viral sanitation wipe down of the theatre (it's like I'm back on the Maasie...), then a well-deserved cocktail at the OB (Officer's Bar, a crew-only bar) to round out the night.
Though today was an amazing day for the show and the incredible people I get to share this ship with, the highlight of my day was going on the bow from the OB to find a strong warm wind and a perfectly visible Milky Way. I put my hands on the rail and looked out over the bow, and just felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Yes, we work our butts off, and yes, we go through a lot of emotional b.s. to keep competitive in this job and this industry as a whole, but at the end of the day, I have one of the best jobs any singer could ask for. I sang my heart out tonight, which is such a cathartic and soul-lifting experience already, but to then be able to walk a few steps and be bombared with the Caribbean winds and have the skies all to myself for a few minutes...you just can't beat that. This job came at a really opportune time for me, both artistically and personally, and despite the craziness of this tech process in cast turnover, I am so outrageously grateful to be where I am, doing what I'm doing, and being with who I'm with.
And now...to bed, with a heart full of love and a belly full of cake.
Until next time...
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