The show last night was a smash hit! Mind you, this wasn't Broadway, off-Broadway, or even anything that could be mentioned in the same breath with Broadway, but still--.
There were a few glitches, but nothing terrible. The most serious was probalby that people at one of the twelve tables complained they couldn't hear the actors. The clubhouse venue, being large and high-ceilinged, was acoustically challenged and there was a lot of extraneous noise. A few lines were dropped here and there and, as the hostess, I started calling tables too early, then had to announce it was a mistake, but all that was no big deal.
A major part of this type of show is for the audience to guess the identity of the murderer. I was gratified that, even though I wasn't even listed on the printed ballots, I got thirteen "votes." Maybe I came across as outwardly sweet and demure, but inwardly possibly diabolical--dunno.
The thing that happened we all wish hadn't could not have been prevented with more rehearsal or anything else: Toward the end of the show, a woman with a heart condition became faint and had to go outside. Jim, one of our cast members, is a doctor and he went out to stay with her until the ambulance came. He missed a key segment, but the rest of us covered for him and I don't think anyone noticed.
Generally, things went smoothly and, most important, the audience was very receptive and appreciative. They were intent on enjoying themselves and that's always a great boost for performers.
After, we went to a local bar, drank beer and ate nachos, and had a ball hashing over the evening. What fun to be with these people, all much younger than I am, and feel part of this active, engaged, creative life!
Anyway, it was a terrific experience and now I'm looking forward to--yoicks!--playing the much longer and pivotal role of Ivana, the Hungarian psychic, next Sunday.