oncemorewithfeeling2 said: "Or Matias is almost another character in the story. He's so animated in how he works, but still so precise. The nature of the show puts him and a few of the other orchestra members out so clearly that it's hard to not think if them as characters. Or's dancing and playing around during "The Duel" was fun to watch.
"
This is so true. I've always been sad if I get there and see that he's out for a show, even more so than some of the actors! During his speech, Dave shared that Or first met the show's team when he auditioned for the role of Balaga at Ars Nova, and while that may seem crazy, it's not so much if you think about what an unstoppable little ball of energy he always is in that pit. It's like he's doing "Balaga" all show long! He was beating on that piano during his last "Charming," and just having the time of his life, which is so infectious for everyone around him. Even Dave Malloy, who's sitting right behind him there in the pit during "Charming" and is supposed to be looking all dour and Pierre-ish, just couldn't hold character yesterday, and he just had the biggest smile on his face watching Or jam to his music in that last big chorus of the song.
While I feel like he's always played every show like it's his last, one of my enduring memories of him will be that last music/lighting cue of the last show, when he's holding and holding that last note of "The Great Comet of 1812" with his hands, while looking up at the glowing comet. That light on his face while he holds the show in his hands, it's a very poignant image. He's truly the center of that last tableau of the show, him, the comet, and Dave all alone in the dark.
It seemed that the cast gave him 100% and more today, and they looked like they were having a ball in the pit all show long.
