Opening House

Preview #1: The first real audience we've had
(No offense Mo, invited dress was an audience too but there were only like 15 of you. The house was 2/3 full tonight)

The first preview is always incredibly educational.  Tonight, we got hear what they thought was funny (more than we expected), what they thought was scary (more than we expected) and what they thought was ridiculous (less than we expected).

The best part, however, were a particular pair of patrons.

My director began his notes tonight with: "I think the best thing about the two drunk people sitting behind me..."

Honestly, these two were hilarious. I mean, in retrospect hilarious. I think a lot of people were mortified by them really. Since I was backstage, I had no idea any of this was happening until it was all over and I find it hilarious.
Jon said he knew they were trouble from the get-go when they were being super loud and obnoxious before the play began; he considered moving right then.
(I'm secretly glad he didn't because of everything he was privy to.)

Their antics were as follows:

1. After the gun shot went off, the drunk man shouted "SHIT!" really loudly.

2. They asked my director during intermission if he had seen the play before. He kind of laughed and said "a few times" and then the woman got all confused. She asked when we had opened, if he had seen it before and this was the first preview.
He just kind of didn't answer for a second...
...
...
...
Then he finally said he didn't know when we opened, because he didn't want to tell her that we don't open until this upcoming Friday and yes, in fact, he is the director.

3. During Matt and Amy's scene, this drunk woman spoke loud enough for them to hear her from the stage.
Amy: "Oh William, you break my heart"
Matt: "That is metaphor, the heart cannot break."
Drunk Woman: "Oh yes it can."

The icing on the cake, however, was at curtain call.
4. Jon said he heard her get up and go into the aisle and thought she was being mildly rude, but kind of understood the I-need-to-leave-before-everyone-else thing. But she was not leaving - oh no.
This woman walked down the aisle to the stage and started bowing with my cast. Not just my cast - but my leads! Sherlock and Watson were taking their bows and she joined them.
She just kind of stumbled on to the stage and started bowing all over the place.

5. Later, Jon heard her talking to her husband/brother/friend/fellow drunk person in the lobby and he was asking her why she did that and she said "I just - I loved it so much- I just- I wanted to give them my ENERGY. They had to - had to - just HAD TO KNOW how much I loved it."

Well, drunk lady and her beau, I'm glad you liked our little play - we worked very hard to make crazy people like you want to come down to the stage and take a bow of love.