Well, dear readers, we’ve survived our second Kritzerland at the Gardenia shows. The show itself went very smoothly and the performers were all wonderful. We had the usual number of no-shows, about twelve, which is becoming really irritating. I’m still learning about the pacing of these shows and what’s working and what’s not. The songs all work, and I’ve been pretty good at making an interesting sequence for the two shows. This time, the between song connective patter went much smoother, so that was good. I had my own mic and a clear path to get to the stage. Our musical director did a great job but the tempos were too slow again on several songs, something I thought we’d worked out – so I think from now on everything gets a metronome marking. We had a different sound and light person and that was the evening’s biggest problem. I kept asking for more reverb at the sound check and she’d go back and turn some knobs but it never got to where I wanted it – she assured me it would be fine, but it wasn’t. The sound on the vocals was way too “dead” for my taste. Also, she had no backlight on the singers, hence the times they had their lyrics on the stand there was no light on them. I had the same problem with my patter for the first three songs – I kept asking her to bring up full lights so I could read my paper. From now on, we either have who we had last time, or I bring in my own person. But the biggest thing I learned is no more lyric sheets. It’s a total crutch and I understand it to a certain extent, but it’s very harmful and every time someone has to glance at their sheet it takes the audience out of the song. Since no one really has to learn more than four songs, I’m just going to make that part of the deal – they have to learn the songs by heart. And the funny thing is, Jason Graae, who was in the audience, and who’d used lyric sheets for our last show, came to me and said that now that he could watch that it just doesn’t work at all. And it was especially troublesome last night because they had the sheets but couldn’t see them and that just made everything worse, in a way. But knowing the songs by heart will solve all those problems. I figure in a couple of months we’ll have this working like a well-oiled machine. But the performers are so talented – I can’t say enough about the amazing Alet Taylor, and her ever-lovin’ Andy was endearing and funny and an audience favorite. His duet with Damon Kirsche, Silverware, was hilarious, despite getting off to a rough start – they actually totally fell apart about twenty seconds in and stopped and began again, which was the smart thing to do. Damon is a rear rarity, a leading man with leading man looks and voice who is also quirky and funny. Susannne Blakeslee is a wonderful comedic actress and singer, and she got to do two songs that didn’t play to those strengths, but allowed her to do something different, and she’s wonderful in those other kinds of songs. Jackie Seiden is very tall, very beautiful, with a belt that would clean your sinuses. And our four ensemble girls were adorable and added a nice touch to their two numbers (the opening and closing). The patter got some good laughs, and the show moved along very well. So, we just have to fix the sound and lighting problems, I’ve still got to figure out a smoother way to do entrances and exits, and no more lyric sheets. Next show is November 3rd – Prime Time Musicals, based on one of my least known albums, but one of my favorites – all musicals written especially for television by the likes of Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Bock and Harnick, Styne and Comden and Green, Bacharach and David, Cahn and Van Heusen, Livingston and Evans, and more. Alet will, of course, be with us, and we’ve got a wonderfully talented performer by the name of Dan Calloway, who’s got a spectacular voice and is really a good actor to boot. I’ll know tomorrow about one of the other female singers, and then that leaves just one guy and one gal left to cast.
Prior to the show, I’d had an uneventful, nice day. I got up, did some work on the computer, then went and had some bacon and eggs. While I sat there eating, outside I could see that there was a sudden torrential downpour – happily it was pretty much over by the time I finished. I picked up a couple of boring packages (Kritzerland supplies) and a DVD of the first season of Happy Days, so we can add the one clip we’re missing for my clip reel for JMK’s event in November. I then went to the Gardenia to do the sound check, and then came home, did a mile and a half jog, got ready, and headed back to the Gardenia at seven.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it’s quite late and the helper and CDs will be here at nine in the morning.
Today, we have to ship out a lot of CDs, and fill other orders that came in in the last two days. Then we have some errands and whatnot to do, then the helper will leave and I may or may not meet with Mr. David Wechter later in the afternoon. I also do a fifteen-minute radio interview with Jeanne Wolf on her syndicated radio show.
Tomorrow, I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m sure we’ll be pulling the music for Prime Time Musicals, and probably December’s show as well. I’m thinking we’ll take January off, but that depends on what day the first Wednesday falls on. Well, I see that the first Wednesday is the 5th, so maybe we will do a show. We shall see. It would be a fun way to start off the new year.
I may or may not go to The Hollywood Show on Saturday. But I must write these liner notes because I’m really behind – and in order to write them I have to watch the near three-hour movie so I can actually know what I’m talking about. Well, that’s probably today and tomorrow’s work.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, ship CDs, do errands and whatnot, do a jog, maybe meet with David Wechter and watch a long movie so I can write liner notes. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could meet any living writer, director, actor, singer, composer, or lyricist today, who would it be (for each of those) and why them? Same question if you could meet any ONE of those people in those categories who is deceased, who would it have been and why them? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland with no lyric sheets.