Well, dear readers, oy and vey it is very late and I am very tired and I must write these notes in a hurry because otherwise they will be more incoherent than usual. The problem is, of course, that I have a headache and cannot think of anything to write. You know why I have a headache? Let me tell you why I have a headache because why should I keep such things from you dear readers? I have a headache because musical theatre today has to sound like a rock concert, due to the extreme amplification. It’s got to stop, but won’t. I just don’t want to go the theater anymore, that’s how bad it’s become. They now have onstage monitors in full view of the audience. Sorry, musical theater has gotten away with no monitors since musicals began – this, in fact, was the first time I’ve ever seen them, but had you heard how pumped up they had the orchestra you’d know why they were there. The problem is, when you pump up the orchestra like that a) all orchestral sound is coming through speakers so why even have them there – just use canned music, and b) they then have to pump up all the singers. And they had reverb on all the voices. Folks, we’re in the THEATER not a recording studio. Enough is enough, as Babs and Donna so eloquently put it. Such was the situation at the opening night of Hairspray. Everything was too damn loud and that includes the insane, screaming audience. Every time the music is at ear-splitting levels, they feel they have to top it, as if they were in the audience for American Idol. Of course, the show panders to that constantly. It did on Broadway when I saw it – it was one of those relentless Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell affairs. It was certainly well done and entertaining, but there’s just nothing real going on during the show, even though they think they’re making “statements.” But on Broadway, with the stellar original cast, I just went with it. Here in Long Beach, the show just seemed very long, relentlessly relentless, and very, very loud. Barry Pearl was excellent as Wilbur – he’s just having a ball up there. Jim J. Bullock is still finding his footing as Edna, but he’s a pro. Everything else was fine but, and I do hate to keep on about it, too damn loud. I don’t know how anyone can enjoy a show at those sound levels. Also, it doesn’t matter where a person is standing on stage, their voice comes through loud and clear dead center – it’s like there’s nothing real. If Carly Simon were writing Anticipation today, she’d call it Amplification.
I saw several people I know at the opening, including our very own Melody. When I first met Melody to start working on her show, she was a shrimp. In the last eight months it’s just been amazing to watch her shoot up, height-wise – she was in small heels last night and she must be five-seven in them. I also saw my pal Sammy Williams, director David Galligan, Hairspray’s director Larry Rabin, artistic director Steve Glaudini, Melody’s friend and fellow performer Jenna Rosen, Barry’s agent David Moss, an old agent pal of mine, Martin Gage, Shannon Warne and hubby, Bets Malone, and a few others.
Prior to that, I’d gotten only an okay night’s sleep. I was awakened by the door bell at nine-thirty, but I’d been up for an hour in the middle of the night, worrying about the LACC show, which I am really behind on. I then had a nice chat with Peter Filichia and we christened his new column for us Filichia on Friday. I went and had some poached eggs and bacon, did some errands and whatnot, picked up no packages and an important envelope, then did the four-mile jog. I’d sent out a Kritzerland eBlast about the web series and I was delighted to see that we got over forty-five people subscribing to the Outside The Box channel. Facebook, in terms of being a useful tool about getting the word out, as it always was until two months ago, is practically useless now thanks to all their “improvements.” It used to be so easy to spread the word about anything, but now it’s just impossible. Bravo, Facebook. It didn’t need fixing.
I finessed the contextual commentary for the Gardenia show. I’m beginning to worry (as I always do) about attendance. Oh, I think we have about twenty people so far, but I really want to fill the jernt and I don’t think that’s the case. I hope I’m wrong. I’ll find out tomorrow. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it’s almost two in the morning and I really must get some beauty sleep.
Today, Adryan Russ, who’s associate producing the LACC show will be here at eleven to go over the song list for each act and to help me assign the songs. I already have decided that the three LACC girls are going to learn the nine songs that will be split between them. Then I can hear each of them sing each song and make choices based on that. Once songs have been assigned, then I can get everyone their music and a CD to work with. The good news is that Alet and Damon Kirsche have already sung most of the songs they’re doing. I still have to book five guest stars – the only one who’s definite is Gregory Harrison. Jason Graae has to let me know, and I’m going to ask Bruce Vilanch and Karen Morrow, too. If I have time, I’ll do the four-mile jog. After that, I’m attending a birthday bash for a film music collector.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch meeting, then a rehearsal with Melody, and a lot of other stuff to do, and, of course, I’ll be giving out a LOT of Halloween candy. Tuesday is our stumble-through, Wednesday is sound check and show and the rest of the week is meetings, meals, and final editing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work on the LACC show, do the four-mile jog (time permitting) then attend a birthday bash. 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, with no amplification.