I should write this down before I forget it! Also, then I can be done with A Chorus Line posts and move on to blogging about my newest adventure!

We added an intermission to the show for various reasons, so my monologue opened the second half of the show. But the third Sunday of the run, my mic went out. It was fine all of Act 1, and then suddenly it stopped working.

I knew about three words into my monologue that something was up. I couldn’t hear myself through the monitors, but I was certain my mic was on. (The switch was to the right: On!)

I kept talking and found a way to pose with my hands behind me a moment and switch it off…then on…I heard an electrical pop – the sound you get when you’ve plugged your phone or iPod into an auxiliary jack in the car. Still no sound.

At this point, I’ve realized there is nothing I can do about the mic not working. There were supposedly handheld mics back stage, but no one brought me one and I couldn’t just go get a mic, so I kept going. Loudly. I was doing some serious projecting…to the point that I had enough of an echo going that I thought maybe it’d started working again. Our pit was in another room with an audio and video feed – but with no mic, they’d not be able to hear me.

My friend Ben, who was sitting at the back of the house playing the director, Zach, is in the meantime getting hissed at by the music director: “Her mic is off! Her mic is off!” Mind you, I cannot hear any of this, but Ben can. So at some point he interrupts me and improvs, “Val, those mics that I gave everybody at the top of the audition so I could hear you all…there seems to be a problem with yours. Are you sure it’s on? I’m having a terrible time hearing you.” Ok good! He knows and is in essence letting the music director know. I felt safe now.

Val and Zach

And thank God that I took improv at Dad’s Garage. It kept me calm enough that I could answer Ben, “No Zach, it is actually on. I’ve checked. Let me try again…Still nothing?” I strike a sexy Val pose. “Guess I’ll just have to sing real loud then.”

So I pick up the monologue again. I don’t remember much at this point because my mind’s whirring a mile a minute. It was somewhere between autopilot and hyper focus. Suddenly, I hear the opening chords to my song when I’m still explaining about the Broadway auditions and dancing rings around the other girls. Nooooo, not yet! I’m still talking! Please watch the video feed for my dance 10 (10 fingers up), looks 3 (3 fingers up). Not there yet!

My friend Jordan told me I started talking faster at that point. The opening chords stopped and the incidental music may have started again. I cannot recall. So I get to the end of my monologue…hoping and praying the band can see where I am in the scene by the video feed. I kept my blocking and gestures consistent every show, so there was hope.

I finish my monologue and prepare for the song:

“…And on a scale of 10, they gave me…for dance: ten! For looks…three…Well!” Inwardly I am holding my breath. Please God, let them follow me.

And the music started! They followed me by the video feed alone.

I belted my face off. Thank you, Mrs. Bradford, for all your wonderful training. I had no mic, but I filled that house with sound and I am sure that everyone heard every word. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so victorious as when I finished that song.

I just did my monologue and song completely old-skool – no mic – with a band who could not even hear me…and it worked! I proved to myself that I can thrive under pressure, keep it together, and deliver a solid product. Very proud of myself.

Once I got back to the dressing room, it was quickly determined that the problem was not batteries or a dumb move on my part. The microphone pack had literally come apart. A plastic bit had come undone and the wire was exposed. It was fixable – and fixed after the show – but I did swap mics with Jordan (Mark in the show) so I could sing “What I Did for Love” with an actual working microphone.

Mark and Val

Which led to another “oh-I-hope-it-works” moment: We weren’t sure that it had been communicated clearly to our sound guy that Mark’s mic was now worn by Val. When I finally had a line in the “alternatives” scene, I could hear my voice through the monitors. It worked! Yes!

Post-script: Later that night I taped a video audition in my legit soprano voice. I was amazed that I had any sound left after 4 shows in 4 days – the last one projected with every ounce of my being. I didn’t have as much power and control over my voice as I usually do, but it sounded good to the others in the room. Someday I hope to have amazing news to post about that video audition. No news as of yet.

So now A Chorus Line is done. I’ll get some clips up eventually, but I’m already on to my next show: I’m playing Sally Bowles in Cabaret!