Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle with a Brazilian wax. And, of course, that means we are headed into what will be our final days of rehearsal, then our nine hours of tech time and then our opening night. All we can do is hope and pray everything goes smoothly with such a crazy schedule. I’m told tickets are selling well, so that’s good. One thing I do know is that we’re chomping at the bit or, at the very least, bit at the chomping to have an audience. There are several scary things ahead – including the Brain head, which still is not near completion. We think we have a solution to the problem we encountered the other day, and I’ll know more after today’s costume fittings. We want Barry Pearl to be able to work with at least a temporary version of it for a couple of days to get used to it. I won’t go into details, but costumes, or rather the costume designer, is the one area of our creative team that has turned out to be extremely problematic. In fact, the person responsible for it being extremely problematic is actually leaving the production after today, and she has two assistants or replacements who will finish her job. I’ve met one of them and she’s a very nice gal and I think she’ll do just fine. Every other member of the creative team has stepped up to the plate and pretty much delivered what they promised, so to have this one person just not pull her weight was, for me, extremely annoying. Speaking of annoying, yesterday was a lovely day. For example, I got up. That was lovely, especially as I got another decent night’s sleep, although it was again plagued by odd dreams. I then toddled off to rehearsal. I’d already decided that there would be no straight run-through of the show. Instead, I gave notes, then we began at the top of the show and as we would get to a trouble spot, we’d stop, fix it, adjust it, and run it, and then move on. By lunch, we’d almost finished act one. After lunch, we finished the act and did the same thing for act two. It was just what the doctor ordered, and everyone’s energy was really good and it was very productive. There are still some things that must get sharper, performance-wise, and everyone is working very hard to insure that that happens. After the rehearsal, I had to go have a little meeting with my General Manager about some NYMF business (oh, is there a book in this), and then I came home, answered a bunch of e-mails, and then met Miss Alet Taylor and Mr. Barry Pearl for dinner at the same Chinese restaurant as the night before. Once again, I had the cold sesame noodles and the orange chicken, but Barry and Alet shared with me, so I didn’t really overeat. I’m still quite phleghmy – I was actually better yesterday in that regard, no I’m about to take another dose of Ny-Quil to make sure I don’t get congested whilst sleeping.
I had all sorts of plans on this trip to see all sorts of people and I’m afraid none of it has happened. I still hope to sup with Linda Hart and will call her this afternoon. And I must spend part of this weekend calling producers and people to come see the show.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because soon I must have my beauty sleep so I can be fresh as a daisy on the ‘morrow.
Today, the first two hours of rehearsal will be spent in costume fittings that should have happened a week ago. Then we’ll do our run-through and be done by three. I’m supposed to go see a show that our stage manager is involved with, but I’m not sure I’ll be up for that, so I may just go home and relax and smell the roses or the coffee or the turtle wax.
Tomorrow, we are in the theater for four hours, which will hopefully be a productive four hours. Otherwise, the day is mine all mine, although I do have other stuff to attend to and I may try to have a dining adventure with someone.
I gotta tell you, these here notes need a pick me up today. I’m just typing words, words, and more words. We need some zip and some zing and some zest (the three Z’s). Perhaps if I do the Dance Of The Seven Veils, although I just took my dose of Ny-Quil, so I’ll probably fall over and be asleep before I get to the third veil. The Third Veil – that’s the title of my next novel – a story of intrigue and Mah Jong. I ask you, when is the last time you saw the words Mah Jong on the Internet? When is the last time anyone played Mah Jong? It was quite popular with the populace when I was a wee sprig of a twig of a tad of a lad of a youth, but now you barely hear of such a thing as Mah Jong. In fact, you hear about it as often as you hear about the Dance Of The Seven Veils. I wonder if Kurt Weill wrote music for the Dance Of The Seven Veils? If so, then we’d have Weill’s Veils. You know, if anyone has a clew as to what the HELL I’m going on about, do let us know.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, rehearse, see costumes, discuss the Brain head, and then decide whether I’ll stay home or see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: I happened to catch a little of a Vincent Price movie, Master Of The World last night. I have always thought Mr. Price a wonderful actor – so, what are your all-time favorite Vincent Price performances, and, from the 60s on, your favorite Price performances in his campier films? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I do my Ny-Quil-hazed version of the Dance Of The Seven Veils.