Well, dear readers, it is quite late and I’m quite tired and yet I must write these here notes come hell or high water or, conversely, heaven or low water. And so, with Fruity Snacks in hand, the notes. Thank goodness, yesterday was not at all peculiar like the day before. In fact, it was quite a nice day – lazy, got a little work done, did a two and a half mile jog and had no junky feelings. I never quite got around to watching a motion picture, but did have several long telephonic conversations. And then it was somehow time to mosey on down to the Music Center for the opening night of Leap of Faith. I got there around 4:45, parked, and the picked up the tickets. Then my companion and I ate at Pinot, the outdoor restaurant located near the fountain of the Music Center. I don’t really care for Pinot, but the meal was fine – salmon on a cedar plank and a decent Caesar salad. The waitress was very attentive and the bread was the best thing about the meal. We then took a leisurely walk and then it was half-hour before curtain. I saw many people I know – including Mr. David Lee, Mr. Stuart Ross and producer Joan Stein, Mr. Calvin Remsberg, Mr. Alan Menken, Mr. Jason Robert Brown and his ever-lovin’ Georgia, my pal Linden Waddell (she was in my show Stages), David Zippel, Leap of Faith’s lyricist and co-book writer, Glenn Slater, and several others. Also spotted – Ben Vereen, Gary Shandling, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Neil Patrick Harris, and I’m sure I missed just as many people as I saw.
Last night, I saw a new musical entitled Leap of Faith. Since I know several of the people involved I’ll just keep it short and sweet. There are some very enjoyable things in the show, Alan Menken is a wonderful composer, Glenn Slater is extremely talented, and the cast is terrific, especially Raul Esparza and Brooke Shields. The latter has gotten some pretty rough comments on the usual idiotic chat boards, but, for me, she’s the heart of the show and while her singing isn’t going to win any awards, she gets that part of it done just fine – but her acting shines and she’s real and you care about her. The show is too long, a little repetitious, and some judicious editing will do wonders – also, there’s a line at the top of act two from the sheriff – where he says “I’m gonna stop him if it’s the last thing I do” (regarding the Esparza character) – that line would be a lot more effective coming at the end of the act – ups the tension level going into intermission. As usual, the sound is too damn loud – it’s like being relentlessly yelled at for three hours. It used to be a lot more pleasant seeing musicals than it is now with this bombastic pumping up of the sound – they seem to do it because they think maybe that’s the only way to keep the audience pumped up, and maybe it works, but, for me, it’s deadly and I just shut off after a while. That said, there are a couple of numbers that just cry out for a strong staging button and they don’t get them – the audience is waiting to erupt and they try, but those are lost moments.
And a note about the opening night audience – I am so heartily sick of audiences thinking they’re watching American Idol and whooping and hollering at ever riff, screaming at a solo line in a song when other singers have to sing the next lines – it’s just stupid, but that’s what audiences are trained to do now, thanks to those TV shows. There are also a couple of little audience things they do that are totally unnecessary and take you right out of the play. So, as always with a work-in-progress, things to be done, but it was an enjoyable evening.
We then toddled off to the opening night partay – it was about ten minutes away at some restaurant/bar. Too dark, too crowded, too noisy, so I stayed for about a half-hour and then got out of there.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep come hell or high water.
Today, the helper will arrive at ten, and we have stuff to ship, and some organizing to do. After that, I have some writing to do, and then Mr. David Wechter will be stopping by and we’ll probably grab a bite to eat and talk about our script.
Tomorrow, we have a rehearsal and then I’ll go sup. Wednesday is crazy busy – in the morning we have to ship CDs, and then I have a sound check at the Gardenia, then I have to come home and get ready, then go right back to sup and then it’s show time. The rest of the week is quite busy, and then on the weekend it’s the Hollywood Show, which seems weak and I’m not sure I need to go, especially as I loathe the people who now run it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, ship CDs and organize, I must jog, I must have an early dinner meeting and I must hopefully pick up a package or three. Today’s topic of discussion: Leap of Faith, the movie, has religious themes – what are your all-time favorite religious-themed films – whether about charlatans or revered ideas and figures, whether small and intimate or big and roadshow. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, come hell or high water.