Well, dear readers, it is late and my ears hurt. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is late and my ears hurt. The stagehands’ strike is over and I’m sure when we finally hear details it will become clear that it could have been settled last week because without the unnecessary drama, the terms, from what I understand, are basically what they were with a couple of minor additions/subtractions. So, Broadway shows will start up again this evening, and all the little teenage show groupies can stop weeping and go back to seeing their various and sundried shows over and over again. I’ve decided that in light of the stagehands strike and the Writer’s Guild strike, that I, BK, am going to strike. And why shouldn’t I? Not only am I going to strike, I’m going to heat up the hair iron and strike while the iron is hot. Damn them, damn them all to hell. I shall strike on behalf of everyone here at haineshisway.com and I shall lock myself out if I don’t meet my demands. And my demands are plenty – I want to make 100% more than I make now for writing these here notes. That would bring me up to $0.00, and I’m jiggy with that. Speaking of jiggy with that, yesterday was a perfectly pleasant day in which I did perfectly pleasant things. For example, I woke up. That was perfectly pleasant. I then had to do some work at Ye Olde Piano, then on the computer, then I had to hie myself to West Los Angeles to lunch with former dear reader Hisaka. We went to Dolores, which she’s very fond of. We both had the Jumbo Jim hamburger with Suzi-Q fries and extra Z sauce. It was quite yummilicious. After that, I dropped by a bookstore I hadn’t been to in yours, and what a bright idea that was. I scored big time and got one really rare book, something I already own, but that I can turn around and sell to a dealer friend who’s been looking for it – I shall make a tidy profit, that’s all I can tell you and remember, a tidy profit is better than a messy profit. I then came home, did some errands, made some telephonic calls, answered some e-mails, sat on my couch like so much fish, and then finally toddled off to the Pantages Theater to see Wicked.
I decided to get there very early so I could get good street parking, which I did. I then picked up my ticket, then walked to Amoeba, where I spent ninety minutes looking around. I didn’t really find anything, but I had a good time nonetheless. I then walked back to the theater. It amazed me once again just how many really young people were there on a weeknight, and again, many of them seeing the show for the second or third time. I do love to eavesdrop, and it’s always amusing to listen to conversations of people who apparently have never stepped inside a legit theater before. I do wish Broadway hadn’t become like the movies, with candy and pop being sold. I think we can thank Disney for that – I think they began it with Beauty and the Beast. I took my seat, and then the lights dimmed and the cell phone announcement was made. I was surprised they didn’t announce the “at this performance” cast. The first thing I noticed about the performance was that it was louder than last time. The soundman was really pumping iron, and I liked the sound better last time. I really wish these sound people would not keep pushing the sound envelope – that’s why my ears hurt right now. In any case, you all read what I wrote about the show itself when I saw Miss Julie Reiber in it. I was very pleased to see Miss Emily Rozek as Glinda this time, and it was a very different performance than that of the regular gal – the regular gal, while very good, was basically channeling Kristen Chenoweth. Emily doesn’t do that, so it’s a much more interesting interpretation, at least for me it was. Emily sings like a dream, was strong in the comedy, but really got the heart of the character, which is a big plus. I have to say that as much as I enjoyed Miss Eden Espinoza, I really missed Julie. I really meant it when I said I don’t think I’ll see a better Elphaba than Julie, and I wish I’d seen her and Emily together. Of course, we had them both in our fundraiser and they sang a heartfelt and beautiful For Good, so at least we had that. We’ll always have that. We’ll always have Paris. What am I, Humphrey Bogart all of a sudden? In any case, save for the sound, I had a very good time.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’ve got to prepare the BK strike and it will be a long one – I’m predicting it will last at least twenty-five minutes.
Have I mentioned that my ears hurt? After the show, I went backstage and had a brief visit with Emily. I saw many of my musician pals (half the Wicked band played on almost every album I produced here in LA), and a couple of the stagehands I know.
Today, I must do some serious writing. Oh, that’s no fun. I think today I shall do some humorous writing – that’s ever so much more fun than doing serious writing. If I did serious writing I’d have to write about the plague or diphtheria or some other kind of dip, like onion dip. I have a bunch of errands to do, and I have to set up a meeting with Equity to discuss The Brain From Planet X’s production at the Chance Theater. I’m going in there with the head of the LA Festival of New Musicals, and also a couple of actor friends, to see if there’s anything that can be done to get them to be a little less rigid with their boundary lines, which currently preclude the Chance from being a Waiver house.
I’ve also got to choose which passages from Murder At Hollywood High I’m going to read at the book signing. I do hope that a few of you dear readers will be there and yes, Virginia, there will be cake.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, strike, set up meetings, do some serious and humorous writing, do errands, and perhaps even go hither, thither, and, if I’m up to it, yon. Today’s topic of discussion: What show and film have you seen the most times – and how many times was it? I confess to seeing The High And The Mighty about twenty-three times on its original release (no home video or TV showings back then). And I think I’ve seen Hello, Dolly! on stage about twenty times. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I get out the picket signs.