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August 11, 2011:

BORN TO ENTERTAIN

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am just returning from a rather amazing evening and I can’t wait to write about it. We knew we had a good show – you just know those things. And we knew Melody had grown and was doing a great job. But you never really know how an audience is going to react. Yes, there were a lot of friends and family there, but I’ve been to enough of these that if the show isn’t delivering, by the time you’re at the halfway point the screaming and woo-hooing has abated and they just can’t force that kind of reaction any more.

We arrived at the club at four, worked some stuff on the stage, and did our sound check. Our sound guy was ready for us and knew what he was doing. My engineer John was there setting up our equipment to record the show. We ran a few numbers. Melody was excited and her energy was already high. We did a couple of test recordings and she was in splendid voice. I didn’t want her expending and wasting too much energy during the sound check, so we stopped before that could happen. She and her mum ordered a little food to eat in her dressing room and people began arriving at six.

By eight the room was jammed with people, only a few of whom I knew. Adryan Russ and her ever-lovin’ Dale, dear reader Sam, Marsha Kramer, Julian Hansen and James Mulligan, Zachary Ford, dear readers Amy and Mark, Melissa Mitchell (the latter three have all done Gardenia shows and Melissa was in Annie with Melody), actress Bets Malone, the wonderful Ruth Williamson (who was in White Christmas with Melody), The Singer and her family, John Boswell and his ever-lovin’, Cabaret Scenes’ Les Traub, and a few others I’ve met. There were some family, lots of their friends and the mood in the room was just what you’d want it to be. I must say, I’m very fond of the food at Vitello’s, which is consistently good. Michael Sterling, who normally only runs the room on Sundays, came in to help and boy was he a help. He’s a true gentleman and a wonderful host, and he kept everything running smoothly. At eight-ten I took the stage to let everyone know to turn off their cell phones, to not take flash photography, and I let them know we were recording the show, and also that there’d be a one-hour meet and greet after the show. I took my seat and the show began.

Melody entered to a tremendous applause, which just made her light up and smile a million kilowatt smile. Once she smiles, I’m afraid there is no resisting her and no one could. She absolutely nailed her opener, Melodyland, and it got a huge applause. Right then and there I knew we were home free. She began her patter and instantly landed all the laughs – huge laughs – no pretending from anyone. And from then on, she was just perfection – confident, in great voice, subtle, funny, touching and giving a performance that any adult would kill to give. One of the most gratifying numbers of the evening, especially because it’s one we’d really worked on, making sure the acting of it was just what it needed to be – she was extraordinary about taking direction, especially in this number – was Children Will Listen. The set-up was key and it took a while to get it right, but people were truly moved by her performance, and I don’t know that any thirteen-year-old has ever done the song before, let alone done it with such heart. It was a defining moment in the act, actually. By the end, people were cheering. She came back, did her encore, and that was that. The audience would not stop applauding, but because we hadn’t really discussed her coming back for an extra bow, she stayed off – I wish I’d mentioned that she should come back if that happened. In the entire show, she only flubbed one thing and not one person was aware of it, because she handled it like a true pro – she went up on a lyric in I Want To Be A Rockette – and just repeated what she’d sung in the first verse, but doing it with such conviction that you would never have known anything was wrong. For the CD, we will, of course, fix that moment and put in the correct lyric, but that’s literally all we have to do.

After the show, she got many, many kudos from one and all and also all and one. Finally, we all left and went out to celebrate at Four ‘N’ 20 Pies. We had quite a bit of fun there and then we said our goodnights. I’ll miss working on this, but there will be many more performances coming, so we’ll go back into rehearsal at some point. And, of course, Melody will continue to be in the Gardenia shows and she’ll be doing the LACC show, too. And we’ve promised that we’ll all get together often – they have become like family to me. All in all, a perfect and perfectly amazing evening.

The rest of the day was fine. I’d gotten up at seven and was out the door at seven-thirty, jogging. Then I showered and went to have my haircut with Teddy. He did his customary wonderful job. Then I came home and worked all afternoon doing schedules and stuff for next week’s shoot, as well as assign songs to singers for the next Gardenia show. And that was basically the day.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I have way too much to do today and must get some kind of beauty sleep.

Today, I must be up early for CDs and helper will arrive to ship out a LOT of CDs. Then I have to get everything prepared for next Monday’s Kritzerland announcement – it’s a little complex but it’s got to be done so that I can do everything from the laptop – which is why I have to have everything that I need transferred to the laptop. I also have to burn CDs for the shoot, print out scripts, do errands and whatnot, banking, buy some travel toiletries, pack, eat something light but amusing, do the four-mile jog, and finish doing our schedule so I can get it to all the actors. I don’t know that I’ll have time to even breathe, and I must get to bed by nine so I can not be way too overtired when I arrive in New York, New York.

Tomorrow, of course, I will be up by 4:45 in the morning and on my way to the airport by 5:15. And then I shall be on my way to the city that never sleeps. I’m planning on supping with dear reader elmore, after which Barry Pearl will join us.

I’m seeing Follies on Saturday night, and we have a production meeting on Saturday afternoon. Not sure what’s happening on Sunday yet, but Monday we shoot all day, and Tuesday we shoot for about three to four hours.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, ship CDs, do errands and whatnot, prep a release, burn CDs, eat, pick up packages, and get to bed early. Today’s topic of discussion: You’re on your own, I’m afraid – my brain is much too tired to come up with anything. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, proud and pleased as punch that sweet Melody rose to the occasion and gave an amazing performance.

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