Well, dear readers, the countdown to our staged musical reading continues. Yes, Virginia, there are only a handful of days left until we do our staged musical reading. I’m semi-hopeful that it will all be up on its feet, at least, as I only have fourteen pages left to stage and the majority of those all take place in on location with everyone onstage, so I can keep it very simple. Outside of that, there is just the finale of the show, which is about five minutes long and which I’ll keep very simple, as well. Considering how little sleep I got, I was quite energized the whole day. Perhaps it’s because I jogged early in the morning. Whatever the reason, I arrived at LACC, had a little talk with the cast, and then began staging as quickly as I could. In the two hours allotted I got the entire act done save for the fourteen final pages. Everyone was working very hard and it was fun. After that, I came home, did errands, and then went back to rehearse in the afternoon. I finished blocking the last of the second act musical numbers (except the finale), and then everyone who was there just drilled on the music, which was a really good thing to do. After that, I met up with our very own Pogue at our beloved Bird’s, where we stuffed ourselves with their yummilicious food, whilst telling tales out of school about everything under the sun. I filled him in on all the stuff that’s been going on for the last few tumultuous weeks, and he filled me in on his goings on. It was really fun, and we laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. I then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish, and finally my weariness hit me like a gazelle in a bumper car. I was zonked and zoned, not necessarily in that order, and I’m so hoping I get a really good night’s sleep.
Last night, I managed to watch one count them one motion picture on DVD entitled The Towering Inferno. As much as I enjoyed The Poseidon Adventure, I like The Towering Inferno a lot more. It’s devoid of the sometimes silly overacting of Poseidon, and the effects are truly spectacular – and, they’re spectacular without the benefit of computer wizardry. And they are completely believable because of that. I don’t care how much CGI brilliance is in a film – I never once believe it because I know a bunch of youngsters sat at their computers making it up. There is nothing dated about the Inferno effects – they’re as brilliant today as they were over thirty years ago. And then there’s the star power involved – the script is competent and fun, but when you have Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, along with William Holden, Richard Chamberlain, Faye Dunaway, Jennifer Jones, Fred Astaire and many other fine actors, then it’s all A+ in the performances and everything works because of it. Producer Irwin Allen directs the action scenes and they are first-rate. The dramatic scenes are by John Guillerman, a very good workman-like director. Also, John Williams delivers one of his all-time great scores – it’s just an amazing asset to the film. The new transfer is miles better than the previous DVD, and there’s a plethora of extras including a ton of deleted scenes on a second DVD. Bravo to everyone concerned.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must soon hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream of sprites and faeries wearing gold lame and hot pants.
Today I have quite a bit to do. I have once again made a few little changes whilst staging the opening scenes of act two, and I have to insert those into the master script now. We’ll be rehearsing in the afternoon, then I’ll be supping, then I go back at nine to rehearse with Tammy and the fellow she plays opposite (he’s in the play that’s currently getting ready to open and he’s through rehearsing that at nine). So, it will be a long day, but hopefully it will be as productive as yesterday was.
The Tony Award nominations have been announced and I’d just like to congratulate three of our very own – Mr. Danny Burstein, Miss Judy Kaye, and Mr. Steve Orich, all of whom have worked on many of my albums. Mr. Burstein also has a lovely Unseemly Interview in our interview archives.
My back is so sore I can barely function. That’s because I’ve had to sit at the piano so much in the last couple of days – my back just spasms and gets really achy and tired. One of my students, a Japanese girl named Chie actually rubbed my back whilst I was sitting at the piano yesterday, and she had great, strong hands and it really helped. And I didn’t even have to ask her – she just saw that I was in pain and jumped right in.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, drive about in my motor car, I must do errands and whatnot, I must put corrections into the master script, I must rehearse and sup and rehearse and then I must come home and sit on my couch like so much fish. 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 question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we?