Xalapa Cinco -- Rehearsal, All Time, Slave Coast Performance

     . . . . So many rehearsals!  But none of them with the music.  But last night that happened, and it is good.  Alas, one of the actresses seems to be getting sick with a respiratory thing.  This truly, truly matters as she's the one who sings "My Old Kentucky Home." Pobricita.  She's worked so hard to get the song down right -- it hurts me on her behalf that this might go wrong for her.  Plus, she has another big performance tomorrow for another event as part of the festival.

Tech rehearsal at 2 PM.  I don't need to be there for that, as I'm audience tonight, pure and simple.  El V, however, is directing as go-between for the musicians and the actors, as the musicians don't speak Spanish, so he will be helping them know when the music windows arrive.  He is also running the slide show accompaniment to the delivered text.  He's put Spanish commentary with them, to help the audience further understand the significances of what it is hearing.  So he's got a lot to do.

Performance at 7 PM.  Yah, I admit to being excited to see the performance of Slave Coast.  I never did in New York, as I was on stage.

So far though, it's still impossible to believe that our adaptation for live performance from The American Slave Coast -- which totally dominated our lives for the five years of writing and nearly two years of touring --  is really being performed, live, on stage, with Donald Harrison and his musicians, and these wonderful actors, here! in Mexico! in Xalapa! something we've been thinking about for nearly a year now, and never able to actually conceptualize because we could have no idea of either location or the people involved until we ourselves were on the ground.  Now the time for it is nearly here, and every indication we've received is this is going to be a wonderful performance.

It's turned a lot cooler here.  We're both going to need sweaters, so while they are rehearsing, I will go shopping.

BTW, we can hear roosters in the morning.  I could live easily in Xalapa.   It has everything I need, including bookstores and libraries, food shopping is easy, cooking would be fun, the people are wonderful, my Spanish would get really good, and it is very beautiful.