Doctor’s Desk

As mentioned in the previous post, I came down with a nasty bug the morning after going on as Christine. As of this writing, well over half our cast and crew has suffered through some kind of intestinal complaint. Not even the producer escaped. The water here is contaminated, and you can pick up the bug anywhere at any time. Once it’s in, the body reacts violently until the infection is killed off with antibiotics. The situation can get pretty ugly.

Upon my request, our tour manager scheduled a doctor’s visit for me and another colleague who had just come down with the same malady. Off we went – on our first day off! – chauffeured by the promoter’s driver to an unknown region of this never-ending metropolis.

In the States, we’re used to obsessively clean and organized medical clinics, thanks to OSHA and other regulations. Developing nations don’t have particularly high standards of hygiene, as I’m discovering first hand. The examination room was clean enough, but compared to what I’m used to, it didn’t seem especially sanitary, and the entire office emitted a rather peculiar smell. And then there was the very interesting bathroom . . .

But I digress.

Examining Table

The doctor patiently listened to our list of symptoms and proceeded to give us a lecture about acid production in the stomach and the necessity of chewing food properly for digestion. I tried to make the point that this particular bodily reaction certainly had more to do with an invasion of foreign bacteria than indigestion, given the symptoms and the fact that I normally wolf down food without any adverse effects. He wasn’t having it. I had to shut up.

Finally, he examined me; he took my blood pressure – but not my temperature – poked around a little, and listened to my intestines, which he pronounced “very noisy.” That was it. He diagnosed a case of indigestion and bacterial infection. He gave me and my colleague each a shot in the backside and a little goody bag of pills to take home with us. The pills were all sealed, and the needles were clean. And the doctor was very nice. It could have been much worse.

Goody Bag

A couple more pictures:

Medicine Cabinet

Strange Potpourri Basin & More Meds

I started to feel better within a day, and I’m now back to normal. I’m even chewing my food more conscientiously.

Next post: A Heavenly Day Away from J-town

I went on as Christine the next night, Sunday Feb 19, 2012, but under vastly different circumstances.

Jakarta had its way with me, hitting hard and fast the morning after my debut. There’s really no way to know for sure, but I suspect it was either the strawberries in my dessert or the Big Mac someone ordered me for dinner. Ugh. I spent the majority of the next day in bed and in the bathroom – sick as a dog with an intestinal stomach bug. My colleague had soldiered through several performances in that state & was still unwell. With both of us sick, lead and understudy, our producer had a difficult decision to make – who would go on as Christine?

The show must go on.

I was the lucky winner of that contest.

So, I girded my loins – literally and figuratively! – and headed over to the theater, still very, very sick. That night was a victory of another kind – I got up on stage and got through that three hour show! I hadn’t been able to keep anything down all day except a few crackers and some water. By the end of Act 1, I could drink a little vitamin water and had more energy. I prayed hard. Two men from my church had come over earlier in the day to give me a blessing of healing and comfort. Others prayed. I gave it my best. I didn’t have the advantage of having worked the role into muscle memory over and over during the rehearsal process, and there were some slips. But somehow I was mostly able to be in the moment as Christine. I was still able to sing. It was a little lighter than normal, but my voice held together. Fortunately, my body did too, once I got up on stage.

Another miracle. Of an entirely different kind.

Stay tuned for the next post about Jakartan Revenge & the Slightly Scary Doctor’s Visit

~Kristin

Aphrodite Costume

I’m writing from Jakarta, Indonesia, where I’ve been on tour for the past 2 weeks with a production of Ivan Jacob’s Phantom of the Opera.

It has been an adventure, let me tell you!

As of today we’re halfway through our run, and a LOT has happened. But for this first post on my performance blog, I’d like to tell you about a particularly exciting experience last Saturday, February 18, 2012 – probably one of the most thrilling performance experiences of my life – where life literally imitated art.

I went on as Christine. As the understudy.

To give you a little background on the story, Christine Daee is a young soprano at the Paris Opera who is tutored by a mysterious “Angel of Music” whose voice appears in her dressing room. In reality, he is the Phantom of the Opera, a deformed masked man who haunts the bowels of the opera house. Christine is understudy to the grand diva, Carlotta. One night, after the Phantom diabolically renders Carlotta unable to sing, Christine goes on in her place and sings her heart out, surprising everyone.

And that’s kind of what happened. I was cast as the understudy for Christine. The music was a challenge to learn and I’d never done dialogue before – this is my first experience with “Music Theater.” During rehearsals, I just tried to soak up everything I could. I watched my colleagues like a hawk and worked on the material with my coach and understudy counterparts. We didn’t have time for our own understudy rehearsal, even after arriving in Jakarta. As we finally got our show up and running, I spent every night in the wings watching, reviewing, getting it all into my mind and body.

Unfortunately, our first grueling week in Jakarta was tough on all of us. My colleague Natalie, who plays Christine, got very, very ill. The Phantom curse struck like lighting.

I got the call at 6PM, 2 hours before our show. I’d had a feeling all day and the night before that I would need to go on, so I warmed up for the role, spent extra time with the material, and saved my voice during the matinee. Once the call came, a rush of adrenaline, excitement, and nerves hit me full on. I gathered up my things, breathing “I’m going on, I’m going on!” at least a dozen times, and ran over to the theater. Jose fit me into Christine’s dresses, Trent worked his wig & makeup magic, Kathy wrangled with my mic packs until they were firmly on my legs with double-sided tape. I worked through a few scenes with Shouvik (Phantom) & Louis (Didot), felt out the stage a little. Brian (Phantom’s understudy) and Chris (Raoul) ran through lines with me, Renee posted the news to my Facebook profile, I got dressed, and it was show time.

Christine enters the show in a big ensemble number, “The Opera,” and suddenly it was over and Kristin Jensen made her debut to all of Jakarta as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, while Christine Daee made her debut to all of Paris as Marguerite in Faust. It was electric! Life imitating art! The entire show was thrilling – every scene, every song. Somehow, without any proper rehearsal, I was able to nail those scenes, to be in the moment responding as Christine. My voice was in great form, the music felt easy. My colleagues watched from the wings cheering me on. I felt a quiet, heavenly peace inside and all around me.

It was a miracle.

Here are some pictures of the experience:

Wig Fit & Mike Pack

Marguerite Gown

Running Lines with Brian

With my Raoul

Being a Girl

Three videos – all were shot from the wings:

Marguerite in the Faust Trio with John Tsosoros as Enrico/Faust and Brian Wahlstrom as Mephistopholes.

The end of Act 1 with Shouvik Mondle as Phantom & Chris Behmke as Raoul, and the response of my colleagues as I came backstage.

Part of “Living on the Edge” with Chris Behmke as Raoul.

I just can’t express what an amazing experience it was to sing Christine, how grateful I am for the blessing of such wonderful, supportive colleagues, and that I took the time to prepare! When the door opened, I was ready.

Next Post: Night Two as Christine – the Rest of the Story

~Kristin