Well, dear readers, it is very late and I am very tired so I’d just better write these here notes in a hurry before I fall asleep whilst typing them. So, let me just say that yesterday was a day. I had a rough night’s sleep, only getting maybe five hours. I finally got up at nine and did my morning ablutions. I got word that both packages for next week’s releases were at the printers. I did a three-mile jog and when I came back and saw that every parking space was taken by members of a film crew (yes, the usual butt cheek down the street covering his mortgage while making everyone nearby miserable) – the helper was here when I got back, so I had her wait while I found the production manager and read him the riot act. Fortunately, I had a copy of the riot act nearby. He apologized and did the usual thing of trying to tell me the cars didn’t necessarily belong to the crew, but that he’d have them moved if they did. I assured him that each and every car belonged to his crew. And sure enough, two minutes later all the cars had been moved.
Then the helper got all the invoices that have come in during the week she’s been gone and she got all of that shipped, so we’re all caught up. Then I went and had a turkey sandwich and no fries or onion rings, after which I picked up no packages. I came home, heard the master of one of our releases, which now includes the missing track, and that all sounded terrific – that one got sent to the pressing plant. Then I heard the other master for the second release and that also sounded great, so as soon as one other person hears it and signs off on it, then that will get uploaded to the pressing plant.
Then, because I’m undecided whether we’ll release Monday morning or Wednesday or Thursday morning, I went ahead and wrote the blurbs and prepped the eBlast. I tried using the new version of Constant Contact, the one they talked me through on the phone, but some of it was really confusing to me still, but I got all the copy in and then went to insert the photos of the covers, and that proved very difficult because the place to upload is completely different than it was. I figured it out, uploaded the two covers, then used the back button to go back to the page I was on. Lesson learned: You can NEVER use the back button on Constant Contact – but I did and it nuked all my photos right out of the library. At that point, I got plum angry – not peach angry, mind you, no, I got plum angry and I went and stepped on a plum, which was very gratifying. Then I called Constant Contact, got a nice gal on the phone, and we uploaded the photos again and we walked me through prepping the e-mail. The fact is, this new way of doing it is a hundred times easier and looks a hundred times better, since this puts my text in exactly as I write it, paragraphs and all, boldings and all. I wrote down some notes, but from now on all I really have to do is click “copy” on the previous eBlast, that creates a clone of the last eBlast – I then retitle it and put the new stuff in, which is only the date, the text (which is now one click instead of the previous ten clicks), and the cover photos – that part is now really easy – you just put the cursor wherever you want the photo, then you get the photo, click insert and there it is. Once it’s done, you click “save” and then when it’s ready to be sent, you just click on “schedule” and that’s that.
Then it was time to mosey on over to the Oaks of Thousand to see Grease. I got there by seven, got my ticket and then hung out with people I knew. Barry Pearl, the show’s director, got lots of his Grease cast mates from both film and show – so we had Michael Tucci, Jamie Donnelly, Eddie Deezen, and the original Danny Zuko, Barry Bostwick. There were some others there, but I didn’t get their names. Then we took our seats and the show began.
This was my second time seeing the stage show. When it originally came to Los Angeles on tour to the Shubert Theater, my friend Mike Lembeck was in the show, but I could not bring myself to see it. Why? Because I had none of that kind of nostalgia for the 1950s, at least as I knew it was being portrayed in Grease – in other words, characters I would loathe, just as I loathed those types back then. I didn’t see the film when it came out for the same reason, but did finally catch it at some point and thought it was okay – even though I had the same problems, Mr. Travolta and Miss Newton-John brought such star power to the film that it was enjoyable – and the supporting cast was fun. I knew they’d cut a LOT of the stage score, but I liked the new film songs pretty well.
Because of the film’s success, subsequent Grease productions began incorporating the film songs into the show. The first time I saw it onstage was in a horrifyingly awful non-Equity tour that stopped at the Greek Theater – which starred my pal Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka. Cindy was eventually fined for doing that tour. But it was just awful and I can’t even remember if they put the movie songs in. So, last night, I have to assume, I saw something resembling the original Grease – that was Barry’s deal with this production – no movie songs, just the show as written, with a nod to the original production in terms of staging and choreography. And Barry did a terrific job of getting the show on its feet quickly, casting it well, and keeping the pace quick. And it was a treat to see Adrian Zmed as Teen Angel – he is just terrific on stage and he was funny and sang really well. But, for me, the show is the show and I just don’t like it much. I know I’m in the minority, but there you are.
After the show, Barry’s ever-lovin’ Cindy asked me to take her to the after partay, since Barry would be hanging out at the theater, schmoozing. I wasn’t really planning on going, but I’m glad I did. I mostly hung out with Cindy and Adrian, who said he’d definitely come back and do another Kritzerland show. I met some of the cast members when Barry finally arrived, including one of the front runners for the Hofstetter audio books – who looks so nothing like I thought she would. There was food – I’d only had the turkey sandwich, so I had a tiny bit of salad with a light raspberry vinaigrette, some vegetables, and a tiny chicken breast – so almost no calories. I was there for over an hour and then I finally said my goodbyes and came home, where I ate some melon balls. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get some semblance of beauty sleep.
Today, I must relax and have a ME day. I think the Staitman lunch has been moved from tomorrow till today, so that will happen. I’ll do a jog, do lunch, hopefully pick up some packages, and then just sit on my couch like so much fish and watch motion pictures – although I may go to Mystery and Imagination Books at some point, to see when I can book my signing.
Tomorrow, since there’s no lunch, I’ll just do some work on the computer and relax. Next week I’ll get singers all their stuff (we’re still not fully cast and we’ve got to fix that very soon), and I have several meetings about various and sundried things.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, lunch, hopefully pick up some packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your Grease experiences? Is Grease the word? Have you seen it live onstage in its original form? Do you love the film? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where Grease will be the word.