That was certainly an interesting rehearsal. Our call was at 5:30, and because I didn't want to have to go home then immediately head back to school (icy conditions require slow driving), I just went up to the computer lab to work on "Men at Arms". I'm working out the tune for (one of) the Angua songs, so we'll have to see what comes of it. I really like how it's shaping up. Soon after, I was joined by Chungy, who spent the time at AtomFilms.com watching Star Wars parodies. Our favourite, as featured in Blogspotting, was the Star Wars Gangsta Rap. Utter brilliance. Our other favourite was The Fandom Menace. This is how you truly waste an afternoon! Anyway, Chungy was called to crew, and I went to Einstein's for a bagel sandwich and (as I found out later) the worst hot chocolate in history. Oh well.

Off to rehearsal, where I waited for about 20 minutes in line to get my hair done, with no end in sight, I just decided that I might as well find a wig. Mr. Blaydes was trying to increase the number of blondes onstage, but since Mae definitely wasn't a blonde in my mind, I went with the only red wig in sight. I fell in love with this wig. It's really short and a bit fluffy, and it doesn't make my head look oddly shaped. Hurrah! I realized afterwards that considering my position in line, I still wouldn't have had my hair done an hour later. Yowza. Another plus about my wig is that I was originally supposed to wear a French twist, just like I did in "How to Succeed". I didn't want Mae to be a Smitty clone, regardless of how much fun I had in that role.

Anyway, after what seemed like a 15 minute overture (seriously. I kept walking around in the Green Room, asking the Costume girls "Isn't the overture over YET?"). I swore to myself right then and there that I'd keep the overture for "Men at Arms" at a sane length. Yes, it will have an overture. I decided that the Pratchett-like spirit could best be attained through a classic sort of musical that occasionally pokes fun at classic sorts of musicals. "Like The Producers", I told Chungy over lunch one day. "Will it have Matthew Broderick in it?" she asked. This culminated in a frankly terrifying mental image of Nathan Lane as Sgt. Colon. The conversation ended there.

Back to the subject at hand. The overture was long and boring and drawn out. Things generally went smoothly until various people forgot to come onstage, though it was covered rather well. I saw my parents in the audience. In my red hair, red sailor shirt, red shoes, and bright red lipstick for the picnic scene, I decided that I resembled a Communist Peter Pan. Much time was spent yelling for Kingsley (Prez) to come onstage, as he's still not entirely aware of when he needs to be on. He's getting a lot better about it, though. Of course, in the last scene of Act I, he arrived early, ready to go on, only to have the power go out. Hilarity ensued. "We're not supposed to have a blackout there!" some girls yelled. When everyone realized what had happened, Mrs. Hubbard and Mr. Blaydes told us to stay right where we were and not to move. "At least we can practice Hernando's Hideaway", I suggested, referring to a scene that takes place in complete darkness. "You sure you don't need anything else backstage, Kingsley?", another actor asked. I took a penlight, illuminated half my face, and sang selections from "Phantom of the Opera". Good times, good times. Eventually, we got the lights back on. We finished the act, then started into Act II, only to have Mr. Blaydes call off the rest of rehearsal. We did the last scene and the bows, then he let us go home, as the roads were getting icy.

For those who aren't familiar with "The Pajama Game", the last scene consists of a pajama party of sorts, mainly a pajama fashion parade. All the principals come out and demonstrate aspects of "Sleep Tite" pajama wear. In my group, Brenda, Prez, and I epitomize "grace", "style", and "comfort", in that order. Prez wears plaid flannel and I wear purple silk. We decided that we would switch for the final performance. After all, flannel would be a lot more comfortable, and there's nothing that says "style" quite like a man in purple silk pajamas.

So now I'm home. Percy only knows how late we would have been at school if we had done the entirety of Act II. We were already there until about 10:30. Yowza. Now I'm going to do my homework. And take a shower. I have wig hair. Bah.