Well, dear readers, it is Friday. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you find such information? Nowhere, that’s where. And what is Friday these days? Friday is my day off, that’s what Friday is, and boy are my arms tired. Oops (spoo, spelled backwards), that’s a different joke. In any case, today is mine all mine, and I shall relax and smell the coffee or the roses or the pink lemonade. I shall luxuriate in my day off-ness. I’m still hoping for a nice e-mail, but it occurs to me I should check my mail place for a fax, because for all I know the nice e-mail may have come via fax – I’ll check first thing this morning. I must say, this week flew by, like a gazelle with a swizzle stick. Speaking of a swizzle stick, yesterday was, as far as I can recall, a reasonably okay day in which reasonably okay things happened. For example, I got up. That was both reasonable and okay. I then did some work at the piano, some work at the computer, some proofing, as well as driving about in my motor car doing some errands and whatnot. Then, in a surprise turn of events, the electrician came (instead of coming on Saturday). He arrived just before I was leaving for the Heim of Ana. I told him how to lock up once he was through. I have no idea what he did or how long it took but whatever and however, the electricity in the den is back on. Hallelujah, say I. The drive was fine, and we ate at a jernt called the Red Lobster, which, not surprisingly, is a seafood restaurant in which they serve seafood. So, I ordered seafood and plenty of it. I really do think my stomach has shrunk, because I normally do not have a problem finishing whatever sized portions are in front of me. I had the fried seafood platter, but could only finish the sole and the clam strips – I left almost all the shrimp and the crab cakes and ate only a portion of my baked potato. And then it was off to rehearsal.
Last night, we had a run-through, albeit a very rough one. Still, we got through the show and it will just get smoother and better from here. Everyone just needs to learn the lines and solidify the blocking and then we’ll be fine. Even with all the fumfering and pauses, the first act only ran eight minutes longer than it usually does, so that’s pretty good. Same with the second act. I’m not really giving notes now other than a handful of things, and those are for moments that are wrong more than once. And, of course, it’s weird to have to just stop to sing the musical numbers that don’t have their choreography yet, which is about six of the songs. But, come Saturday, all that stuff gets put together, and then come Tuesday, we really will be able to do a full run-through with all the staging.
Yesterday, I did manage to finish watching Angel, the Francois Ozon movie I watched last week. That version ran 113 minutes (a DVD from Germany), but this time I watched the French DVD, which runs 128 minutes. I at least accounted for ten or eleven of the missing minutes, but would have to go through both discs more thoroughly to find the other three or four. The longest of the cut scenes runs about five or six minutes, and like the rest of the cut material, really adds nuance and character to the piece. One little one-minute lift robs a character of really important drama – it may be the single most egregious cut made to the film. I have no idea why the fifteen minutes were taken out, but thankfully the full-length version is available, albeit with annoying forced French subtitles (the film is in English, and the German DVD has no forced subs). It’s still a strange film, given its heroine’s frequently obnoxious behavior, but it’s so beautiful to look at and that Philippe Rombi score is so ravishing, that I’m sure I’ll be returning to it quite often.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, after all, it is my day off and I must maximize every moment of it.
Have I mentioned that today is mine all mine? Well, I do have to do a couple of errands, one of which, I’m sure, will annoy me. Other than that, though, I’ll just stay home and putter around.
Then tonight I head over to the Ahmanson Theater to see our very own Miss Judy Kaye in Mr. John Doyle’s production of Sweeney Todd. I’m very much looking forward to seeing it because I know Judy will be special. If it’s not too crazy backstage, I’ll try to say hello.
Tomorrow, our choreographer Adam takes over the next three days of rehearsals, so I get to sit back and just watch him work his magic. I don’t think the company quite knows just how much intensely intense work is in store over these next three days, but Adam is great with people and I’m sure everyone is going to have a really fun time.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a day that is mine all mine, do errands, putter around, and then see Sweeney Todd. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, Angel, of course. DVD, next up are Solomon and Sheba, Kings Of The Sun, and Taras Bulba. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I have a day that’s mine all mine.