Well, dear readers, has anyone noticed that it’s December? How did that happen? When I looked at my handy-dandy iCal, I thought someone was messing with my mind. But, no, no one was messing with my mind and it is indeed December, a month in which we will be celebrating many dear reader birthdays (including mine own), and celebrating many holidays. December is a time of cheer and warmth and love and kindness unless someone treats us meanly, in which case it is okay to KICK THEIR ASS from here to Chicago and back again. I do realize that some of you may have to fly to Los Angeles, California, USA to do the first leg of the ass-kicking, but Los Angeles is where all ass-kicking must begin. It’s true, you know – I read it in a book entitled Ass-Kicking Begins In Los Angeles by Herbert Utz, whose only book it was. Where was I? Oh, yes, it’s December, a time of cheer and warmth and love and kindness unless someone treats us meanly, in which case it is okay to KICK THEIR ASS from here to Chicago and back again. My goodness, that was repetitious, wasn’t it? Then again, that is what we are known for. But, why am I talking about December, when I’ve barely finished talking about November? The final day of November was a very busy one for the likes of me. The likes of me woke up at nine, and then the likes of me noticed that there was no hot water in the home environment. The likes of me then made arrangements for the plumber to come out, and the likes of him finally made an appearance at one-thirty. After five minutes, he proclaimed the water heater dead on arrival (DOA, in Internet lingo). He called and made arrangements for a new one, but didn’t think he’d get it installed until morning. However, when I got home last night, I turned on the hot water and did indeed get hot water, so I’m thinkin’ he must have finished the job today. I can’t be sure, because it’s too dark where the water heater is located – I’ll check it out in the morning. But, I don’t see how I could have hot water if he hadn’t replaced it – he’d shut off that valve so it wouldn’t leak. I then picked up a few packages, and then toddled on over to LACC. I met with my assistant and we did some organizing of things, then we had our teacher rehearsal. This time I made them go through it ten times in a row with the music, with no one in front of them. They did the first verse really well, then proceeded to break down from there. Then the second and third times through, they got worse. So, we cleaned it up once again, but I’m afraid we’ve gotten them to retain as much as they’re going to retain. The big step, and it’s really an easy one, seems to be beyond them, a real shame as when it’s done sharply it’s just hilarious. I’ve done everything I know how to to get them to understand how it works, but they just can’t coordinate their brain/feet/hands to work at the same time. And if one gets off, they all do. It all has to do with one line – “Chewing on what you learn in class.” On the word “chewing” their arms and hands come down. After “learn” there are two beats, where they take a step back and a step forward. On “class” they begin walking, doing a cross that is four steps, a hop, and a reverse cross. It’s so simple, and so right there in the music, but they just get into the hand thing late, then lose the beat, forget to step back, and then are late crossing. That move appears in the song eight times and we’ve run it more than any other step. Alas, they’ll either get it or they won’t. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, which, I suppose, is better than getting afoot of myself.
We then began a stumble-through the show, sans most of the cast members. I had all the kids from the big numbers, so we did those and they went very well, and I’m very proud of them all. Someone who saw the run-through last night of the opening number, said he got choked up just watching it, because there is such “history” in the number. We then walked from bit to bit for Act One – that went pretty quickly and the structure of Act One seems sound. We then got to Act Two. I made the teachers get up and do their number. There were about forty people (cast members, tech people, etc.) in the audience, and the minute the teachers entered it was non-stop howling laughter. And, even though they messed up several times, the theater rocked with huge laughs at every point. And when they were tight, the laughs doubled. They got a standing ovation from the forty people. I think hearing the reaction was really good for them. We’ll be running it ad nauseum from now until the show – they’ve now got to get used to not working with the tape, on which I’m singing. Tomorrow on, it’s all live, and hopefully they’ll get with it quickly. We then stumbled through Act Two, and I see that there are worries ahead if we don’t start trimming some stuff. Even going cue to cue I could see there were going to be really deadly stretches where things will run too long. I’m very strong about that, because I don’t want a three-hour albatross of a show. So, I said what I had to say loudly and clearly – we need to trim some of the patter in the three tribute sections in Act Two. There’s no way to move one of them to Act One, so we’ve got to make it work, and the only way it’s going to work is if it’s shorter. I may also juggle the order, so that it plays a bit smoother. We finished up around nine-thirty, and I came home, where I sat in front of my computer screen like so much fish, trying to answer e-mails and catch up.
So, I think you can see that it was quite a busy day for the likes of me. Well, why don’t the likes of you all click on the Unseemly Button below, because I must write more words, which make more sentences, which make more paragraphs for the likes of you to read.
Today will be a day. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you get such information? Today, for example, I will be getting a haircut – just a trim, really, to clean up the out-of-control flipping that’s going on on the back of my head. The front only needs a little attending to. Then I’ll come back, shave, shower, and head over to LACC for the only bit of tech we’re going to have before we do the show. Again, most of the singers won’t be there, but I’ll feel much better when the complexities of the first part of the opening number are worked out. The number starts “backstage” and then, during the course of the first verse (sung by an actress playing a stage manager), the entire set flies in. If it works, it will be magical, but it’s going to take real coordination with the backstage crew (when I say “set” – it’s all curtains, except for one “wall” unit). Once that is cool, then the only other scenic moves involve a platform that pushes on (while the wall flies), and that only happens three times in the show. The other moves have to do with our movie screen, some Powerpoint stuff, and our celebrity video. Otherwise, there are no set moves beyond those.
Have I mentioned that it is December? In one week’s time, I shall be a brand spanking new age. Yikes, I say, and yikes I say again. In fact, I’ll say it a third time – yikes.
Oh, you’ll all be happy to know that I will indeed be wearing my new Armani tuxedo. As it turns out, I have all the accoutrements except the shirt, studs, and cufflinks. I got measured for the shirt today, so everything is taken care of for the likes of me.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must for example, do all those things I’ve already written of, plus pick up stuff from my mail place (faxes, mail, packages), and finish making arrangements for my trip to San Francisco on Sunday. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite romantic movie scores? And why are they your favorites? In other words, did you see a movie with someone special and the music became special, too – or did a romantic movie touch you in a special way, so that the music brings back those memories? Well, the likes of you get the drift. The likes of me would like to see loads of lovely postings from the likes of you.