Well, dear readers, we made it through our first staged reading performance of Nudie Musical. I was very pleased with some of it, and some of it was a little too low-energy for my tastes – but it’s amazing we got through it at all, given that we only had one actual run-through and that I’ve had no time at all to work on the acting. When everyone was playing full-tilt the show got lots of laughs – when the energy flagged so did the show. But to be fair, there are also sequences in the show that just need to be staged and don’t work well without feeling like a montage – we sort of approximated that when I was able to stage it on a flat playing surface with room to move, but on this set we’re on it’s just impossible, so, for example, the rehearsal montage sequence called Doing Porn seemed interminable to me but I know it won’t when it’s had rehearsal time and everyone understands what the pace of it needs to be. The ensemble did very well indeed, and there were two complete bull’s-eye performances – Niki Scalera as Rosie, and Harrison White as Dick Davis. The latter got huge laughs on every single appearance and I’m probably going to add a few more bits for him. Everyone else did well, save for the energy problems that occasionally surfaced – but people are still feeling their way through the material and it’s to be expected. There were quite a few sequences that didn’t land as they should, but I think they will with more rehearsal time. The act two Alet Taylor number killed, so that was fantastic. There was a row of young girls in the back of the house and they were screaming with laughter at several points in the show. The fellow who’s playing John Smithee really began finding his rhythm and he’ll get better and better, I think. I have many issues with the sound in the theater and the piano level, but there’s no time to deal with it for fix it, unfortunately. Funnily, there was a play reading going on in the second space in this complex – and our very own Mr. Matt Ashford was in it, so we had a nice chat. That reading was directed by Richard Benjamin, who was roaming around the theater. We pretty much had a full house, with about twenty no-shows – unbelievable, but it just happens, I guess. I saw Michael Shayne – unfortunately I didn’t get his messages he left until late today, so we didn’t have time for a get-together. He looked great. My friend Penny Peyser was there, as was Grant Geissman, Michael Kerker of ASCAP, Jan Abrams and her ever-lovin’ Lew, cousins Dee Dee and Alan, our friend Nancy Lee (who did the original drawings for the main titles of Nudie, the film), neighbors Bob Gitt and Tony Slide, and several other nice folks. One thing I realized watching the montage sections was that we really are going to have to create very specific underscoring for those scenes, just as I did with the Brain – it’s actually critical to keep those scenes moving along. After the show, several of us went next door to the Eclectic Café and had some food.
Earlier, I’d gotten up and done the long jog, and then I did the rehearsal, and then I had a sandwich. I made the decision to have valet parking at the theater, which turned out to be a really great idea – it doesn’t cost me anything unless the minimum of fifteen cars isn’t met. However, it was met and met handily. So, it’s onward and upward as we head towards our second performance.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m rather exhausted and would like to get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall, most likely, do the long jog, then I have a humungous day of doing, from shipping a lot of overseas packages to doing a lot of errands and whatnot, to writing checks for the cast, and trying to get organized. Then I will be on my way to the theater for show two. I’ve asked everyone to come in at six-thirty to run a few things so we can hopefully make them smoother. And there were a couple of really, REALLY rough musical patches that absolutely have to get cleaned up.
Let me tell you how I will not be doing a damned thing tomorrow. Oh, I’ll have to make several telephonic calls and do a few errands, but that is IT. And maybe Thursday, too. I do have to get a haircut and take my clothes to the dry cleaners. And I have to start really thinking about whether we’ll come to New York in October to do a staged reading of Nudie there. It’s a lot to consider. Meantime, I’ve got to get the new novel to Grant for designing, I’ve got four Kritzerland releases to prepare, and it’s back to work on the long musical I’ll be directing come September (or whenever).
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, ship overseas packages, write checks, do errands and whatnot, and attend the second performance of Nudie Musical – please send all excellent vibes and xylophones for an energetic and wonderful second performance. Today’s topic of discussion: Last night I had risotto with mushrooms and garlic and it was really great – I often forget how much I love rice. So, what are your favorite rice dishes and please provide rice recipes should you have them. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I take heart in the fact that one of the new second act numbers brought the house down – and I can only imagine how it will be with sets, costumes (or not) and choreography. I would tell you the title of the song and what it’s about, only I know that someone would read about it here and try to rip it off, so we’ll just keep the mystery number under wraps for a little while longer.