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February 5, 2010:

AT ONE WITH THE WORLD

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I have eaten some low-fat low-cal chocolate chip ice cream and I am at one with the world. Not at two with the world, mind you, no, I am at one with the world. I’ve actually been at one with the world since finishing the new book. I’ve been walking on air (no mean feat) and also walking on carpet. At one point, I sang the entire score to Whoop Up and you can’t do that unless you’re at one with the world. Actually, yesterday was a really interesting day. For example, I got up. That was interesting. I then remembered one little story I’d forgotten to write about, and I felt it was important enough that I just went ahead and wrote that couple of pages, not knowing exactly where I’d put it. But, writing that story suddenly made me understand that one whole timeline was off by almost three years. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t think it was off very much, so I’d left it. But certain thinks just weren’t making sense to me, but as soon as I wrote this new story everything suddenly clicked. So, I spent close to two-and-a-half hours cutting and pasting everything into the correct timeline. Then I added the new story, then I had to revise a couple of things to make segues smoother. Then I reprinted almost all the pages again, got them Xeroxed, and delivered them to muse Margaret. When I read through them again, everything was so much clearer and cleaner. And thank goodness cousin Dee Dee kept all the letters I wrote her, because once I knew the timeline was off, I simply got a letter I’d written her at the time of the incident I was adding and voila – I had the exact date and I even got to quote from the letter. I took myself out for a celebratory luncheon at Louise’s Trattoria – I had a side salad and some pasta with red sauce and mushrooms. It was quite yummilicious. After that, I was at one with the world. I shipped a package, picked up 0 packages and 0 mail from the mail place and then came home and did absolutely nothing. And then it was time to toddle off to the Dena of Pasa to see Camelot at the Pasadena Playhouse.

I got there pretty early and visited some nearby shops. When I got back to the theater, I saw all sorts of human beings that I knew. I saw the show’s director and adaptor, David Lee, I saw Jason Alexander, I saw musical director Gerry Sternbach, I saw an old high school buddy, and about ten other people who were known to me in one way or another. Now, as most of you know, I am not a fan of revisals. But I’m very specific about that, i.e. I mean specifically I’m not a fan of when people try to fix shows that I don’t think are broken, for example, what they did to Annie Get Your Gun or the recent Guys and Dolls revival, or even Arthur Laurents futzing with his own Gypsy. But if someone has an interesting concept or idea for a musical that was broken or damaged, I say bring it on, baby. And such was the case with Camelot. Camelot has a glorious score, one great song after another. But the book has always been the problem, as good as some of the writing is, there was just no clarity and the real story they were trying to tell kept getting lost in the myriad characters and pageantry. So, my friend David Lee had an idea – to strip away everything that didn’t have anything to do with the central story being told. Then he decided to further strip away all the usual trappings. Then he decided to do the show with only eight actors in a very spare production that relies on story telling type theater tricks. The cast speaks certain stage directions. At times it’s almost like you’re watching Camelot The Fantasticks. But for the first time the story was clear and clean. And therefore, the show was touching and taut and funny. Then instead of a seventy-year-old King Arthur, we got a young and vibrant King Arthur with a beautiful voice. Another of David’s concepts was to cast two people named Shannon as King Arthur and Guenevere. Shannon Stoeke and Shannon Warne both do terrific jobs, as does Doug Carpenter as Lancelot, although if the show moves on I feel Mr. Carpenter should change his first name to Shannon. Zach Ford, the fellow who has played the lead in all our readings of the long musical, is in the ensemble and does a very good job. David’s staging is clear and clean, as well, and I was happy to see that my two regular reed players were in the band. And oh, that score. What a marvel. So, congrats to everyone involved.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am at one with the world and I must get my beauty sleep or I shall look like a seventy-three-old Jew in the morning.

Today, I shall be at one with the world. I hope to talk to muse Margaret and am hoping she liked this current batch of pages. I have a lunch to attend, and then I shall just relax and smell the coffee or the roses or the cream of mushroom soup.

Tomorrow, I also have a lunch, and I think I may visit Mystery and Imagination Books – they are going through really tough times right now and I’m praying they survive because we do not need to lose one of the only great mom-and-pop bookstores left in Los Angeles (or, in this case, Glendale)

Sunday I haven’t a clew about, but Monday we’re having a casting session for the long musical, and then I may be seeing my brother for the first time in over ten years, I think.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, talk to muse Margaret, have a lunch, do some errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, various and sundried upcoming Kritzerland releases, and John Williams’ score to Black Sunday. DVD, the marvelous Gambit. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I remain at one with the world.

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