Well, dear readers, the time is nigh. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, the time is nigh. That happens to be a line from The Brain From Planet X and since The Brain From Planet X is opening tonight, the line seemed appropriate to appropriate. It’s been an interesting journey and one I’ve loved taking. It began way back in 1991 when I wrote a film script entitled Plan 10 From Outer Space. I came within inches of funding the film, but for various reasons it ultimately didn’t work out. Over the years, I’d look at the script – I came to realize that it wasn’t very good and didn’t really work. It was imperative that you’d had to have seen Plan 9 From Outer Space, and it was all jokes and no substance or real story. Hence, the jokes got old quick and the whole thing fizzled long before the end. But, every time I’d read it I’d think, “There’s something here.” In 1998 I gave it to David Wechter to read – by that time it began to occur to me that it might make a good stage show. The film script wasn’t a musical but it did have one musical number at the end, and that was the moment I kept coming back to. David liked aspects of it and agreed there was something there, and we decided to turn it into a musical. The first thing we did was create a real story and we got rid of all the jokes that were to in. It took a long time to write because we were both so busy. I began writing the score right away – I think it was my idea to have a Brain, but I can’t really remember, because David and I work so seamlessly together. Originally, David and I were going to collaborate on the score as well, but it became apparent early on that he wasn’t going to have the time to devote to it and that the musical styles would be too eclectic. So, he’d written a tune years ago that he really wanted to use, so I wrote a lyric to it, and then he wrote about eight bars of music for The Brain Tap number, while I wrote its beginning and middle. Otherwise, I ended up doing the entire score, and I had a blast doing it. I wrote the title song first, and I wrote the show’s second song second – that song, for me, was the key song that would make the show work – a ballad that was pretty, slightly funny, but also endearing. At that point, I’d been asked to teach the musical theatre workshop at LACC and I suggested that we do a staged reading of The Brain at the end of the semester. So, David and I had to hustle and finish the show, which we did by splitting up all the scenes – he taking half, and I taking half, and then both of us finessing each other’s work.
The reading went well enough, with some nice laughs, but David and I both felt there was a lot that didn’t work. Over the summer, LACC decided to do the full production, and David and I set about fixing what we didn’t like. In that process, I threw out one song entirely, replacing it with a brand new number that was much better. And I added a new song for the second act, and rewrote the music (but retained the lyric) for one other song. We made several big cuts, but our biggest change had to do with the lead couple’s daughter and her boyfriend – in the original, they didn’t really have characters at all – just a one joke thing that went on and on and was a complete bore. By the time we started our rewrite, we knew we had to really strengthen what the show was about – family, and its importance, and not taking it for granted. Not an earth-shattering thing, but one that gave the show a little heart and meat. So, the daughter had the most change – a completely new and different character, basically, and her boyfriend got a point and became a real character. We added a major running gag for one character and just finessed everything else. You know the rest, if you’ve been following these here notes. Which has all led to this evening.
But before we get to this evening, we had our final dress rehearsal and one and only preview last night. Given all the technical difficulties, I was flying on a wing and a prayer. I wasn’t expecting more than a few people to be in attendance, but there were over seventy, which was great. The opening of the show has a ton of light and sound cues, and they all went perfectly. The only thing that didn’t work about the opening was that the volume on our theremin wasn’t loud enough and the playing wasn’t wild enough – that will get fixed before we do tonight’s show. But the minute our first character began speaking I knew we were going to be okay. The entire first two minutes of the show got huge laughs, and the opening number got a fantastic ovation. In the second scene, Kevin finally came into his own and it worked really well, even though I felt the second song was a hair on the slow side. I’d asked our very own Vinnie to come and listen to the band sound and vocal sound, but I needn’t have worried, because both were much better. I’ve asked for a bit more vocal sound in the scenes, and a teeny bit more in some of the songs, but other than an occasional instrument that needed to be louder, it was lots better. I sensed the actors were having a hard time hearing the band through the onstage monitors and it turned out I was right – there was no sound at all in the monitors – that’s been fixed now. The sound gal is going to have a checklist of things now – she has to make sure everything is working well before we begin. And then the aliens arrived and the show was one laugh after another after that. Yes, some of the scenes had lower energy than I like and those scenes didn’t land. I think the cast became acutely aware of the energy the show has to have – it was an instant lesson. In this kind of show, one just has to sock it home and every time they did they got huge laughs and every time they didn’t they got little or no laughs from an audience that really wanted to laugh all the time. All the actors were really good, and some of the laughs were really huge and long and endless. The opening of act two killed – one belly laugh after another. The audience rewarded the actors with a standing ovation at the end. Vinnie left at intermission as he had an early session to go to – he just felt the overall sound was good but should be a bit louder. The band sounded really good much of the time and our mixer will get better as we go. There are still things that aren’t quite right, but I know everyone will be improving and getting stronger as we go. But, the cast heard what they needed to hear – that all this hard work and my occasional badgering has paid off with loads of lovely laughter and applause. We only had a handful of problematic lighting cues, and those will hopefully be fixed today, long before show time. The set changes were really smooth and the show, for me, really looked like the show I wanted it to look like for the first time. All in all, it was a wonderful one and only preview.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because the time is nigh and opening night is but a few hours away.
Today, I shall be doing nothing but relaxing and smelling the coffee or the roses or the onion soup. I’ll probably go down to LACC around five-thirty to make sure the light cues have been fixed and to make sure that several people I have coming have specific seats held for them. Opening night is black tie optional, and I’ll be wearing optional. I’m very excited, nervous, thrilled and psyched, not necessarily in that order. I will, of course, have a full report and I’m very much looking forward to seeing all our beloved hainsies/kimlets who’ll be in attendance.
Now wait just a darned minute. Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the mambo, because today is the actual birthday of ME. Yes, Virginia, today is the actual birthday of ME. We don’t need to give a birthday cheer, but I’m another year old today and I thought we should make note of it for those who are keeping score. I am proud to say that I am fifty-nine years of age and I’m proud to say I don’t look a day over fifty-eight years of age.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a birthday jog, open presents, relax, drive about in my motor car, check out some fixed light cues and then attend the gala opening night for The Brain From Planet X. 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 marvelous new CD from Universal France – Georges Delerue’s great scores to two Philippe de Broca films, That Man From Rio, and Chinese Adventures in China. DVD, bedroom, Person to Person, den, My Geisha. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we ready ourselves for The Brain From Planet X.