Well, dear readers, we had a lovelier than lovely rehearsal with our guest stars yesterday (Lindsay Ridgeway wasn’t there as she was with us on Monday). I must say it was a very pleasurable four hours with amazingly talented and charming and wonderful people. We began with Rita McKenzie. Of course I worked with her when I recorded Ruthless! and I also worked with her when I recorded Ethel Merman’s Broadway. She tore right into her Ruthless! showstopper, I Hate Musicals and it was as if it were twenty years ago and she was doing the show. She’s hilarious and fun to work with and it was great to see her. She was followed by Lea Thompson. I’ve never met Lea before, but she was as delightful as you might imagine and just such a pro. She’s doing two of my favorite musical theater songs – It’s a Perfect Relationship and The Party’s Over, both from Bells Are Ringing, and boy does she do them well and boy should she do that show at some point. After Lea came Jason Graae – well, I don’t have to tell you that we were laughing from the minute he arrived to the minute he left. He’s doing a little of You’ve Got Possibilities and all of Popular – we figured out how we were going to do it and it should work beautifully. Last but not least was Joan Ryan, who’s doing part of her opening number from Ruthless! and all of her eleven o’clock number. We made the cuts in the first number and it should work great. Her voice is amazing and they probably heard her all over the neighborhood. We wrapped about seven-thirty.
Prior to that, I’d gotten up early only to find that the breakfast thing had been cancelled – it will happen next week. So, I did some errands and whatnot, and then headed over the hill to Teddy, who did his customary magic and I now have very short hair but it looks really good. Then I came back to the San Fernando Valley and went directly to Jerry’s Deli to have a sandwich and onion rings. My waitress brought me my usual Diet Coke. I picked it up to take a sip after putting my straw in the glass and the glass literally shattered in my hand, dousing me in Diet Coke, but miraculously not cutting my hand. I’ve never had anything like that happen in all my born days. It was freaky. They cleaned up the table and everyone in the jernt was apologetic and nice about it. In the end, if it were my jernt I would have comped the meal, but they didn’t. Then I picked up one package, came home, and we had our rehearsal. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Child’s Play, not the Chucky one but the motion picture based on the Broadway thriller by Robert Marosco. The film version was directed by Sidney Lumet and starred Robert Preston, James Mason, and Beau Bridges. I’d never seen it before because I’d heard it was pretty bad, and that proved to be the case. It was pretty bad – mostly due to a not wonderful adaptation that changed several plot points of the play (which I have in my collection, so I thumbed through it after I watched the movie) – and the play is a taut intermissionless ninety-minute show that had a great cast, including Fritz Weaver, Pat Hingle, and Ken Howard, all much more suited to their roles than the film cast. The film’s cast are obviously all wonderful actors, but something about the performances, good as some are, just doesn’t click, and Mr. Lumet, a director I’m very fond of, just doesn’t seem to bring anything to the table. Had they left the script alone it certainly would have been better and ten minutes shorter. I was excited because the film had a score by Michael Small, but it really isn’t very good – just blips and bleeps and then some hymn-like singing. The transfer seems fine – it looks like a movie from the early 1970s, which it should. Can’t really recommend this one.
Other things that happened – another title got approved, packaging-wise, so that’s great and we’ve at least got the next two releases covered, although I’d like the release that follows Monday’s to be something else that I’m hoping is ready in time. And we booked our first performer for the October Kritzerland show – Euan Morton, the Tony-nominated star of Taboo, and one of the performers of Sondheim on Sondheim, so I’m really happy about that, and he loves the music of the composer we’re saluting.
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 do a quick Costco run because we have such a large group coming for tomorrow’s stumble-through that I need some folding chairs. I’ve been meaning to buy some folding chairs for years but have never gotten around to it, so today’s the day for folding chairs. Then whenever I’m bored I can get a folding chair and open it and close it – that’s ever so much fun. After the folding chairs, I’ll do errands and whatnot, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then we have our second rehearsal for our main cast – that goes from three to seven and then a few of us will go out and eat something fun and fancy free. Then I’ll probably come home and play with the folding chairs.
Tomorrow is our stumble-through and we’ll probably grab food after it. Saturday is our sound check and show, Sunday I have to go to an event for the Society of Composers and Lyricists, of which I’m a member. Next week, it’s working on Juliana Hansen’s act and finishing casting the October Kritzerland show. And we announce our new title on Monday morning.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a quick Costco run to buy some folding chairs, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, rehearse, and then eat. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite card games and board games? What was the first card game you ever remember playing, and what was the first board game you ever remember playing? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall be the proud owner of some folding chairs.