Well, dear readers, I’m almost all better. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I’m almost all better or at least I’m feeling as if I’m almost all better which is, I suppose, just as good as being almost all better. I’m not coughing nearly as much as I thought I would be and while I’m a little phlegm-ridden it’s not too bad. What am I all of a sudden, a medical report? Don’t I have notes to write? I shall soon be taking tonight’s dose of Ny-Quil and I’m really trying to finish the notes before doing so, so that they can at least have a semblance of coherence or, at the very least, a coherence of semblance. A Semblance Of Coherence – that’s the title of my next novel, a novel of passion, angst, and musical comedy, set in the high-stakes world of NYMF, the New York new musicals festival. Of course, there is nothing coherent about NYMF, but that’s another story for another day. Speaking of another day, yesterday was a nice day all around. For example, I woke up. That was nice, especially as I woke up after a wonderful blissful eight solid hours of sleep. I toddled off to rehearsal – the first part of which was spent in costume fittings. I took one look at the dress the costume designer had chosen for Amy and I almost threw up. Our costume designer, of course, wasn’t there, as she has a rough schedule right now, so her helper assured me she’d get the right sort of dress. I told her to simply look at the photos from the LA production, something I’ve been telling the costume designer to do for four weeks. In any case, I liked her helper very much, and since her helper works in a costume shop, I’m sure we’ll get what we want. The costume designer also handed off her biggest job to the helper – making the Brain head. And I’m glad she did. We got a sneak peek and I think it’s going to be very good and, more importantly, comfortable for Barry Pearl to wear. We’ve made a huge change in the design – in this production you’ll actually see the actor’s face. I gave her specific notes on the shape and ultimate size, and I think she’ll deliver something good.
We then did our run-through, and I must say it was a zillion times better than the day before, in terms of the comedy and the shape of the show. Everyone felt it, and hopefully now we’ll just keep building on that. After the run (which ran exactly what it always does, time-wise), we lunched and then worked on specific scenes, especially the scene that I consider the most difficult. It’s a very tricky scene to play – it was in LA and it is here, but Rob is a wonderful actor and we’re just hammering away at it and it’s finally starting to play the way I know it should. It could probably be rewritten a bit to make it easier, but when it’s right I just really like it, so we’ll see how the next few runs go. The problem with it is that the lines tend to lead the actors in a direction (totally understandable) that turns the scene dark – when what’s needed is to play it the opposite way. It’s difficult, but we’re making headway and if anyone can make it work, it’s Rob. He also knocked The World Of Tomorrow about three miles out of the ballpark – not just singing-wise, but acting-wise, just finding the essence of his character. What fun to watch stuff like that.
After rehearsal, I made a short visit to the post office then came directly home and followed the exact same routine as the night before – two slices of pizza, relaxing, nodding off for about twenty minutes, and doing a few things on the laptop. And now, I have taken my dose of Ny-Quil and I’m already a bit loopy (ypool, spelled backwards).
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before I lose A Semblance Of Coherence and become a babbling BK.
I do think this week has flown by, like a gazelle eating Bon-Bons. In fact, I find it hard to believe that in one very short week we will have our opening night, after one five-hour tech session that very day. It is, to say the least, nerve-wracking.
Today, we’re actually going to do two complete run-throughs, even though one of our ensemble won’t be with us for the first one. I think it will be very helpful to do two in a row – giving notes between them. I also have to address two staging issues – the most important of which is a really funny bit of business for Cason that we did in LA. Unfortunately, the set piece here, while amusing-looking, is so different and so much smaller that no matter how we try, the bit doesn’t work. So, we’re going to brainstorm and come up with something that WILL work. The other bit is the flying saucer that flies across the stage – because all the other shows in our theater have used all the available rigging (we use some, too, for a projector), we can’t fly it. They’re talking about doing it with projections, which kind of kills the joke, so I’m trying to come up with something that’s clever that will make it work in some way.
After rehearsal, I may decide to treat myself to a nice supper if I’m feeling up to it. I will say, it’s been completely weird not to have watched a DVD in about three weeks. I’ll have a lot to catch up on when I return home.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, rehearse, lunch, rehearse, perhaps sup, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Since we had so much fun with quotes the other day, what are your all-time favorite quotable lines from TV show, both classics from the past and from the present? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I try to have A Semblance Of Coherence amidst the absolute insanity that is my life right now.