Well, dear readers, I’m home from an evening at the theater, and now I must write these here notes in a hurry or there will be hell toupee, what with our late-night denizens and lurkers awaiting notes at midnight. So, without further ado, the notes. Actually, I’d like some further ado, wouldn’t you? Ado doesn’t get nearly enough attention, if you ask me. So, with further ado, the notes. Speaking of ado, yesterday was a day run amok, a day of the highest heights and the lowest lowghts. Frankly, I didn’t know if I was coming or going or even going or coming. The began with hammering. Some jackass next door decided that hammering was a good thing to do at eight-thirty in the morning. Naturally, I was awakened by the hammering. Once up, there was no going back to bed. As soon as I got out of bed and went in the other room, the hammering stopped. This total wazoo hammered just long enough to wake me up, then HE probably went back to bed. I gotta tell you. In any case, I had a ton of e-mails to deal with and some telephonic calls. I then had a meeting with Richard Berent, our musical director for the fundraiser. You remember the fundraiser – the one that is hanging tenuously by a single thread? Yes, that fundraiser. In any case, it was a good meeting, songs and singers were discussed, and let’s hope it wasn’t all for naught. I’m not really going to know anything for another couple of weeks while people try to put right what they so blatantly screwed up. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, which is, I suppose, better than getting afoot of myself. After the meeting, I took my dirty clothes to the dry cleaners so that I could have clean clothes for the trip to New York, New York. After that, I picked up some stuff from the mail place, then I came back home. I gave Mr. Geissman six fixes that I found, he made them, and now the book is to bed, at long last. It will go off to the publisher today. I then had a knock-down drag-out conversation with both the president of the college and the president of the Foundation – both learned just how I can be when pushed too far. I’m told that everything is being done to make sure the president of the college delivers on his multiple promises to me. That put me quite behind and I was quite in both a foul and fowl temper. Then I got a call from the actress that we made an offer to today. We had a really nice chat (in all the years of doing my albums, I’d never met her) – she loved the script and the character, but just wanted to hear some of the songs. I directed her to the myspace page and she’ll be getting a CD today from the casting director. But, unless I’m misreading things, I’d say she basically told me she wanted to do it. She was hinky about doing a NYMF show because she had a bad experience working with a bunch of amateur people in one of last year’s shows, but I assured her that I promise everyone a good time. And we have a mutual friend who also assured her that he’d seen the show in LA, loved it, and that I’m a total pro for many years. I can’t mention who it is until the deal is done, which I hope will be today, but if it all works out it will be very good for the show for a whole slew of reasons. After that conversation, I really had to get the lead out and get to the Music Center. What does that MEAN – get the lead out? I can’t even wrap the windmills of my mind around that saying. I took a quick shower, dried my hair, got dressed and hied myself to the Music Center. The traffic was horrendous, but I got there at six, as planned.
I met the David, Barbara and Daniel (of the Wechter clan) and two friends of theirs and their young teenage son. We had a very mediocre dinner at Pinot, the outdoor restaurant at the Music Center. And finally it was time to see Jersey Boys.
Last night, I saw a theatrical entertainment entitled Jersey Boys. It’s taken me forever to see it, but I’m glad I finally did. Do I think it’s a great work of musical theater? No. Do I think it realizes its aims? Absolutely. Do I think it’s entertaining? Absolutely. It learns the lesson that so few of these “jukebox” musicals learn – they don’t try to shoehorn a bunch of existing songs into some plot they were never meant to service. Instead, they tell the story of The Four Seasons, and therefore all the songs have context and work perfectly. The book by Marshall Brickman is deceptively simple, but it works really well, has some solid laughs, and tells the story, slight as it is. Some of it doesn’t work as well as it thinks it does – for example, the tragedy that befalls Frankie Valli towards the end of the show is sad but it involves a character we’ve met exactly once for about twenty seconds. But, the music’s the thing and the show sounds really good, albeit really loud. My pal Steve Orich did the charts and they’re very good indeed. The musicians are top-notch, and the cast is really excellent all the way down the line. As is my usual complaint at musicals these days, I’m just weary of all the artificial prodding to get applause – the light swings and bumps, the sound bumps – it’s all too calculated now and it just wears me out. The audience is encouraged to act as if they’re at a concert rather than a musical theater show. Still, those are minor quibbles to what is a very enjoyable evening.
What am I, Ben Brantley all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’ve got all of two minutes to complete the next section and get these here notes posted.
I don’t know what the HELL is going on today. I may or may not have to drive down to LACC for some sort of meeting. I may or may not have some lunch with former dear reader Hisaka, who will be in the Valley. I do have to send the galley to the publisher, Mr. Wechter and I have to polish what we hope will be the final Brain ending (the Brain’s final speech), I hope to get a confirmation on our actress, and I must have a whole slew of conversations with Brain people – casting, general manager, stage manager, etc.
Tomorrow, Mr. Nick Redman and I are going out to Valencia for a few hours to attend a function. I have to also pick up my dry cleaning, and prep for the trip and do as much as I can do so that Saturday I basically can calm my nerves and get ready for my very early morning Sunday flight to New York, New York.
Oh, dear, the notes are late. We’ve had too much further ado and now we are paying the price ($3.46).
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do whatever needs doing and there will be plenty of it whatever it is. Today’s topic of discussion: Kim Novak was a unique actress and persona. What are your favorite Kim Novak performances and what are your least favorite, the ones where she just didn’t cut the mustard or even the ketchup. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s do so with or without further ado.