A DIFFERENT LOVE
by Emily Swallow ("She"
in Like Love)
This time last year, I was in Boston rehearsing for the tryout of High Fidelity. Haven't done a musical since. I gotta say, it's pretty cool for my
follow-up to be such a drastic contrast.
Where I had revolving set pieces intricately dressed to look like a
well-worn record store, I now have a 2x3 bench that serves as a bed, the
central scenic element. Where I had a
rockin' band blasting out guitar riffs, I now have a single piano played beautifully
by Brad Simmons. Where I had five weeks
in Boston
before our move to Broadway, I now have two weeks of rehearsal and seven
performances, total.
I loved the huge collaboration that was High Fidelity, but the intimacy of Like Love and the knowledge that we only have a few weeks to get
this puppy up and running is thrilling. It's the type of show that is served
well by such a minimalist approach. I am
happiest when I'm developing new work and, although Barry and Lewis have been
working on this on and off for the past ten years, this is the first time
they're going to get to see it fully staged.
That knowledge gives us even more motivation to focus, even if we're in
ridiculous rehearsal spaces or trying to do a weeks' worth of rehearsal in a
day. Considering these limitations,
thank god for Jon Patrick Walker (a fellow Hi
Fi-er) and Danielle Ferland, my partners in crime in this piece.
Given the truncated process, there has been no easing into
things—we've had to make bold choices from the start. Like
Love is about love (duh) and lust and vulnerability and intimacy and the
walls we put up to avoid being damaged by those dangerously thrilling things,
and it's reassuring to know that those two are going to have my back no matter
what I throw at them. It's a crazy
ride, and I'm enjoying it.
