30 Days of NYMF Day 24: The Night of the Hunter

The Night Before The Night of the Hunter
By Stephen Cole, author of the book and lyrics

So here I sit on Sept. 25th, the night before the opening of The Night of the Hunter at 37 Arts. We have done our final run-through at the Chelsea Rehearsal Studios and we're ready to move into the theatre. 

The three-week rehearsal experience has been amazing. Watching and listening to your show come to life is an event like no other. To hear your words spoken and sung by the likes of Beth Fowler, Dee Hoty, Brian Noonan, Mary Stout, Gerry Vichi, Gordon Weiss and Sy Adamowsky is akin to nirvana.

There are many other sides to the coin as well. Need I mention the three or four sound designers that came and went with the wind? Need I mention the anxiety over who our percussionist be? Need I mention the 18-hour days? Need I mention the fact that our last run-through coincided with the time we were supposed to have a promotional song done at Virgin Records and we couldn't make it? Need I mention that we had to replace our darling 8 year-old star with an equally darling 7 year-old halfway through the rehearsal process? Of course I need mention them! These and may others are part of the "festival experience!"  The good, the bad, the ugly, the amazing!

The Night of the Hunter has been developed over the years and now that it is in the shape the author's (all right, I am the only living author! But since we have a ouiji board in the show, I have been able to contact Claibe Richardson on the other side…incidentally he said, it's very nice there if you order the Kosher meal…and he thinks our show is just dandy, although he noticed a changed chord in the orchestration and damned orchestrator Larry Moore to hell, but that's another story!) have always wished it would be in, we are ready to show our wares.

As I look forward to our opening, I recall so many things.  How well I recall the first read through when Beth Fowler made us all cry in the scene that took place as Christmas at the end of the show…oops, it's cut now, but Beth still makes us all cry with the magic of her artistry.  How well I recall Mary Stout making us all hysterical with the aforementioned "ouiji board" and the song that goes with it. And how we all marveled at how brilliant Gerry Vichi played Mary's husband in that and several other scenes.  My memories of Dee Hoty transforming herself from the sophisticated lady we all know and love into a simple West Virginia widow who is naïve and trusting enough to let a killer into her home.

And then there is the killer himself, the wolf in sheep's clothes played by Brian Noonan. No surprises there as I was mesmerized by every performance he gave in the role in the San Francisco World Premiere two years ago. Under the brilliant Nona Lloyd's direction, he has blossomed even more into the epitome of evil. And what a contrast he is to twelve-year-old Sy Adamowsky who plays the leading role of John Harper. The goodness, professionalism and common sense that emanates from this actor is what makes coming to rehearsal worth it. 

So, with great nerves, and even greater excitement, I sit writing this late on night before our opening. May we all get some rest, for we will need it…Did I mention I am calling the sound cues? Un-mute John, un-mute Willa, un-mute the Preacher…mute Stephen Cole…the curtain is going up.

For tickets and more information, visit www.nymf.org.