An Officer and a Gentleman - Sydney Lyric, The Star, Sydney from 18 May 2012

First, let me tell you that everyone on this production works six days a week, with only Sunday off. I am amazed at just how much hard work goes into production. Me? I have three jobs I do for the production: (1) Write this blog, (2) Help plan the big opening night event after the show on May 18, and (3) Keep my husband going. The days are long and intense.

On Monday I watched the director, Simon Phillips, block the actors through a number of difficult scenes from Act One, including the big opening number in Manila that involves the entire company. "Blocking" means working out the moves everyone makes in the scene, and Simon worked this scene at least ten times with each member of the cast, until he got it right. The scene involves prostitutes, sailors, street characters, and the 11-year-old boy who plays Zack as a kid, arriving in this Navy pleasure town to beg his father, a Navy enlisted man, to give him a home.

Since the boy to play this part had not yet been cast (actually, they have to cast four boys to play this part), Tanya Mitford (the girl who did so well in the martial arts drills I told you about in my first blog) played the part to perfection. I have learned that she is the "resident director" and must know every role and every move by every character, so that she can supervise the running of the show after it opens. I will try to get an interview with her for one of my next blogs. On Tuesday, the big thrill for me was watching the actors go through rifle drill training under the guidance of Tony Garland. He taught them to march and make precision moves with their rifles for a scene that will take place late in Act Two, when the inept candidates have grown into a precision team. They even did a drill where they had to throw their rifles to one another in a precise, military way.

I forgot to mention that all the actors had to run from the rehearsal studio to the Lyric Theater (where the rifle drills took place) and back, as part of their training. That's a total of 5.6 kilometers (just under 4 miles). This is not the only day they will do this run. There is a whole conditioning program for the actors to get them ready for their parts as Officer Candidates in the show. Which brings me to… the wall.

For those of you who are familiar with my husband's movie, one of the biggest scenes is when Zack (Richard Gere) helps female candidate Seegar (Lisa Eilbacher) finally get over the dreaded wall. In the new musical version, Seegar is a young and angry black woman nicknamed "Ghetto Girl". On Wednesay, March 28, the actors were introduced to the wall. It was a real test for all of them and you could feel the tension in the room. The guys all made it, but it was clearly difficult for most of them. Our lead, Ben Mingay, sailed over.

Time to close this blog. I've given you the highlights of week two and our short week #3 (because of the Easter holiday). In my next blog I'll explain the meaning of a "stumble through" and tell you about watching Alex Rathgeber, our "SID", sing the Australian National Anthem at the Golden Slipper races, where they unveiled the largest LED screen in the southern hemisphere with a clip about our production! Until next week, I'm Judy Stewart, with the world premier of An Officer and a Gentleman, The Musical.

Hi. I'm Judy Stewart, the wife of screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart, the Academy Award nominated writer of the film "An Officer and a Gentleman." When I arrived in Sydney a week ago for the start of rehearsal, the production team asked me to write a blog about the show, from my perspective, not some inside sales job, and I said I'd love to do it. I've been on the ride of my life with this show for ten years, watching Douglas and the other members of the creative team take it through readings and workshops in New York and Australia, so I felt I was in a unique place to give readers a personal look at the making of a major stage musical.

When Douglas and I arrived in Sydney a little over a week ago, I told him to "fasten his seat belt" and I say the same to you. This simple Cinderella story of two working class heroes who are lifted "Up Where We Belong" has already won the hearts of the world, and now I am sure the musical version will win a whole new audience of dreamers, young and old, who still believe in the power of love.

First week of rehearsals began with a bang. The media turned out in force to see the Arts and Gaming Minister, George Souris, welcome the production at their ABC Studios rehearsal hall. Douglas and I had met Mr Souris at the media launch in August and we were excited to see him again, and appreciative of his warm words about the production. Ben and Amanda sang Up Where We Belong, and were joined by the rest of the cast for the chorus. Then the media interviewed the principals individually. Suddenly it was over, and the hard work began. Our set designer, Dale Ferguson, presented his imaginative set designs for the show: edgy scaffolding with moveable pieces that will allow for the story to be told in a fast-evolving style. After this, the cast sang through the entire score.

On Tuesday March 20, there was another vocal call, with the full ensemble and swings running through the score, followed in the afternoon by a complete reading of the libretto. It was clear to me, after seeing so many workshops here and in New York, that we had finally found our perfect cast. Ben Mingay is the perfect Zack, a real "bad boy" with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. Amanda Harrison is ideal for the new Paula, a slightly stronger Paula than in the film, with the dream of escaping the factory and becoming a trauma nurse. Alex Rathgeber, our doomed Sid Worley in our earlier Australian workshops, is excellent in this complex part, as is Kate Kendall as Lynette, the factory girl who plots ruthlessly to become his wife. Candidate Ramon Gutierrez, a Latin American who they nickname "Heart Throb" is a new character in the story. Josh Piterman, our Gutierrez from the earlier reading, is back to give new fun and humor to this part. Another returning favorite is Zahra Newman who plays Seegar, the girl who struggles to get over the wall. More about the cast in my next blog.

Wednesday started with a blocking call for Zack and his father Byron, played by the veteran star of the Australian stage Bartholomew John. Remember in the movie when Zack wakes up and finds himself in bed with his father and two girls? Yes, that's in the musical too. That afternoon I got to witness exciting fight training and choreography ably conducted by Kyle Rowling from the Sydney Stage Combat School. Remember those amazing fights from the film, where Zack demolishes some townies, and later gets his comeuppance from Drill Instructor Foley? After watching today, I can safely tell you that these moments will be even more exciting on stage. Kyle demonstrated many of the moves using Tanya Mitford as his "victim." She was so good with her moves I thought at first she was part of Kyle's school, but she is in fact our Resident Director and Choreographer. Bert LaBonte, who was our Foley in a past workshop, returns in this demanding leading role that won Lou Gossett Jr. the Academy Award for Best Support Actor in 1982.

On Friday, the cast members who play the Officer Candidates worked out on "the wall," a grueling test of strength and stamina that they must be able to accomplish by the time we go on stage. And on Saturday we did a run-through of most of the first act. After six days of rehearsal, I was exhausted so I could only imagine how the cast, crew and creative team felt. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be able to watch this dynamic process take shape, and I look forward to reporting on the next week of adventures in my upcoming blog. Until then I'm Judy Stewart, on the set of the new musical "An Officer and a Gentleman."