After three weeks of rehearsing in a studio on Madison Street in Hoboken, for which there was not a single rainy day, Mile Square Theatre moved its production to Frank Sinatra Park for a two-week run of open-air performances of Cyrano. I am the artistic director. Here is my rundown of the events:Monday, July 12. It’s raining. Sound, light, costumes, and set arrive at Sinatra Park. Jerome Hoppe, our lighting designer, manages to mount the lights atop the café. We wait around for the rain to stop. No such luck. What can we do? We contact the actors and tell them not to show up. We call it a day. I buy an ice cream bar from the café. I try to remain upbeat.
Tuesday, July 13. Rain and mist. Between showers we continue to work out technical setups. A lot of waiting around in the café for the rain to subside. Jerome has brought a handheld video game to wait it out. I’m jealous. I didn’t even bring a newspaper. Instead, I buy a pint of ice cream from the café and eat it. All of it. The actors arrive and we manage to rehearse transitions. We reschedule the final dress rehearsal for Wednesday afternoon, which is our opening. I buy another pint of ice cream.
Wednesday, July 14. Cloudy skies and a storm watch. It hasn’t rained all day. Ever hopeful, we set up for a 4:30 run-through. Annie Wheeler, stage manager, gives the call for the first cue. “Sound cue one, go.” Thunder, lightning, and a deluge of near-biblical proportions. We cancel the rehearsal and our opening performance. I go for another pint. The company sits me down for an intervention. My ice cream habit is out of control.
Thursday, July 15. Beautiful clear skies. However, we have no show scheduled tonight.
Friday, July 16. Overcast. It doesn’t rain! The show goes on. We have a full house. The audience loves it! I celebrate with a frozen yogurt.
Saturday, July 17. Cloudy skies. Another dry night. We have a bigger house. Couples on dates. Parents with their kids. Picnic lunches. A standing ovation. Just as I had imagined it. My wife rewards me with a serving of sherbet.
Sunday, July 18. Heavy rain. We cancel yet another show. I’m disappointed but trust that next week, the weather will cooperate. I’m handling it well. I’m eating Tofuti.
Mile Square Theatre’s production of Cyrano continues this week: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 21, 23, 24, and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Sinatra Park in Hoboken. Free admission. See www.milesquaretheatre.org.
Hoboken resident Chris O’Connor is artistic director of the Mile Square Theatre.
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