Opening Night

For better or worse, Grease goes up in front of a live audience tonight.

We've had only six weeks to put this show together, a relatively short time considering that it's a musical with a large cast. That shows. Last night -- the final dress rehearsal -- was the first time the entire cast was together. That shows. But we've worked hard, and we're having fun. And that definitely shows.

I've been in many plays over the years, both good and bad. This is not the best or the worst of them. But when it comes right down to it, my own performance is the only one I can control and therefore the only one I'm allowed to sweat over. And after a night of incident-free costume changing, microphone using and bra wearing, I am ready.

Opening night is always a bit like Christmas. The anticipation of it is wonderfully excruciating, but once the fun starts, you feel a little sad, because you know it won't last long. The cast of Grease has been one of the friendliest and most supportive I've worked with, and I hope I will keep in touch with the pals I've made once the show closes next week.

But you don't think about December 26th on Christmas, so I'm not going to think about the show closing today. It's opening night, and I'm going to enjoy it.