Life in the Faust Lane

by Erica Kelch 

Juggling provides some wonderful and unexpected opportunities. I thought an appearance on the evening news was a big deal until I received a phone call from a woman named Debby asking me if I knew of jugglers who would perform in the Cleveland Opera's production of "Faust:.  I immediately signed on, and said that I'd spread the word in our juggling club. But no one else seemed to consider the thrill of performing, and the opportunity to hear the opera over and over for free, as adequate payment. 

The time for the first rehearsal arrives, and I am exhausted, since the Cleveland SIRCUS fest just ended a few hours earlier. I was prepared to perform solo, but Bob Schutz agrees at the fest to join me. We head to the first rehearsal together. 

First we are costumed. They put me in a long dress, scoop-necked to show off cleavage (if you had any) and laced up the front. Bob, an all-American Ohio guy, is freaked out when he finds out he will have to wear tights, but gets used to the idea. We pass a few clubs in our outfits, and I decide I can juggle in the dress. They agree to alter the too-tight shoulders for me (to accommodate those juggling muscles), and we remove the costumes and head out to the rehearsal hall. 

We are officially introduced to the cast, who has been rehearsing the music for a month already, as "the people who throw things around." They give us a round of welcoming applause! The rehearsal begins and the room fills with wonderful voices and great music! The flown-in principle performers are also there for the first time, and their well-trained voices and talent floor me. I know at that moment that agreeing to do this was the right thing to do. Why haven't I been an opera fan before now? 

"Faust," by Charles Francois Gounod, is the story of an aging scholar and scientist who concludes that his life is meaningless and offers to sell his soul to the Devil in exchange for youth and love. He becomes a dashing young man and wins the heart of the lovely Marguerite, but one thing leads to another and the poor gal finds herself pregnant. Her brother dies in a duel with Faust, and she ends up going insane, later to find salvation. It's an odd story, but the music is fabulous and the special effects make it an exciting, magical adventure. 

 The jugglers appear in a scene called the "Kermesse," a "merry fair" where Mephistopheles (the devil) entertains the crowd and Faust meets Marguerite. We learn musical cues to know when to come on stage and stop, accept mimed payment from the spectators, then blend into the scenery before coming out to juggle a bit more. We are on once again later, jumping up on tables and juggling in the background at the end of the fair and Act 1. 

I can't make the second rehearsal because of work. Bob does, but he has to drop out because he has accepted a new job that conflicts with i the performance times. We convince two other jugglers to participate - Wayne Harris, "The Disco Juggler," and Scott Slesnick, who lives a long way away from Cleveland. 

The third rehearsal is a straight run-through. But, they don't tell us that and we aren't in the right place for our first cue! Ooops! Thankfully, they are very patient with us. When we hear our cue, Scott and I come out passing clubs and Wayne does three ball tricks. They had wanted only two jugglers, but advise all three of us to go out on stage since we're all here so that we all get the experience. As I was hoping, the director says he loves the way it looks with all three of us! Having studied French as a kid, I try to understand a word here and there. I swear the chorus is singing "Poisson du Jour! Poisson du Jour!" but can't figure out how "fish of the day" fits into the story line. A chorus member explains they are actually singing "Valson toujours!" -' waltz forever! 

The fourth rehearsal is Sunday night, this time on the real stage. The director decides that one of the male cast members should try to ask me for a date after our juggling act, but I should act skeptical because I believe he is already married. Oh, boy, I get to act, too! I'm having a ball!