Sorry to read about the lack-of-energy Act 1 last night. I'm sure BK will kick ASS and take names -- as well he should.
Oh -- re the pre-curtain speech which I meant to comment on when BK first posted of it -- When we did this show two years ago at another theater, we were fortunate in that the fund-raising rah-rah speech was given by someone who knew how to keep it energetic, amusing, and short. This current theater thankfully doesn't give them, and hasn't in the more than twenty years I've known them.
What they like to do, though, is tailor their recorded announcement to the show itself. This one is given by a very irreverent Santa and it truly loosens the audience up for what is to come. I think if any audience were to be unresponsive to this speech, we'd be in for a long night. Actually, the audience that I think loved it the most (it's a very naughty but bleeped delivery) was the preview audience which is always a full house of seniors. They were with it from the first little word...and the words get worse as you go. And they were with us throughout the show. Thankfully, every audience has been good, and some great, but those "old people" were an exceptional and memorable bunch.