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MEMOIR
Working at Club Med: Just Your Average Week in Paradise
Sun’s out, rum’s out
The thick stage make-up and patterned, lycra costumes rendered us almost unrecognizable as we crept our way to the front of the theater. As the first notes from the musical Cats played, I chose the khakied leg of an audience member and rubbed my head against his knee in the slow, controlled movements of a feline. Predictably, he jumped and his wife burst into laughter. I moved on, joining my co-workers onstage.
Samantha was our resident songstress so she performed “Memories,” the show’s powerhouse solo. But because I know the words to all the songs I was chosen to lip-synch the refrain later in the show. I have a talent for lip-synching because I actually sing the song under my breath so it looks hyper-realistic. I was the only fake singer who got a round of applause at every performance.
When I applied to work at Club Med, I had no idea I’d wind up onstage, despite having no experience beyond school plays. It may have changed since the 90s, but back then the G.O.s (an acronym for Gentils Organisateurs or Congenial Hosts) provided the nightly entertainment. Some are musical theater alumni, while others, like myself, fumble our way through supporting roles.
