Well, dear readers, it’s so lovely to awaken every day to new e-mails from people enjoying Follies. It’s like birds twittering (and not on Twitter), and larks tweeting (not on Twitter) and it just starts the day off on such a wonderful note (Bb). It strikes such a wonderful chord (Fmaj7). It creates harmony in my world. One of the e-mails yesterday morning was from Mr. Harvey Evans, the original Young Buddy in Follies and he was very, very happy with the CD. Here’s a little of what he said: “It’s remarkable!!!!!! What an achievement, bringing the score and the performances to life in such a better way, you deserve medals. As others have said, Dorothy Collins is now singing to me in my own living room. And those orchestrations, I hear every instrument. Jonathan Tunick must be ecstatic. Having heard that score live for well over a year, and some forty years later on record, I heard things I never heard before. My big regret is that since a lot of the cast have departed, they will never get to hear how good they were. Of course I’m prejudiced, but I think this is now the best recording “FOLLIES” will ever have. CONGRATULATIONS, Harvey.” Wasn’t that sweet? I have to say that of all the recordings I’ve ever been involved with, whether they’re my own productions or reissues, this has gotten the best reaction of any of them. So grateful to have been able to do it.
Yesterday, was a melodious day filled with melodiousness. I got up at ten-thirty after nine and a half hours of blessed sleep. I read my e-mails and responded, then did a two-mile jog, after which I picked up a package and an important envelope. I did some banking, then came home and did some work on the computer. Then it was time for our stumble-through. It actually went very smoothly and there were only a few things to adjust and futz with afterwards. This cast is doing just great as is our musical director – it’s a very difficult show for him, but he has met the challenge head on. After that, a few of us went to the Daily Grill to eat. This is my second day on the Daily Grill Diet and I had two chicken breasts and a caprese salad (cheese and tomatoes) – it was really good and nicely filling. We ordered the strawberry shortcake for dessert and I had four little bites of that. Since I’d jogged for two miles my calorie intake was more like 400 for that meal plus maybe a couple of hundred or less for my bites of strawberry shortcake. Then I walked home from the Daily Grill, so that was more exercise (it’s about a half-mile).
When I got home, I went over my commentary for tonight’s show one last time, made a couple of tiny adjustments and printed it out. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first forty minutes of a motion picture on a homegrown DVD entitled The Rat Race, starring Mr. Tony Curtis and Miss Debbie Reynolds, written by Garson Kanin (from his play) and directed by Robert Mulligan. I’d seen it on cable a few years ago and enjoyed it, and I’m enjoying it just as much now. I’ll finish it up on Monday. Then I finished reading the West Side Story book – again, some interesting stories, but riddled with the stupidest sorts of easy-to-check-on errors, if only the book had had any sort of decent editor.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I need another good night’s beauty sleep – and on that note (C#), click away.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I’ll do at least a two-mile jog, do some writing, relax, and then we’ll do our sound check at four and then it’s show time at seven. From what I’m told we have close to seventy reservations so far, so that’s our second biggest show in our new venue. I will, of course, have a full report.
I’ll probably announce our new titles at midnight rather than at six in the morning, then this week is very busy, with meetings, meals, choosing songs, finishing casting, gathering charts, shipping Dear Brigitte, taking possession of my new Follies poster, and lots of other stuff.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write, relax, do a sound check, and do a show. 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 – and on that note (G), goodnight.