the music's still swirling in my head. i had such a hard time falling asleep last night because i couldn't stop the music from doing loops. OT, as everyone's been saying on their blogs, has been one hell of an experience. i won't regret the late night rehearsals and having to run like mad for the last train home. there's this certain magic about this production, maybe it's because it's a once in a hundred years thing, or maybe it's the fantastic medical people who are involved that made me look forward to rehearsals every single time (something which has never happened before). i got to know people from the other years, done things i never thought i'd do, and seen certain *ahem* r21 stuff. -chuckle-


our first performance was the scariest. the jubilee hall curtain jammed on us one minute before the doors opened, the ticket sale was the worst out of the five shows(not even half filled), the actors stumbled a little here and there, and i stepped out onto the stage when i wasn't supposed to. how nice. saturday's matinee was a lot better, with a much larger crowd and everything went smoothly, although the audience laughed at the wrong parts. saturday evening, i rushed down from greg's party to jubilee for the gala night. luckily they started late, so i didn't miss much. health minister khaw boon wan was there, as was dean john wong as well as tons of profs. parts of the script were changed to accomodate the more distinguished crowd, which didn't quite get the jokes. sunday was our last day, so everyone went crazy. the props people came out for the curtain call holding kiddy shakers which made weird sounds, and the cast seemed more relaxed and happy. after our last show, zhentang the stage manager aka the mad conductor led us in a rousing cheer.


you will never guess what happens backstage. during the series of scenes which we weren't needed, the guys would run out to macs to buy drinks and fries. when cool music came on, we'd be grooving to the beat and singing along. after pushing out the screens, mingyuan, terry and i would hide behind to dance and sing. the scene changes were the tricky parts because it was pitch dark, and it's amazing the number of head on collisions we had. during one performance one screen very nearly toppled. such is the life of the backstage crew.


the best part of being in the wings was being able to watch the show a zillion times and picking apart the characters in your head. even then, i still haven't figured out the significance of act 2 scene 8, aka the haunted ward 72 scene. we also got to watch ivan do his...uhm...thing many times, and i must say the final version is funnier and a lot less r21 than the rehearsal version. he loved to change his lines too. in the scene where mary (one of the suits) sneezes, the script says "if you were a horse, i'd have you made into glue!" in the last rehearsal and the first two shows, it became "if you were made of rubber, i'd have you made into a condom!" for the gala night, it was toned down to "if you were a bear, i'd have you made into a rug!", sunday afternoon it was "if you were a chicken, i'd have you made into a shuttelcock!", and we ended OT with "if you were a pig, i'd have you made into a char siew pau!" it was hilarious. his solo for the med school of the future (will be so much more) is, imho, the best song in the entire musical. full of sleaze and with strains of broadway in it, it was such a joy to watch, and it always got the backstage cheering. -heh-


you know, there're so many memories i could note down here. how the audience laughed when kok appears in his super-kok costume, when the suits in their sunglasses walk on stage, and when mr black's photo is flashed on the screen and everyone goes, "it's him!" sigh, just too many memories. here's one of my favourite verses:

when we first started out
we wanted to, shout out loud
we're medical students if you don't mind
tomorrow we're gonna save makind!
a dream come true!
passed the interview!
mum and dad will be so glad!
parental pressure ain't so bad!
in the anatomy hall!
finally - we can stand tall!

funny but true.