Well, dear readers, it seems like only yesterday when I said, “Here it is, yet another Sunday” when, in fact, it has been a week since I said, “Here it is, yet another Sunday.” That is because this week sped by even faster than usual. But, it was a productive week, I got a lot done, I got my book order, I got many packages, I got caught up and I got rhythm. I also finished the script yesterday and shall now take a few days away from it. After that, I shall read it straight through, make notes, and make whatever changes I deem necessary before sending it off to the producer. However, I’ve also been making changes every day – I go back, read what I wrote the day before and smooth it out before continuing on. Sometimes a new scene or bit of dialogue will cause me to go back and adjust something earlier in the script. So, I do a lot of rewriting as I go. I’m hoping our brand spanking new Writer’s Block site will be up and running, as planned, tomorrow. I shall let you know as soon as it’s “live” and then whomever wants to order the book can order the book. It will be less expensive here on the site and, of course, you get the special edition CD single with it. Happily, there will be no lag time between orders and shipping. The books will ship within a day or two of orders being placed. I got a sneak peek at the site yesterday, and it’s quite effective – very simple (which is what I wanted) and easy to navigate. You’ll be able to order the book, read its first chapter, and hear snippets of the songs included on the special edition CD single. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Yesterday afternoon I went to the Colony Theater to see its production of Grand Hotel, starring our very own Mr. Jason Graae. I’m always impressed when a theater like this takes on a big musical and I’m always impressed when it’s competently done instead of being amateurish. This production is competently done, certainly. Let me start by saying I’m not going to go on about this production at any length because Grand Hotel is one of those shows where the original Tommy Tune staging is so much what I have in my head, and was so much of a piece with the show that I can’t see beyond it. I don’t think Grand Hotel is a brilliantly written show, and the score has lovely stuff in it and stuff I can’t stand. That said, this production has many cuts in it (it runs an intermissionless ninety minutes), and because of the cuts some things just don’t work. The scullery workers, for example, are nowhere in evidence. The Karen Akers character has had her song Villa on the Hill cut. And lots of other little cuts. The direction is okay – busy, and perfunctory. The choreography borrows a few things from Tommy Tune and adds other things that aren’t nearly as effective. Because the piece isn’t that strong away from Mr. Tune’s vision, the casting is all-important, and too many in this cast are just serviceable, which isn’t enough for this show. Our very own Jason Graae is always fun to watch, but I wish he’d gone a little deeper and not relied so much on shtick. You’ve got to care about Otto, and you’ve got to believe his condition. And you’ve really got to see his journey – at the top of the show he’s like a walking dead man, and gradually he comes alive, despite his illness, all culminating in We’ll Take a Glass Together. But, that’s just me – the audience ate him up, and, in fact, ate the whole production up (this was an added performance and most of the audience of whoopers and hollerers were friends and relatives of the cast). Again, my comments are just what they are – mine – and again, I have Mr. Tune’s original production, a true one-off experience, too firmly ingrained in my head. That production was a marvel (I didn’t really appreciate it until the third time I saw it) – from our very own Mr. Tony Walton’s set (brilliant), to the costumes, to each and every actor in the show – especially John Wylie as the doctor – he should have won a Tony for that performance. And Brent Barrett as the Baron, and Zina Bethune as the ballerina (I saw the first performance with all the replacements), our beautiful Lynnette Perry as Flaemchen – everyone was terrific, none more so than the amazing Michael Jeter, who gave one of the great musical theater performances. In any case, it was fun to see it again, but I really don’t “get” why directors feel the need to “rethink” these shows – why make these cuts (and do the show’s licensor know about it)? Finally, there was the dreaded “Director’s Note” in the program, in which he mentions that it was September 11 that made him want to do this show. I just read that stuff and scratch my head. Even if it’s true (which I’m sure it is for whatever reason), I don’t want to read about it and I don’t need the director of any show explaining anything to me – let the show speak for itself. I, of course, wrote a director’s note in the What If program – it basically said, “Don’t you hate when there’s a note from the director?”
What am I, Ken Mandelbaum all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because this section, which I’d intended to be short, has suddenly turned into Gone With the Wind.
That section was so long I fell asleep three times whilst writing it. Now this section will have to be short. Have I mentioned that last week I got a lot done, I got my book order, I got many packages, I got caught up and I got rhythm? Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I got rhythm and, frankly, who could ask for anything more?
Don’t forget, Donald should have a new radio show up at some point today. And don’t forget that tomorrow you shall be able to order actual books from our actual Writer’s Block website.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must relax, I must stop and smell the roses and the lox, I must tool about in my motor car and I must watch at least two motion pictures on DVD. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to come up with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings and, please, do not forget that I got rhythm and I shall dance about like a gazelle doing a triple lutz.