Well, dear readers, the 29th Kritzerland show is done and it was quite an evening. The Federal was completely sold out, but somehow they managed to get everyone on the waiting list who actually showed up into the club, so it really was packed to the rafters. I got up and introduced the show, and then we showed the latest episode of Outside the Box, which got a great reaction, although I noticed right then that the laughs all came from the back of the house and from the first row. We had kind of a dead second row and it really affected things – they enjoyed the show, but they were just quiet. I got used to where the laughs were coming from right away and played accordingly, but I do think it threw a couple of cast members, hearing most of the reaction coming from the back. But the cast was amazing, the songs were amazing, and Hal Linden got maybe the biggest ovation in our history of doing these shows. The opening number, Matchmaker, Matchmaker, was a delight and the girls were just great. After that, every number was a highlight, which is what happens when you do the songs of Bock and Harnick. My biggest laugh of the night was an ad-lib – something that just came to me and out it came and I love when that happens. But all kudos go to our stellar cast of Dan Callaway, Michael G. Hawkins, Heather Lee, Lisa Livesay, and Jane Noseworthy, plus our three youngsters, Jenna Rosen, Sami Staitman, and Sarah Staitman and, of course, Hal. All wonderfully accompanied by Lloyd Cooper, our musical director.
We had some fun people in attendance, including our very own Amy and Mark, Shelly Markham, the star of the new Outside the Box episode, John Sloman, the wonderful Beth Malone, Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy, their friends (and mine) Sean Spence and his wife Robin Shelby, my wonderful friend, Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth, Hal Linden’s two daughters, Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael Lamont, our Outside the Box editor, Marshall Harvey, Jenna and Sami and Sarah’s parents and friends, cousins Alan and Dee Dee, who brought neighbors Tony Slide and Bob Gitt, who I haven’t seen in a ‘coon’s age, and lots of others that my tired brain can’t remember at the moment. I just love doing these shows, and I do love when they sell out. All in all, a perfect night.
After the show, a few of us went over to Little Toni’s, where I had two small slices of pizza and some pasta with butter and cheese. Prior to all that, I got up around nine-thirty, turned on the heat, then stayed in bed for another thirty minutes while it heated up. Then I finessed the previous day’s writing, which took a while (one thing that I had to adjust was where I’d ended a chapter – I found a much better and more fun place to end it). I then wrote about five pages, which is all I had time for, as I had a long telephonic conversation, and then I had to get ready for the sound and video check.
After the late supper, I came home, checked out the views on the first night of the new Outside the Box episode (almost 1,000 – interestingly, none of our very own dear readers checked it out, despite the fact that I’ve mentioned it every day in the notes – I guess we have to really post the link for people to go look), and then I wrote another five or six pages. With the additions I did earlier, I believe I did do at least eleven pages today, so I can keep pace with the twelve a day if I do one additional page today, not that I have to. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m very tired and I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall be up by nine-thirty at the latest, and then I’ll finesse yesterday’s writing. I may or may not have time to do a new page or two, for I must be at the editing room at noon, where we have some real cutting down to do. I’m guessing it will all be very apparent to me once I see the long version. So, it’s hard to know how long that will all take, but probably it will be two to three hours, after which I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, eat, and then write more pages. Once I’ve written a nice number of pages, I’ll then print out everything so far and deliver it to Muse Margaret tomorrow morning. In the evening, I hope to watch at least one or two more episodes of The Killing III.
Tomorrow, I deliver pages, and then it’s just more writing, plus starting to cast and choose songs for the next Kritzerland show. The rest of the week is writing, and a few meetings about upcoming projects, plus I have to write the liner notes for our first release of 2013, get those turned in and we’ll announce that in a week. So, a busy week, mostly writing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finesse, write, watch the new episode of Outside the Box and begin editing it down to a shorter length, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, write, and watch an episode or two of The Killing III. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could see one top-notch production of any musical ever written, and it was the only one you could see for the next decade, what would it be and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland with memories of our wonderful Kritzerland show – and don’t forget to check out the new Outside the Box episode.