Well, dear readers, I must write these notes in a hurry for I must arise early and attend an early rehearsal. Therefore, I shall dispense with the pithy remarks filled with pithiness and shall just move right along, going from one item to the next like a gazelle reading The Catcher In The Rye. Speaking of The Catcher In The Rye, I had rye bread with my tri-salad supper last night at Art’s Delicatessen. I then made some pithy remarks filled with pithness, so I went from The Catcher In The Rye to The Catcher In The Wry. That reminds me of that wonderful Comden and Green/Leonard Bernstein song from Wonderful Town, Wry Oh Wry Oh Wry Oh Did I Ever Leave Ohio. So much for dispensing with the frivolities. Speaking of the frivolities, yesterday was a decidedly odd day from start to finish. I had a very good night’s sleep, woke up to a few orders, and then had to deal with some Brain issues, which I hope will be worked out successfully. I’m told tickets are already selling nicely, so that’s good. I’m also told that my interview with the Christian Science Monitor came out, but I haven’t seen it. Edit: I’ve just seen it. For an interview that lasted around forty-five minutes, there’s not one line from me, although our show is mentioned and there’s a picture from the Chance production. Where was I? Oh, yes, the decidedly odd day. I ordered 1000 cardboard mailers – those should be here by Monday or Tuesday. I did a few errands, dealt with a few telephonic calls and a few other things. There was something vaguely annoying about the entire day, so maybe I just shouldn’t have any days off. Oh, and I did have fun at a work session with Mr. Kevin Spirtas and Mr. Sean McDermott working on the opening number for their act. That wasn’t annoying. And dinner wasn’t annoying. And then it was time to see a play.
Last night, I saw a play at the John Anson Ford Theater. I’d been told that it was a play about old people’s memories of Los Angeles and their stories, culled from a series of interviews, but it wasn’t that at all. The author has tried to turn what I guess was originally a series of monologues into a play, and it doesn’t quite work, at least not at this juncture. So, there is a plot now, and then the monologues sort of interact with the plot. I think the idea of culling together older people’s memories of this city and how it was to live back then is a terrific idea for a show, and I have no doubt they have some great material. Hell, the Kritzer books are certainly my attempt to give a big old valentine to the LA that was. But right now, this is neither fish nor fowl. The production is fine, and some of the actors are more than fine, especially Rose Portillo, who’s terrific. I think there’s something worth developing here and I hope they continue working on it.
After the play, I came home and ate fourteen almonds. I threw one in the air and caught it in my mouth. I thought that was very wry, rather like a catcher in the wry.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it is late and I am determined to get these here notes posted on time so that I can get my beauty sleep.
Today, we’ll be doing a stop and start of act two. Unfortunately, we have to stop at one, so I don’t think we’ll be getting a run-through in. Then on Sunday, I’ll decide whether to do another stop and start or whether to run the show.
Monday, we’ll start doing run-throughs every night and will continue to do so right up until tech week. I found out that the LA Festival wants to bring a bunch of high schoolers in for our final dress, which I’m thrilled about. It will give us a chance to have some reaction before doing the first of our two previews. And I’m going to suggest we might do a Q&A after.
Next week, we’ll be addressing all these boxes and the brand spanking new Pitney Bowes Digital Postal Machine should be here by mid-week, so we can start playing with that and seeing how it all works. The great thing is that you just call a number and purchase postage 24 hours a day, and it shows up within one minute. I wish I’d had this machine ages ago. The fee is only a couple of hundred bucks a year and it is well worth that.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, wake up early, attend a rehearsal, eat something fun for lunch and then come home and sit on my couch like so much fish and do some catching up on DVD watching – and hopefully we’ll have some new orders, too. Today’s topic of discussion: When you were growing up, what was the most magical place you used to go to regularly? The place you loved going back to over and over again. Tell us all about your favorite childhood places. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I quote some passages from The Catcher In The Wry.