Well, dear readers, once again I am home late and must now write these here notes in a hurry. I had intended to write some more stories from the past, but that will have to wait until tomorrow’s notes. As for today’s notes, I feel they should have angst. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I feel today’s notes should have angst. That is because I saw a very long play last night at LACC that was filled with angst. There was so much angst that I had angst just sitting there watching it. And afterwards I was filled with angst as I walked to my motor car to drive home. The play, a new piece based on a book published by Random House is called Bloody Red Heart, Real Teenage Lives Written By Real Teenagers (I think the book was simply entitled Red). It was quite a nice production, well directed by Leslie Ferreira, and well performed by a cast of young actresses. It’s a work in progress and I think this is the first time the show has been on its feet in a full production. I think there’s probably a very good show to be found, but they’re going to have to keep playing with its structure and sequencing, which simply doesn’t work right now. Since it’s a modular show, reordering it isn’t difficult. As mentioned, there is a lot of angst in the long two-and-a-half hour running time, and there is, oddly, a surprising lack of joy or fun, especially in the first act. Not all teenagers are filled with suicidal thoughts, and angst, and depression, and all sorts of other dark things – some teenagers actually are happy and smart and funny, and some of that is needed to present a fuller picture and a more satisfying evening, dramatically. Some of that can be fixed by moving a well staged and energetic scene from act two into the second spot of act one – the beginning of the show needs some humor and energy and that scene had it and was, in fact, the only thing in the show to really land some solid laughs and since it involved cell phones and texting and partying, it’s something everyone can glom onto right away. Once you establish that, you can go other places, but right now they have to find a way to balance the dark stories with some lighter ones. I kept thinking of The Me Nobody Knows, the musical based on the writings of young kids – that worked very well as an entertainment, and had every sort of emotion you’d want, and the voices in those tales were very distinct. In Bloody Red Heart, there is a sameness to the voices telling these various stories, and that’s a real problem because one starts tuning out because things seem repetitious. I also kept thinking a song or two, either original or existing, would help immeasurably to break up the extended and longer pieces. I’m told work will be continuing and the show may be presented again, so I wish everyone the best and I’m sure the show will continue to grow and improve. And it’s great to see LACC doing an original work.
Prior to seeing the show, I’d had a pretty okay day. I wasn’t feeling that well when I woke up so I took a break from the long jog. Then I took my Music Man window card to the framing place to be framed. I then visited my designer and delivered materials for the next four Kritzerland releases, and he showed me his progress on the new Kritzerland website. It looks so much better than what’s there now – very attractive and it will be very easy to navigate and read. His goal is to have it ready for testing in two weeks, so there will probably be one more announcement on the old site, then we’ll do the switchover and come out swinging with a really fantastic release.
I picked up a couple of packages, ate a reasonable lunch, then came home and began writing the liner notes for our next release, and even began addressing packages. And then I had my evening of angst.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly this section has just a little too much angst.
Today, I shall finish writing the liner notes and also the blurb for the new release, and get all that to the designer. I’m told I’ll hear the master either today or tomorrow, so that’s great. I shall address as many packages as I can without getting bleary-eyed, and then I shall relax and definitely eat a reasonable meal and watch a reasonable motion picture or two on DVD.
Tomorrow, I think I have a work session for the long musical, followed by a rehearsal with the singer who’s doing her act at the Metropolitan Room. Tuesday is more of the same, but I’ve told everyone that I must be through by one o’clock, and at one o’clock I will come home and pack and get everything ready for my New York trip. I will write and post the notes very early and get to bed by nine or ten, because a car will be coming to pick me up at five in the morning.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, write liner notes, write a blurb, eat something fun, and then relax and watch a motion picture, as well as address packages. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all have angst and fruit cup.