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August 6, 2006:

SWEET SMELL OF CABARET

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, the cabaret series has come to a close. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, the cabaret series has come to a close and I must say we went out with quite the bang, with three completely sold-out shows by three completely great performers. And now we are basking in the glow of the sweet smell of cabaret. It was especially pleasing for me as I directed two of this week’s shows, Mr. Kevin Spirtas and Miss Linda Purl. I have seen Miss Purl do her former act any number of times at The Gardenia. The act, which wasn’t to my liking, always went over fine, and she always had a lot of relatives and friends in attendance. She sang wonderfully at those shows, but there was no real point – just songs. When she asked me to do her up a new show, I really wanted to shake things up, so we got her seventy percent new material, found the show a structure, made every song have context, and also let her be funny as well as sexy and beautiful and dramatic. When we first tried out the new act at Whittier College, it went very well indeed. But, last night’s show was a revelation – she took that stage, grabbed that audience, and never let them go. I’ve never seen her better, and the crowd ate her up. And the show, I’m proud to say, worked like gangbusters. The finale of act one, What Did I Have I Don’t Have Now, shook the roof off the theater – a brilliant job of singing and acting. But, everything was like that and it was just a grand, grand evening and I couldn’t have been happier. And our sound and light guys really came through for both Jason and Linda’s shows. The best part is that Linda didn’t have that many friends and relatives in the audience – these were a lot of folks who’d become regulars over the last few weeks, and when you get that kind of reaction from people you don’t know, it’s got to be especially gratifying. I know that Linda was very, very happy. Hopefully, the series will continue next summer, and it would be really nice if we could also do a little mini-winter series, perhaps four shows. We shall see. All in all, the Summer Evenings of Cabaret was a success beyond all of our wildest imaginings.

Prior to the cabaret show last night, I had an interesting meeting with some friends from a soundtrack record label – they’ve been telling me of their interest in putting out David Spear’s score to my film, The Creature Wasn’t Nice, aka Spaceship aka Naked Space (along with my songs from the film). Since I’m not ready to have Kritzerland do film music just yet, I said yes, so the soundtrack will finally be coming to CD after all these years. We may even have a most amusing surprise track if I can find the tape.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it is Sunday and it’s not exactly going to be a day of rest for the likes of me.

Yes, there is no rest for the weary, I’m afraid. I have a lunch date at one, then I must drive to the Beach of Long to attend a little do in honor of the cabaret series, then I must come home and try to write a little, then I must attend a dinner. Some day off.

This upcoming week is going to be very busy, what with a birthday party to attend on Tuesday night, the opening night of Curtains on Wednesday, a play at the Hudson on Thursday, and several meetings and lots of writing to be done.

After the cabaret last night, several of us toddled off to the House of Pies – Miss Adriana Patti and mum, new dear reader Jeanne, my Kritzerland designer, Doug Haverty, Adryan Russ and Mr. Kevin Spirtas. I had intended to only have a piece of pie, but instead had a cup of soup, a bacon cheeseburger, some cole slaw, and a Diet Coke. And then I proceeded to eat a bunch of French fries off someone else’s plate. Bad boy and I hope I don’t gain from it (I did an extra long jog yesterday – and frankly a piece of pie with whipped cream would have been worse).

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, lunch, party, dine, and write. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we bask in the glow of the sweet smell of cabaret.

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