When we got there, we had to sign in and then waited around for a while until everyone arrived. There were all kinds of logistics to work out -- we had to get our stuff put away and whatnot. Everyone on the crew was really nice and accomodating, making sure we were all okay throughout the afternoon. Filming itself didn't begin for quite a while after we got there, because of all of the logistics. The assistant director came out and introduced himself, made sure everyone knew the basic plot of the film and told us what we'd be doing during the day. He said that he knew a lot of people there were fans of Adam's, and that they were going to be sure to set time aside for him to schmooze with his fans if anyone wanted an autograph, picture, or just to say hi. That's just one of the ways in which they were so much nicer and more accomodating than they needed to be. Adam also made an appearance to thank everybody for coming and helping out, which was sweet.
The first thing we got to watch was Adam and the guy who emcees the event at the hotel do a short scene, which had some well-written Jewish humor in it. They're just sort of peeking out from behind the curtain and Bobby is asking about Kaballah and stuff. After that, the crew spent a while re-seating us and arranging us for the crowd shots. We had shoot laughter reacting to the opening act for Bobby's shot, the entrance for the Rabbi and his Kaballah scholars, confusion at Bobby's introduction and a bunch of shots of being shocked/offended by Bobby's pelvic thrusting and other "obscene" dance moves, after which people would get up and leave because they were so offended.
I got to say hi to Adam during the lunch break, when we went outside for some fresh air. He was incredibly sweet, and he just gives the best hugs ever.
After lunch, we went back into the theater and did some more reaction scenes for a while. Adam was great; he'd walk across the stage waving every now and then to keep people entertained, his hoodie generously half-unzipped. Then we had a break to get changed, because the rest of the shoot was for scenes that were taking place on a different day. The stage was being set up, so we had a long time to wait. There were fake flames on either side and fancy lights for the performance. I had been beginning to think that maybe he wouldn't be performing after all, but hearing some music gave me hope again. I ran outside to go to the bathroom, and realized that a crowd had formed in the back part of the lobby, where the music was coming from. Adam and his two back-up dancers were practicing.They were playing music in a boom box, and at first I thought it was just whatever was around. It took me a while to even recognize Adam's voice, because it was so over-produced in that nineties techno-pop kind of way. The dance was an odd... Jewish hip-hop dance thing, and poor Adam looked like he was concentrating so, so hard. He wasn't half-bad. A little too white, a little too Jewish, but not bad.
We went back inside and got ready to film the reactions to Bobby's final, redeeming performance. We had to cheer and be amazed and whatnot. For each reaction shot, we had been given some sort of focal point, whether it was a mic or the AD pretending to be Adam. This time, Adam stood at the focal point and made silly faces, which was certainly fun. He danced a little bit, because the song was playing -- we were supposed to rock out to it, or something. The final two takes had Adam and the two dancers actually perform the song; Adam was lip-synching to the track, but he was really good at it. Until he moved away from the mic on the stand with no change in volume, I was sure he was actually singing. His dancing was a total throw-back to the Cabaret era, but he was kind of adorable. He got more comfortable with it as the song went on, too. It was a really great way to end the night, even though everyone was totally exhausted.
Overall, I had fun. It was tedious and long and tiring, but as a total non-actor, I was fascinated to get a glimpse into the industry. Getting to see Adam one-on-one was a bonus, and the performance was totally worth it.
A work of art is an invitation to love.
Updated On: 12/18/06 at 12:43 AM
