Well, dear readers, it was another long, long day. I could stop right there and just go to bed, which is what I feel like doing, but that wouldn’t be sporting and one must be sporting because it’s civilized and this here site is known for its civility. We are civil even when using words like ASS and phrases like damn them damn them all to hell. What the HELL am I talking about? Why am I going on about being civil in a way that is not civil? Why am I even using such a word as civil (livic, spelled backwards)? In any case, it was another long, long day, which, like most long days began early in the morning when I was awakened by the sound of three cement trucks and hammering and yammering. I got up, did my morning ablutions, had not time to jog, and then toddled off to LACC for our first day of staging. The day began with Adam and his choreography. He did two numbers, not quite finishing either – they’re very good, but a little too ambitious, I’m afraid, for our little staged reading. He’s going to simplify today. At two o’clock the cast was mine and we began that the beginning of act one at two-fifteen. By seven, I’d managed to block sixty pages of act one’s sixty-nine pages, which is exactly what we hoped we’d accomplish today. The cast was very patient as I blocked each scene and number – nothing elaborate, but keeping things moving along and trying to keep the scene shifts fluid and fun. This show is unlike The Brain in that the ensemble is onstage a lot more, so one is constantly dealing with anywhere from ten to eighteen people in scenes, and it’s a little daunting sometimes. I found a few fun shortcuts to moving people around and those helped. Even at this early stage, the cast is pretty with it and hopefully they’ll study what we did and come in and be able to just run things and get them smooth. In readings done in this sort of time crunch, a lot of the work has to be done by the cast in their off-hours. I’m really liking our Rosie – she’s just got the whole vibe of the character and is funny and adorable and sings beautifully. Alet is so perfect for her role that all one has to do is tell her where to walk and she does the rest. My choice for Joy Full turned out to be a good one, and even as we whizzed through scenes (which is all you can do) there were lots of laughs, especially in the audition sequence. Towards the end of the day, my stage manager dropped a little bombshell on me, telling me that he knew there were several risers involved on the set in the theater we’re going into. First I heard of risers – when I booked the theater I was told that while there would be a set in there there would be a lot of playing space for us. At no time were risers mentioned. Then we saw the floor plan and Adam and I just freaked out. It’s horrible, with no real playing area at all – just risers in the worst places, all facing at angles, which makes no bloody sense for a staged reading, especially when one has just spent hours blocking sixty pages for a proscenium flat staging.
Adam and I went to the theater to see the set in person and it was even worse than we imagined. We’re just going to have to make the best of what is really a bad situation – I cannot change the blocking, so people who are in various areas will now be on risers and weird places and I have no idea what my stage pictures will look like – if I don’t like stuff when I see it on today’s taped out rehearsal space, then I’ll adjust some things tomorrow. As I always say, there are two ways to approach a problem – positively and negatively, and I always try my hardest to take the former route rather than the latter.
After all that, Adam and I went to Jerry’s, where I wolfed down a turkey sandwich, fries, and anything else that resembled food that wasn’t nailed to the table – it was my first meal of the day. Then I came home and had to package up all the Kritzerland orders of God’s Little Acre – that took about an hour, but they’re all ready to go to the post office this morning. Then when I get home later, I’ll do the big online dealer orders and get those out first thing tomorrow morning. I really must never try to do a release in the midst of working this hard – it’s way too much to deal with. That said, I’ll be giving you our little advance head’s up pre-pre order announcement on our next title, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps Monday.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I can’t even focus my eyse as you can clearly and plainly cee.
Today, I am most certain I shall be awakened at seven by my new alarm clock, three cement trucks and the hammering and yammering cretins. I shall do my utmost to get in some sort of jog, probably just two miles, but that’s better than nothing. Then I’ll take the packages to the postal office, then pick up whatever mail came yesterday, then shave and shower, and then be on my way to LACC for another long and intense day, in which the goal is to finish blocking the show, at least roughly. There are several huge numbers for me to do some sort of perfunctory staging on, but somehow we’ll get through it and then the plan is to do a stumble through at two tomorrow. Prior to that, I’ll work scenes and numbers. Same thing on Saturday and Sunday, and then we’re in the theater at noon on Monday to do a run-through with lights and sound – then it’s show time.
I’m really hoping that tonight I can just come home, pack up a few of the big orders, and then sit on my couch like so much fish, because I really need a couple of hours to do nothing. Friday night I have to go to the Gardenia, but Saturday night I’m not doing a damn thing, same with Sunday night. And come next Wednesday, I will take no telephonic calls and I will be unavailable for anything – a complete day off for me.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do some sort of jog (if possible), I must have a long and hopefully fun and fruitful rehearsal, I must eat, I must package large orders, and I must get some sort of relaxation time in. Today’s topic of discussion: You’re on your own, topic-wise – no time to think of anything. Find something fun to discuss and we’ll return to our regularly scheduled topics tomorrow.