Well, dear readers, we’re done with our music rehearsals and everyone is now sort of on their own to solidify what they learned. We really could have used one more day, but we’re not getting one more day so that’s that. We might be able to grab an hour or two somewhere, though, and that will probably be helpful – plus our MD is willing to work with soloists before and/or after rehearsal. I met our mighty ensemble and they are mighty – most of them just finished the tour of Happy Days and they’re bright and energetic and look good, too. I had to make instant decisions on solos in the show, because I hadn’t met them before. I still have to decide on who’s going to be Joy Full, but I assigned all the other parts, and there are a lot of them. They all seemed to get a kick out of the songs, especially a couple of the new ones, and they sound really wonderful. Cason came by (he originally wasn’t going to, but I’m glad he did – he’s a very good presence and is doing a very good job producing, for which I’m very grateful, as my head is just filled with way too many things), and Mr. Barry Pearl was there learning his few little singing bits. We also had our Juanita Juanita who is terrific – I wrote her a specialty bit in the middle of Perversion and she’s going to do it really well – our MD and I came up with some music to underscore it – it’s pretty amusing. Our Susie came in and did The Lights And The Smiles – she’s done both previous private readings and knows the song well and does it wonderfully, and she learned her other little sung bits. Our George is so like Alan Abelew from the film that it’s a little frightening. All in all it was a fun rehearsal, and I’m always very comfortable being at LACC rather than a cold rehearsal room.
Prior to rehearsal, I addressed all the packages, and then the Kritzerland helper came by and stuck postage on them, so everything is ready to go once the CDs arrive later today. I had a quick sandwich at Jerry’s before rehearsal. And prior to all that I was like a proud daddy when the new Kritzerland site was born this morning at eight-thirty. I just adore it, and I’ve gotten wonderful comments on it, and Doug is very pleased, too, and we’re both pleased that the webgal is out of it and the site can run normally with easy updates. If you haven’t, be sure to check it out. Best of all, an order came in (from dear reader Amy) and it worked perfectly and it got forwarded to the correct e-mail address. So, I’d say it was a big Mission Accomplished.
After rehearsal, I came right home. I was completely zonked so I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Valkyrie, starring Mr. Tom Cruise. I thought it was okay, not great – it did move along and some of it was suspenseful and well done, but it just didn’t grab me in the way I like to be grabbed. Mr. Cruise is Mr. Cruise, with or without hand, fingers, and eyeball. The other actors are fine. All that said, the Blu-Ray is absolutely superb – the image is sharp, with great color and detail, and it’s certainly in the top 5 Blu-Rays that I’ve sampled. Sound, too, is amazing – this is where Blu-Ray has it all over DVD – sound (and image, of course). DVD just never got the sound part right. I forgot to mention that I finished watching Mr. Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, which I must say I found myself rather enjoying more than I could have imagined. For a close to three-hour movie it held my interest and had many fine scenes, great photography and music (there is a composer credited, and then in the end credits about five other composers, but the real composers are Elgar and Bach), and good performances, especially by the young aborigine boy. Hugh and Nicole are fine, although I just can’t look at Nicole anymore because of what she’s done to her lips, which is so unnatural and off-putting it’s not even funny. Mr. Jackman has real presence, and how wonderful was it to see Walkabout’s David Gulpilil playing the young boy’s grandfather. Mr. Luhrmann clearly is in love with cinema – sometimes he’s a little too clever for his own good, but when he tells the story he tells it well. The Blu-Ray is of amazing quality, both sound and image-wise and even though the film was a complete and utter critical and box-office disaster, I sort of recommend it.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I have a hugely crazy day tomorrow and must get my beauty sleep or as much of it as I can.
Today, I’ll be up early (as if I had a choice – the cement machines are here and churning away at exactly seven), will try to do the long jog, then I must do some quick errands and whatnot before going to LACC at ten-thirty for our eleven o’clock dance rehearsal. Adam is doing three numbers for the show, and I can’t wait to see what he’s come up with. He goes from eleven to two, and then I take over and I think I’m supposed to block all of act one, to which I say, yeah right. I’ll go as fast as I can but it’s probably just going to have to be perfunctory and simple, and then if I have time once I’ve got it all done, then maybe I’ll go back and do some actual staging. I still haven’t decided whether the cast will be seated on stage for the reading. They won’t be at the beginning, for sure, but once they’re on I have to decide whether I want to use up any of our playing area with eighteen chairs. We shall see.
I’ll probably go out for a bit after the rehearsal, but I’ll want to get home as soon as I can so I can get all the CDs packaged. Then tomorrow morning I’ll drive them over to the post office, and take the big dealer orders to the UPS Store. I have no idea if I’ll have any time to watch a motion picture or not, but I hope I do.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long or semi-long jog (time permitting), do errands and whatnot, have a long rehearsal (till seven), and then get a bite to eat, after which it will be packaging up a lot of CDs. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, and now that we’ve had a successful launch for the new Kritzerland site, let’s hope we have a successful launch for The First Nudie Musical.