Well, dear readers, it’s already Wednesday, mid-week here at haineshisway.com. Yesterday was quite strange, but you can read about it in yesterday’s postings. I must write these here notes quickly and succinctly, not necessarily in that order. I just got home from the Pasadena Playhouse and I’m quite tuckered out. Writing ebonics all day really is quite wearying. I have much to do today – quite a few errands to run, a number of pages to write, and various and sundried other things to attend to. It’s called life, dear readers and, as we all know here at haineshisway.com, life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death. Or so says our very own Auntie Mame. In any case, I must stick to my dictum of quick and succinct notes. Have you ever stuck to your dictum? It’s quite unpleasant, actually, and hurts like the dickens when you try to become unstuck from your dictum. All right, what the hell am I talking about?
Last night I attended the opening night of Side by Side by Sondheim at the Pasadena Playhouse. It wasn’t the usual star-studded affair their openings frequently are, but I did see my pal, the lovely Billy Barnes, and I did see Miss Jane A. Johnston and her ever-lovin’ hubby, Mr. George Wallace. I told her ever-lovin’ hubby, Mr. George Wallace, that I’d immortalized him in Benjamin Kritzer. You see, Mr. George Wallace played one of Benjamin’s favorite characters, Commando Cody, and he actually wore the Commando Cody Rocket Jacket, which plays such an important part in Benjamin Kritzer. I gave him a copy of the book at intermission. I also saw my pal Harry Groener and his ever-lovin’ Dawn Didiwick, and I saw my pal Linda Purl with her new ever-lovin’. Also seen, Mr. Steve Orich, whom I’ve worked with many times and a few others. Now, on to the show. Since I know people in it, I don’t want to say too much, other than to say I don’t think I ever need to see the show again as long as I live. When this show was conceived in the seventies it was unique – there hadn’t really been a Sondheim revue before, the songs were still fairly fresh, and some of them weren’t really known at all. The connective dialogue, all those Sondheim stories, were also fresh. So, the problem with the show all these years later is that nothing is fresh – everyone knows the stories, the songs have all been sung thousands of times by thousands of people, and while it’s a good showcase for performers, that’s just not really enough anymore. The production has its moments, but they are too few and at times sitting through forty or fifty songs is just really an endurance test. The cast does fine, and there are a couple of high points, but I just found it a bit of a chore. Orson Bean narrates for the next two weeks, and he’s always fun to see. There was a party afterwards but Tammy wasn’t feeling well, so we didn’t attend. We did notice that on next season’s list of plays, in their small ninety-nine seat theater they are doing Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things. Apparently, Mr. LaBute has reconsidered his dictum that he didn’t want the play done in LA. His representatives will be getting a nasty little call from nasty little Miss Minoff tomorrow.
Well, these notes are not quick or succinct and my dictum has gone to hell. Why don’t we click on the Unseemly Button below so I can reconsider my dictum which, let me tell you, needs reconsidering.
Yes, I have reconsidered my dictum and now I shall stick to my dictum for sure: This here section will be quick and succinct and there are no one or two ways about it.
You see, wasn’t that paragraph quick and succinct. What a lovely dictum have I, don’t you think. Not only is the new dictum lovely, it seems to be working, which is a good thing for a dictum. There is nothing worse than a non-working dictum or, as we in show business like to call it, a dud dictum.
Well, enough of this idle chit-chat and also enough of this idle chat-chit. I must stick to my dictum and move these here notes to their happy conclusion.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must reconsider my dictum and then, having reconsidered my dictum, I must stick to my dictum come hell or high or low water. I must write, I must eat a hot dog, I must do errands and whatnot. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old thing you want to and we get to answer any old way we like. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, along with loads of lovely dictums.