Once again, I find myself in the beautiful town of Hudson. It's Saturday. I've been placed in a cottage house owned by two wonderfully delightful people, art gallery owners. I'm here performing a brand new opera about Hudson's colorful past. Until this opera I had been unaware that Hudson, in it's river port days, was known for it's Red Light district. Hudson was a place to come for a good time all the way up until about 1950. Just off the main drag, and parallel to it is a street called Columbia. Columbia used to be known as Diamond Street. Diamond street was quite popular with sailors, industrial workers, and corrupt politicians and policemen. Today all of that is gone. Many of the brothels which stood on Diamond street still exist today. Some are run down and abandoned. Still many have been restored and are homes to families. As I stare out the window I see a wood shingle Victorian house. Restored, but one is very aware of it's age. In the basement of this house is a tunnel. This tunnel will lead you straight to the basement of what was once City Hall, now the Hudson Opera House. Politicians and Police couldn't be seen entering these Brothels, so they had tunnels built to conceal their misdeeds. A very colorful past indeed.
Tonight is our last show. I'll be the first to admit we did not have enough proper rehearsal time to have this show ready for opening. We opened Thursday, and it was rough. Contemporary opera is challenging, especially a brand new opera. Many cues were missed, the energy and flow of the piece were disrupted, and the result was a confusing show filled with some missteps, akward moments, a few shining moments, and a laugh or two. Friday night was much better. With a different conductor, the pace was energetic. While some cues were missed, we held firmly to the intent of our characters, and delivered a solid show for an audience who was with us from start to finish. Tonight we hope for the best of the three. Opera News may be there to review the production, and do a spot on Diamond Opera Theatre. That would be big for all involved.
I really enjoy these times. I love performing. I like everything that goes with it, from rehearsals, to cocktail parties with patrons, to wandering around a place I don't know while I'm here. But I have quickly discovered my favorite part of it all is going home. With all of the rewards of traveling for a production also comes the burden of being away from home. I enjoy the time I spend here in Hudson, Palm Beach, Italy, or anywhere. They hardly ever fail to be great experiences. Tonight is our final show. We have a cast party and patron's function directly after. Then, I get to go home.
