Well, dear readers, the time has come to put Melodyland before the public. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, the time has come to put Melodyland before the public. And Melody is ready, she’s rarin’ to go, she’s chomping at the bit and the bit is chomping at her. We did our final run-through last night and it went extremely well. I had no real notes – the only thing I told her to be careful about was because of the adrenaline rush she’ll undoubtedly be having not to push beyond what we’ve set in terms of performance levels. I saw it happen just two little times at the top of the show – nothing terrible, but I just wanted her to be aware of it. We’ve worked really hard to bring her into her teens and out of the strictly kid place she’s been in, and she’s been fearless and strong and fantastic about it all. She wrote me the sweetest thank you note I’ve ever gotten from anyone about anything. I was very touched by it. I think it’s been evident throughout the entire process how much fun this has been. When I was first approached about it I really wasn’t sure it was anything I needed to do. I’d loved Melody in Annie, but a whole show of that was just not so interesting to me. But her parents and, most importantly, Melody were so open to exploring bringing her into her teens that their passion was ultimately what interested me. The first thing I wanted to determine for both of us was whether we’d have fun working together, so I had her do the Kritzerland at the Gardenia Sherman Brothers evening and it was just so easy with her that I said yes instantly after that.
The hard part of the initial work was working through the large number of songs. I asked her to choose a lot of songs and then she’d come and sing them for me. We’d ascertain which were important to her, the why of why she’d chosen them, and after about a month a pattern began to emerge and I began to see a structure and point. Because of that, certain songs got discarded right away – then we combined a few. The majority of what she wanted to sing was chosen by her. She wanted to include two of her Kritzerland at the Gardenia numbers, so that was easy. I recommended Lanny Meyer’s spectacular arrangement (we actually did it together, but Lanny made it brilliant) of I Got Rhythm/Fascinatin’ Rhythm. She was a little scared of it, but after she and her father had worked on it, she fell totally in love with it. Around that time, I came up with the title of the show – Melodyland, which I just thought was perfect – it reflected her personally and had a real sense of fun about it. And then, quite out of nowhere, I decided to write a Melodyland song she could open with. That came very quickly, and she and her folks loved it and in it went. I then came up with the show order and structure – it was a total luck out getting it on the first try, but it’s never changed. I asked Melody to do the first pass of all patter. We spent some time discussing the purpose of patter and what it had to achieve – but I was adamant that it had to be in her voice. Most of what she wrote was very focused and very good – I had her redo a few things, and I just clarified what she was trying to say, and occasionally added some laugh lines. As I’d sit and watch her do songs and patter things would come to me and we’d add them and she was fantastic about running with an idea. It’s so gratifying, this kind of collaboration, where everyone in the room is on the exact same page. If I had notes or ideas, she’d come back to the next rehearsal and they’d all be in place.
As we went into run-throughs, the job became to get her completely focused on the storytelling from both songs and patter, and to never let her energy wane from song to song and story to story. Each time we’d run, she’d be stronger. During this entire process, she was going to improv school, taking cooking classes, being a kid, constantly auditioning and doing a Kritzerland show each month, and for some reason she’d always get the wordiest songs. You could even see the growth at Kritzerland – going from a pure kid in the Sherman Brothers show, to doing more adult-oriented songs in subsequent shows. She was so scared of the ballads in her act (all chosen by her), but I insisted we go all the way with them and she and her dad worked on her flipping from her chest voice to her head voice and making that natural. It’s not something she’d ever really done before, and to watch that mature and get better was really fun. She’s also grown about three inches since we began.
And so, she births the show this evening. I’m so proud of her and I know she’ll do wonderfully. So, Welcome To Melodyland. Fasten your seat belts, it’s gonna be a wild ride.
Prior to our rehearsal, I’d gotten up after a good eight hours of sleep. I realized I had to buckle down Winsocki and get everything together before I leave for New York, New York. That includes prepping our new release and e-mailing myself everything I’ll need for the announcement, and also prepping the eBlast so I can send that from New York. I had to write the blurb, and it’s just a lot of stuff to remember to do. We made some corrections to the Nudie Musical Blu and Ray credits and I’m still figuring out which one I want to use, but it will all go in today. I had a noon meeting with the lady who’s choreographing the LA shoot for the web series. That was fun. Then we set one small role we hadn’t done, so the New York casting is complete. We’re still without camera and sound for the Tuesday shoot, but everyone is on it and hopefully we’ll have something locked up by today or tomorrow. Then I picked up a couple of packages, then came home and did the four-mile jog, which I did a little more briskly than usual.
Then I had a long telephonic conversation with Barry Pearl – he’s been absolutely stellar about arranging things for the New York shoot, and he’ll get a producer credit for all his hard work. After that, it was rehearsal. Since I hadn’t eaten since noon and since I’d only had a very small portion of matzo brei, which I’d completely burned off, I went over to Jerry’s Deli and had their yummilicious and calorie-friendly chopped salad with turkey. I only used a couple of drips of oil and a lot of red wine vinegar, so not many calories at all. But it was huge and I was quite full after eating it all up. When I got back home, I had some fruity snacks and did more work on the computer. I also got most of the sheet music we need for the next Kritzerland at the Gardenia show and I got stuff loaded into iTunes, as I’m going to have to send everyone their stuff via e-mail this time – yet another thing I have to do before leaving town.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must be up very early and jogging very early.
Today, after the four-mile jog, I’ll go to Teddy and get coifed, after which I’ll do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three, and make a shooting schedule for Monday, our long day. Then I’ll get ready and then be on my way to Vitello’s for our four o’clock sound check. We’ll probably record a couple of the ballads at the sound check, just to have them in the bag, so to speak. Then we’ll sit down to dinner at six-thirty and show time is eight. After the show, there’s a meet and greet from nine to ten, and then Melody, her family, and I are going out to CELEBRATE! We have a pretty sold out house, too, so that’s fun.
Tomorrow, I’ll be up bright and early and buying some travel toiletries, doing banking, and packing. I’ll finish whatever organizing I have to do for the Kritzerland announcement, I’ll make sure all our singers have their music and mp3s, I’ll have approved all the credits and whichever logo we decide on for the Nudie Musical Blu-Ray, and then I’ll relax and get to bed early, as I must be up both bright and early and early and bright on Friday morning, to be on my way to the city that never sleeps.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, I must have a hair appointment with Teddy as I can be coifed, I must do errands and whatnot, I must pick up packages, I must buy some flowers for our leading lady, I must do a sound check, and then I must sit in an audience and be proud of a very talented young lady. Please send any and all excellent vibes and xylophones for a grand and gloriously glorious show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland and get ready for Melodyland.