With Shaun gone, Theatreworks went looking for a new Duck. The usual suspects were still unavailable, so audition notices went out. We knew things were serious when we spotted postings on ActorsAccess, Backstage and Equity’s Casting Call. However, while Theatreworks put out the legwork in New York to get us a new cast member, we were working equally hard to retool the show around a five-person cast.
We’ve had some experience with the five-person show, as posts found here and here will detail for you. However, with the arrival date of our new Duck somewhat in the air, our preparations became more extensive. Remember that “fall chart” I wrote about way back in February? Well, Aaron was back on deck as the Duck, only this time in the full role. He had to learn the “Chicken #1” part of the Duck track, which, while not rocket science, has a few specific “cluck-ography” moments. It also gave us the opportunity for a nice photo-op:
And then there was the matter of “Down,” the Duck’s big number. The role requires some funky moves, highly-choreographed and stylized, and Alaina was right there to help. Watching her teach Aaron the choreography was one of the greatest moments of the tour for me thus far, both because of Aaron’s new-found dance skills, and Alaina’s surprising ability to “get down.”
With Aaron all set, attention turned to the other two cows. “Loretta’s Anthem” was the main cause of concern, especially since all three cows are present for the song, and each sings a pretty significant chunk. The last time we lost a cow, Claire picked up the whole song, but this time, things were different. Alaina, tossing on her director’s cap for a moment, found an ingenious way to split the song up so that Claire was able to stay in one key (she had been switching between “boy” and “girl” keys, which is extremely hard to do) and Grace could maintain the ambivalence of her character. After a few minutes of script work, a quick run through of the full cast “Boiled Chickens” number and a deep breath, we had ourselves a show. And a good one too!
So far, audiences seem to respond very well to our cut-down version, but, from the stage, it does feel a big foreign. Aaron and I have discussed how the ephemeral nature of live theatre makes it so that the show you see is a moment in time that will never be replicated. Once it is finished, it is no longer in the world, and that is what makes it so exciting. Likewise, the “show” of Click Clack Moo that I know, and have been performing for the last few months, is no longer. Sure, the lines, songs and (many of the) jokes will all be the same, but the little nuances, the way each actor interacts with the other onstage, those “inside jokes” that only the cast knows about are completely shaken when someone is removed. Actors often talk about the sense of “post-partum depression” they have at the close of a show, and I am certainly feeling a little of that for our production. I know Theatreworks and their casting abilities, so I have no doubt that the new Duck will be incredibly talented and will bring a grand vitality to the show (which, nearly four months in, we all could certainly use), but I am taking a moment to reflect on the end of one chapter of our Click Clack Moo tale. It has been wonderful, and I have no doubt that the next one will be too. So, Theatreworks, get us a good Duck!
Call tomorrow: 7:30am, Quality Inn, Niceville, FL. We’re in Florida for a day, back to Georgia for another one, and then we begin the long-awaited “Florida loop.”
Kid Quote of the Day: When the cows side with Jenny and march back into the barn, they give a collective “moo.” One little boy observed, “That’s all they [the cows] say!”
Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: “Ethan Marc Angelica!! When we get to Orlando, we’re not going to Disney World unless you put away your tractor.”
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