(Applaus! the end of Irma La Douce, Saturday July 5th)
I sat on my hands while waiting for the show to begin, concentrating on staying still. Nope, too nervous! Anna, can I switch seats with you? Maybe I can see from there better. No? Okay, well then Edoardo, can I switch seats with you?... Robert and I had left Heidelberg at around 5 to catch the early evening train. We were picked up at the train station by his mother who was a bit exhausted from a long week of work. She had laid out some ripe cherries in two bowls on the coffee table in her apartment – one with a paper saying Robert and one saying Melissa (so sweet!) in preparation for our arrival. We ate quickly and left for the converted barn-theater in Staffort. Robert was surely more nervous than I was. The stage was made to look like a brothel on one side and a Parisian café and bar on the other. No details were overlooked. Two strings of furry heart-shaped lights were hung on a purple velvet background, one in the shape of a heart and the other in lips. Tacky and brilliantly colored, the stage made for an incredibly fun and warm atmosphere. I could hear impressed comments from other audience members before the show began. The bathrooms were a favorite - you needed to go through the door of 'la grotte rouge' on the other side of the stage to get to them and the only light inside was a dim red. Two women were still inside when the show began, so they had to stop, wait for the two women (they received a loud applause) and then resume action.
Ten or so friends came that I knew from Heidelberg including Anna, Nina, and our good friend Edoardo. Next to Robert’s impeccable clowning and great facial expressions, “Moustache” was perhaps my favorite character. He was the all-knowing trusty bartender played by Eddie, a middle-aged man with a friendly face and a long mustache. His lines had the driest humor of the show. After the “Pause” (or intermission, as we say) he walked to the front of the audience with two champagne glasses of Sekt. The show could not resume until someone purchases the last two glasses, he said slowly, capturing attention. He walked around and of course Edoardo, sitting near the front, signaled loudly with his hand – ich, oh ich! Then Eddie looks at him and says (still to the entire audience) super, the show can go on. That’ll be 2 euros please. Edoardo, confused (his German is as good as mine), says, but I have no money. Ich habe kein Geld – I’m sorry, I’m Italian! Oh Edoardo… Eddie said ‘Schade’ and moved on to someone else.
The next evening Eddie brought a CD of French music to listen to as the cast prepped for the second show. I was waiting around and reading and jumped up as soon as the first song began – of course, French music meant Patricia Kaas, one of my favorites. Jacques Brel next – Eddie came over to me and together we sang Ne Me Quietes Pas to a room of empty seats. A little Satchmo followed along with one of Robert’s favorite singers, Frederick Mae.
I wish I could describe all of the highlights from both shows. I was incredibly nervous for the first one though I had no reason to be. The audience surprised me with their energy, and the actors, too. There were many congratulations; I myself was asked so many times for my opinion that I needed to ask Robert for synonyms for good and wonderful so that I did not keep repeating myself. Wunderbar! Echt klasse! Absolut super! Es war Scheisseklasse! (it was hot shit!) Robert and I stayed late to have pizza with the cast and join in with the warm feelings of gratification and exhaustion. The second night featured a tougher audience; the laughing was definitely got a late start although they ruptured in laughter at Robert’s I-heart-Mum boxers, particularly Katrin, his mother, who was sitting on my right. Another great reception afterwards. The director, Uli (which I learned is short for Ulrika, an interesting name) said that I should come back for their next play in the spring of 2010. I said that my German is surely not good enough for theater and she said that it absolutely was and it wouldn’t matter anyways and that she’d make a real actress out of me. With a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek that left a lipstick print, I could really appreciate spending time with this cast even just for a few rehearsals.
Since Robert and I spent most of the day walking around in Durlach, I made plans to return early to Heidelberg before the third show. That way I can prepare for the week ahead. The show – reading the script, watching it, speaking to people before and after – was a thousand times more helpful than any German class, and left me with many new vocab words to digest. Hopefully all went well tonight!
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