Well, dear readers, this is the day we honor all you mothers out there in the dark (you know who you are). Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, this is the day we honor all you mothers out there in the dark (you know who you are). It’s Mother’s Day and I hope all our mothers here at haineshisway.com will be treated royally this day. I hope there will be brunches and lunches and dinners and festively festive festivities. Since I am not a mother, I shall eat a Subway foot-long Eyetalian sandwich and be done with it. I must also write these here notes in a hurry because I’ve just been listening to some rather incredible live recordings of classic shows – some Broadway, some out-of-town tryouts and I got caught up in them and the time just flew by, like a gazelle in don’t-look-at-me pumps. These are all on You Tube, and I heard three songs from the final preview of Annie, I heard Tammy Grimes sing You Better Love Me While You May from High Spirits (most of these are pretty good quality), I heard several out-of-town performances from Chicago including the cut song Ten Percent, I heard a few numbers from the Boston tryout of A Little Night Music, I heard the opening night performance of Turkey Lurkey Time and I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, I heard an amazing three numbers from the tryout of I Do! I Do! Now, here was the most amazing thing about hearing all these fantastic things – the audience reaction – honest, not filled with teens hooting and hollering – respectful, but occasionally huge ovations, but not today’s kind of American Idol crap, which is why I loathe going to Broadway musicals now. The whooping starts when the houselights dim, as if they’re at a sporting event, and it goes downhill from there. Every time someone hits a high note, like on American Idol, the audience feels it necessary to scream and shout – it completely takes one out of the show and it’s just nauseating. So, to hear the ovation for Turkey Lurkey is something else – it’s huge, but it’s APPLAUSE (and a lot of it), but not whooping – you hear an occasional bravo, and the applause will not quit, which is fun. The same thing for I’ll Never Fall In Love Again – just huge applause but not a cheering section from the local high school. The laughs Mary Martin gets on Flaming Agnes are wonderful, as is the applause at the end. Today, some idiot would probably stand up and try to lead a standing ovation in the middle of the show. Chita Rivera gets nice entrance applause on All That Jazz – today it would be screaming and yelling. I miss the days when theatre was an event and something that felt like an honor to attend. You dressed up. You didn’t think you were seeing The Beatles or Elvis. You reacted honestly and gave good applause when it was deserved and things that were not deserving got tepid applause. I haven’t heard tepid applause in a musical, no matter how awful, in over a decade. End of rant.
I had a pretty nice day yesterday. I was awakened by the ringing of the doorbell when she of the Evil Eye arrived. I then did errands and whatnot and picked up no packages and, more alarmingly, no important envelope, which means I’ll be in New York when it arrives – so, the helper will have to get its contents into the bank. Most irritating. Then I did a mile and a half jog, then lunched at the California Pizza Kitchen. I haven’t been to the Studio City branch of CPK in over a year, I think. I split the spinach artichoke dip (I had less than half), and they kind of made me the pasta I used to love but that they no longer make – penne with sausage and peppers. It wasn’t a huge portion, but it was quite tasty, although not quite the same as it was. For dessert, a strawberry shortcake and whipped cream, but I only had a few bites. After a while, I did another mile and a half jog. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD, a purported low-budget independent musical entitled Guy and Madeline On A Park Bench, shot in 16mm in black-and-white by a young filmmaker who barely looks like he’s out of film school. Clearly influenced by Mr. Jacques Demy (the film opens with an iris out and someone holding an umbrella – but gee, the director and composer in the commentary track neglect to mention that homage and many others). Yes, there are some what you’d call performance numbers, and yes there are a couple of numbers where people just break into song, but, for me at least, it was just a big bunch of pseudo Godard and I grew weary of it. A couple of the critics who think they’re oh so with it, called it one of the best films of the year, so it at least got to them. The film does have some nice tunes, that’s not the problem with it. The youngster who directed is just a fan of a lot of directors so it’s all the coy film school stuff of getting all those things in the film. Like a lot of Godard for me, the plot is simply not interesting and the jumping around in time is just annoying and I just stopped trying to figure out what was going on. It seems mostly improvised and few of the cast had ever acted before. It simply made me want to watch some Demy and the one or two Godard things that I like.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall, of course, be festively festive even though I am not a mother, I shall do some errands and whatnot and pack and pick up a few things for the trip, I shall eat something light but amusing, and I shall relax. I’ll try to get the notes posted early and get to bed.
Tomorrow, I will be up at four to announce the new Kritzerland title, and then I’ll get ready to leave for the airport, after which I shall be on my way to the city that never sleeps. We have a six o’clock rehearsal, after which I can be found at Joe Allen, hopefully at my beloved table 20. Then Tuesday is sound check and show, Wednesday I’ll be in the recording studio with Skip Kennon, and then I’ll be supping with Barry Pearl and then seeing his show. I’ll probably meet some folks after that, and then Thursday I shall be on my way back to Burbank, California.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, I must pick up a few things for the trip, I must eat something light but amusing, and I must relax and get to bed early. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall dream of all you mothers out there in the dark (you know who you are).