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Thanks to all who came out to the Moliere shows this week. It was an extraordinary experience seeing this production take shape and grow through the week and tremendously gratifying to play in front of such a large, warm and appreciative audience last night. It was an epic journey for us, but completely worth the effort. Wonderful to see so many friends and supporters, and to gain a deeper understanding of masque, from the French perspective! Stay tuned.....

The fun continued today as we put everyone together - actors, dancers, singers - for the first time, two days before opening! As always seems to happen, everyone was delighted with each other and there was much hilarity and interest in each performer's "moments". One of the many fascinating and brilliant aspects of this production, for me, is the tremendous chemistry that Derek (the Bourgeois) and Jean-Francois Gagnon (Le Malade) have.

Another great day of rehearsal today. I realize I haven't written for a couple of days, but things have been busy. With the arrival of the dancers and Dorothea Ventura last night, everyone is now in town and the race to opening night begins....We had a good day yesterday with the small orchestra (recorder, 2 violins, 2 violas, cello and harpsichord) and singers. The whole idea of the evening is that M.

Another terrific day in the studio, this time rehearsing the big fight that happens in Le Bourgeois between the Music Master, Dancing Master, Fencing Master and Philosopher. M. Jourdain is a wealthy merchant who has hired experts in the fields of art, combat and philosophy. He has his private lessons, and when his teachers come in contact with one another, they quarrel about who's profession is the most worthwhile and who's is worthless! At one point in the play, the argument becomes so heated that it erupts in fight.

These stories, and the wonderful music that accompanies them, are really getting to me! We had another long and productive day of rehearsals today, adding Jean-Francois Gagnon (Fencing Master and Argan) into the mix. I was also delighted to be reunited with Noam Krieger, our wonderful Dutch harpsichordist who comes regularly to play with us. He's a particular help on this show, with his great knowledge of languages and French musical style. The singers are throwing themselves into the music and are connecting well to the story, especially Le Bourgeois at this point.

We had a full day today in the handsome rehearsal hall of Toronto Operetta Theatre at Queen and Carlaw. It was wonderful to be reunited with Marie-Nathalie and Isabeau Proux-Lemire and to get to work on the show! Derek basically blocked the first six pages of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and we all had alot of fun hamming it up in character. Derek's "Gentilhomme" is a sight to behold. I just love the tone he brings to the character and the way he delivers the boorish lines. It's really quite hilarious. I'm having a great time playing the Music Master to Marie-Nathalie's Dancing Master.

I am beside myself with excitement after hearing the singers for the first time this evening. We had a very informal sing-through of the material and they are - each one of them - very special. The "comedies" of Moliere are full of splendid songs, ensembles, choruses and dances by the finest French composers of the day: Jean-Baptiste Lully and Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and the music to Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme and Le Malade Imaginaire is simply gorgeous.

It's with a combination of fear and excitement that I enter into our short but intense rehearsal period tomorrow for the upcoming Moliere Celebration. Fear because one never knows quite how things are going to go. It seems a daunting prospect to be putting together such an intricate piece of music theatre in the space of a week and a half, but we have once again assembled a terrific team of performers and I have every confidence we'll hit the stage next Wednesday night - May 12 - with a great show.

Well, there seems to be no rest in sight these days. The TMT folks are going full speed ahead with planning for the upcoming Moliere Celebration. Derek and I are going to Montreal next weekend (april 10-11) for some rehearsals and design meetings with Marie-Nathalie and her gang there. I'm so happy that her "corps de ballets" - Mickael Bouffard, Marie-Laurence Primeau and Nina Richmond-Goring - will be coming back to perform with us in the Moliere. They were terrific in both King Arthur and The Indian Queen and are such fun to work with.

It's been nearly a month since The Mummers' Masque closed, but the excitement of it still resonates and I look back on the whole experience as having been so valuable and positive for TMT. I was confident but still amazed at how well the project came together and was simply astounded at how much energy, openness and professionalism everyone brought to the piece.