The Blogging "Follies" Project - Tom Wopat arrives in Madison and begins rehearsing with the cast - Part 1

A few minutes earlier, Sarah Marty, the Four Season Theatre's managing director, was pasting marker tape on the floor of a dance studio in preparation for a rehearsal of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies." Now it's almost 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon and she's standing by a window overlooking a crowded parking lot, her cell telephone pressed tightly to her ear. She's talking to Tom Wopat, verbally guiding him to the building that houses Studio One Dance School.

Tom Wopat arrives for his first rehearsal with the "Follies" cast

A few minutes later, Wopat arrives, wearing a tweed coat, shades and a beret. He's carrying a leather briefcase in his left hand and a plastic bottle under his left arm. He signs the attendance sheet and heads for the cloakroom. In addition to removing his coat, shades, and beret, he'll remove his street shoes because they aren't permitted on the dance studio floor.

Tom Wopat removes his coat, Daniel Graupner removes his shoes, and Sarah Marty is the stage manager

In December, Wopat met the "Follies" cast at an organizational meeting, but this is the first time he's rehearsed with them.

Two of the walls of the dance studio are lined with mirrors, but although they will create some interesting images for my camera, the actors pay little attention to them. They don't observe themselves or stop to primp and preen. A third wall of the large, rectangular room is covered with windows that let in natural light. The remaining wall is painted white and has a ballet barre.

Almost as soon as Wopat enters the rehearsal room, he picks up his shadow: Jace Nichols, the understudy who has been filling the role of Ben until today. For most of the afternoon, Nichols will be beside Wopat, showing him where and when to move, and occasionally helping out when Wopat misses a line. Wopat is not "off book" yet, so he carries a notebook with lyrics and dialogue during most of the rehearsal. Nichols also carries a notebook with a copy of the musical score.

Tom Wopat and his understudy, Jace Nichols

Opening night at the Wisconsin Union Theater is less than a week away and several days of rehearsal have been lost to bad weather, so the pressure is on to work hard and polish every number, but that doesn't mean everyone is totally focused and grim. Early in the rehearsal, Wopat manages to make people laugh more than once. The laughter is often the result of an offhand comment he makes. Most are of the "you had to have been there" ilk that are very funny in the context of the rehearsal, but don't translate well when you try to retell them... so I won't.

When the first break arrives, Wopat pops into the cloakroom, where several members of the chorus are resting and asks if anyone knows the Badger basketball score. He's pleased when someone tells him the game is already over and the Badgers won. A UW-Madison alumnus, Wopat is an avid Badger sports fan. In 2001, when I wrote an article about Wopat's upcoming appearance at the Wisconsin Varsity Band Spring Concert, band director Mike Leckrone told me Wopat sometimes called him and asked about scores.

Wopat works hard, but he's unpretentious and accessible -- just another member of the cast. Occasionally, he'll stop and consult with director Katrina Williams Brunner about how a particular scene should be played. Since no one else appears to be doing this, someone observing just this rehearsal might be under the impression Wopat is demanding special attention or privileges. I know this isn't the case: I've been observing the rehearsal process for many weeks and know that other performers also have made suggestions about how their scenes should be played.

Andrew Abrams, Four Seasons Theatre's artistic director, later tells me that he finds watching Wopat's process -- the way he approaches scenes and achieves the arc of the scene -- fascinating and he learns a lot from it.

Tom Wopat consults with "Follies" director Katrina Williams Brunner

There's more to this story, but right now I have something else to do. I'll post more after I vote in Tuesday's primary election. And eventually, I post some more Saturday photos on my Flickr account: I took almost 500, including many of other members of the cast.

[To be continued]