Well, dear readers, once again it is late and I cannot dawdle, Amaryllis, because I know our late-night denizens are awaiting these here notes and to keep our late-night denizens waiting would be unseemly. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad. So, without further ado annie, I’ll just jump in, full steam ahead. Speaking of steam, yesterday was quite the day. I had to do a lot of stuff in the morning, got behind, and then I was just rushing, rushing, rushing (that is three rushings) to get to LACC on time for my little talk with Nick Redman. Luckily, I got there in the nick of time and so did Nick. The one-hour chat was so much fun – Nick made it very easy for me and it was all very relaxed. There were some questions at the end, which I always enjoy. After the chat, we had a cast meeting prior to rehearsal, to discuss the change we were about to make. As I said, it was a very difficult decision to make and not one that was taken lightly. In the end, I stayed out of it, and the decision was really made by the faculty. I had no idea which way they were going to go, in fact, until late the previous evening. It was emotional, because all of us really adore the person involved, and she was wonderful about it and despite the initial upset, by the time we began rehearsal everyone stepped up to the plate and did what needed to be done. I was very grateful to the company for being professional under trying circumstances. We ran several sequences, and then we did a run-through in the evening. Some of the show improved, and some didn’t, but it will get smoother and smoother the more times we run it. The cast is still dependent on calling “line” too often, so I’m hoping by the end of this weekend that they will all have their lines down cold so we can begin honing characterizations. But some lovely things are starting to emerge and it’s really fun to watch everyone blossom and grow, not necessarily in that order. After rehearsal, I had to eat, and then I finally came home and sat at Ye Olde Laptop like so much fish.
Two nights ago, I began watching the new Special Edition DVD of Forbidden Planet. From the ridiculous gushing going on on the usual DVD sites from the usual “reviewers,” I was expecting a fantastic DVD transfer. While it is sharper and more detailed than the previous DVD, it’s yet another botched Warners transfer in terms of color. It’s too brown and the skin tones are too pasty-brown, and the other colors are dullsville and don’t pop as they should. It’s totally wacky to me how they get some DVD color perfect and how the other fifty percent of what they do is so off. Someone is asleep at the wheel over there and certainly has no idea what these films looked like originally. And again, the frustrating thing is that it’s just the turn of a few knobs to get it perfect. I’ll have more to say when I finish the film.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below – there, I’ve said it and I’m glad.
Today I must make a decision on the new cast member. I’ve auditioned five girls and for a whole slew of reasons my instinct is telling me to go with the gal who’d have to fly out here from New York. She has a really good energy and I think her voice is workable (she’s more of a lyric soprano, which isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but in her audition mp3 her voice sounded good on the songs from the show), and she gave a good reading (we did it over the phone). I also like one gal from the LA audition, but there are already some scheduling issues at hand, and that’s another reason why the New York gal is appealing – she’d be coming her specifically to do the show and would have no conflicts whatsoever. In any case, by morning I’ll have made the decision.
For today’s rehearsal, we’ll be doing a line-through first, then a run-through, although five people will be missing (including three of the leading players). Saturday’s rehearsal will not be a long one, just four hours – if we’ve got our new gal there, we’ll be putting her in, otherwise that will happen on Monday. The put-in has to happen swiftly, as we only have three days next week, and then the long Thanksgiving four-day holiday. I do know that both gals I’m considering would learn it quickly, so that’s good.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, have a meeting, do errands and have a rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, A Summer Place, and then Hugo Friedhofer’s Seven Cities Of Gold. DVD, Forbidden Planet, then I’m digging into the Paul Newman collection, starting with Harper. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? There, I’ve said it and I’m glad.