'Encore': Castmates seem more interested in catching up and re-learning relationships than the rehearsals
In this week's episode of 'Encore,' schoolmates of Pacifica Christian High School, Santa Monica, got together to re-stage the musical 'Ragtime,' based on EL Doctorow's book of the same name.
More than being on the rehearsals, the castmates seemed interested in catching up with each other, trying to re-learn what their relationships were all about. And that was the highlight of the episode.
Asiah and Jonathan were dating at one point. Later, when they broke up, he went to her best friend and they started going out behind her back, which was a major deal-breaker for Asiah and pushed her away from Jonathan even further. But, the two had a mature conversation about it and settled it over a meal.
Chelsko, who is a professional singer, was nervous about the musical because the pressure was on and she thought she needed to prove herself. However, her old friends from school — Asiah and Jackie — were only interested in knowing why was Chelsko such a bothered soul. For the first time, she shared that she was suffering from an eating disorder and that was what kept her from being completely at peace during the high school days.
Chelsko has an interesting personality and because she belonged to an extremely conservative family, clothes were and continue to be her only way to express herself. Her nail paint, eyeliner, hat, and shoes — they all match to her clothes.
But, this landed her in trouble with the director of the musical. Chelsko was schooled for her appearance and choice of shoes. She wore a pair of heels to the rehearsals when she knew she had a lot of running around to do. In a casual sit-down, Chelsko was asked to dress down, wear simple clothes and stay off makeup, show up on stage neutral so that the makeup artists know how to shape her look for the show.
On the other hand, Jackie had issues of her own but those were only related to the show. She admitted to being insecure of her own voice not matching up to others. Asiah and the music director were able to calm her down and tell her that all she needs to do was be free.
Rehearsals were going on fine except for the time when castmates left the director flummoxed about how they'd quickly forget their cues and then, they had to be called, reminded that they were up next on stage.
The nervousness among the performers was at its peak and you could see it. And thanks to the bundled up nerves, Chelsko went on stage and forgot her lines and laughed instead. She was feeling terrible about it but Tyler was quick to console her saying, no one will remember the goof up.
This 'Ragtime' musical showed unity and how teamwork can make the dream work.