Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
August 10, 2004:

THE TELLER OF TALES

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we survived our first performance in front of an audience and we are here to tell the tale. I am, after all, a teller of tales or am I a taller of tells? We had about fifty people see the show, including many cast members of the tour of The Producers – they came to see Alet as Alet’s loving husband Andy Taylor is playing Leo Bloom in the tour. There were quite a few elderly people, too, from a papering service. Overall, I was very pleased with how the show ran. It was very smooth, there were no disasters and the cast did very well for the most part. The audience reaction was very good for a first try with some really big laughs. But even when they weren’t laughing they were quiet and attentive and smiling, which is all you can hope for. I think as the cast gets more solid and more used to playing for the audience, things that aren’t getting the laughs they should will get the laughs they should. The opening played just as I hoped it would. Several of the What Ifs really played like gangbusters and a few didn’t play as well, but I believe that that was because the set-ups to a few of them were off. The set-ups to the What Ifs are everything – if the cast member throws it away it’s confusing for the audience. The What Ifs that landed perfectly were the ones that were set up loudly and strongly – the ones that didn’t had weaker set-up performances and we’ll be working on those today prior to the show. We’re still finding our way with the sound, and I’m hoping it will be more to my liking tonight. And would you like to know the single biggest laugh-getter at our first performance? The new bit we added last week, the spoof of coming attractions. It literally killed – the theater shook with the large laughs. In fact, they missed much of the dialogue because they were laughing so hard. I knew it was funny but didn’t know how it would score, so I couldn’t have been more pleased. Biggest song reaction at our first performance – Alet’s If I Can’t Take it With Me. It will be interesting tonight to see if we can tighten and strengthen what isn’t playing as well as I’d like. I have no idea how many people we’ll have in the audience. I do know that tonight’s audience seemed very pleased with it, and the best part was that several of the elderly people came up to me and told me that they loved the spoofs. That was heartening, as I, of course, am concerned that some of the material is very insular to musical comedy fans. There, I have told the tale and I will have more tales to tell after the show this evening. After all, I am the teller of tales.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I have more tales to tell, don’t you know.

I told a fib. I don’t really have any more tales to tell. Nor do I have any more tells to tale. I am all out of tales and also all out of tails. Did you notice with a one-letter difference the word “fib” becomes “fig”? No, no, not “figs” – raisins – ah, liaisons. What am I, Stephen Sondheim all of a sudden?

I’m in the midst of watching Judgment at Nurmeburg on DVD. A real talking picture, but the performances are really wonderful, the dialogue is excellent and it’s quite riveting at times. Since it’s over three hours long I won’t have a full report for another couple of days. But, never fear, when I finish I will tell the tale for I am, after all, a teller of tales.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must do errands, I must attend to things that need attending to and I must eat something before going off to the theater (I forgot to last night). Today’s topic of discussion: In honor of the telling of tales, what were/are your favorite fairy tales from your youth – you know, the stories that really captured your imagination and filled you with wonder or fright or laughter. And what were your favorite children’s books. Don’t hold back, tell all the tales for we are, after all, the tellers of tales. And don’t forget your continued excellent hainsies/kimlets vibes and xylophones for our next few performances.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved