West Side Story Update. OMG doubling becomes exponentially harder when you add instruments. I think I can say reed instruments are even MORE of a pain than doubling other instruments, at least those others are "fixed" and play somewhat the same every time you pick them up. But I'm playing SIX different reed instruments for this show, which means at least 6 reeds to keep wet and happy during the whole show (and 8 if you count the double reeds as 2, which I think I will just cuz). CRAZY.
And who would have thought each instrument would have its own quirks - like the top register of the bass clarinet is WAY harder than I expected, and I can get "in the zone" but as soon as I get that going, I switch to saxophone and wreck that whole embouchure. Kinda glad this is a benefit! But I expect overall I will do fine, WISH we had cuts of at least the big numbers we won't be doing. I KNOW they have this information (like they are probably cutting some of the big dances since it's a concert version), but for some reason I can't get across that I really don't mind adding the little cuts later. I guess they think it's better to give them to us all at once (at the sitzprobe!)
I did get one biggish cut from one of the singers last night - but most of them only write down things that directly pertain to them - and as we know most show singers don't actually count (come on, you know it's true!) they just come in "when it's time". So I have one cut that leaves out 2 pages of oboe (NOT the instrument I'd choose for cuts, but at least I know). And it looks like at least one of the EH parts (2 in the whole piece for a total of 16 bars) is good to go. Hopefully it is a big solo. It is the melody, so it's possible.
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