Well, dear readers, the thirty-fourth Kritzerland show was so much fun. I had someone ask me after the show how much rehearsal we had – when I explained our schedule their mouth fell on the floor. These wonderful singers we work with have two to three weeks with their material – and it’s never easy material and mostly they’ve never heard the songs before. But the professionalism and dedication is extraordinary. And when there’s a flub, which we’ve certainly had in almost every show, they handle it beautifully and get through it. I’m so spoiled with our singers – they are just the best, and on top of that they are NICE and extremely easy to work with. We have no diva fits, no one yacks about their “process” – we’re all there for the same reason – to put on as good a show as we possibly can. I don’t really do all that much actual directing of the singers – just little notes here and there, but their instincts are just so right so much of the time that my job is just to sit back and enjoy what they’re doing.
And boy did our cast deliver last night. We actually only had one lyric flub and it came early on at the beginning of the second number, the tricky and very wordy Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington, which is basically a list song. John Sloman just jumped a verse and then he did the smart thing – he started over. He then had another lapse and started a third time and the third time was the charm and he knocked it right out of the park. The wonderful thing about our sterling audiences is that they are completely supportive and the performers feel that. There were so many highlights – none more moving than Susan Watson’s If Love Were All, and none funnier than Jane Noseworthy’s The Coconut Girl, which brought down the house. But everyone did so well – Eileen Barnett, whose first show this was for us, did everything just right. Little Oliviana Marie was adorable and funny, Sami Staitman did the best she’s ever done for us and that’s pretty damn good, John Sloman is just a delight, Robert Yacko, who it has taken me many years to work with, has become one of my favorites, and Lisa Livesay I would work with anytime, anywhere, on anything. Lloyd Cooper did his usual terrific job, and of course the invaluable assistance of our associate producer, Adyran Russ.
And we had quite the audience. In attendance were such folks as Richard and Elizabeth Sherman, costume designer Pete Menefee (he did the costumes for the play I did at the Taper back in 1973, Forget-Me-Not Lane, and he was one of the chimney sweeps in the Mary Poppins film), Tom Hatten, Nancy Dussault, Will Mackenzie, cousins Alan and Dee Dee and Dee Dee’s wonderful mom, Paula, neighbors Tony Slide and Bob Gitt, the lovely actress, Leslie Stevens, new dear reader Caitlynne Medrick, the Colony Theater’s Barbara Beckley, actor Bruce French, my pal Barbara Deutsch and many others. Here is some photographic evidence of last night’s show. First – our wonderful group.
Next, the great Richard Sherman and my very own self.
Finally, me and the uber-talented Staitman girls, Sami on the left, Sarah on the right – at the Coral Cafe, just after I’d eaten a rather large slice of coconut cream pie.
After the show, some of us went to the Coral Café – we’ve been to Little Toni’s one too many times. I had one of those tri-salad things – two scoops of chicken salad and one of egg salad – no bread. My treat was a piece of their extremely yummilicious coconut cream pie.
Prior to all that I’d gotten a lovelier than lovely good night’s sleep, I did a three-mile jog, and I relaxed until it was time for sound check. I’ve been posting a lot of photographs to Facebook, just for fun, but it’s nothing you dear readers haven’t seen before over the years. If I post anything new, I will, of course, post it here first. Sound check went very well and I had my usual pre-show artichoke.
Since you dear readers seem to be enjoying the French Brain so much, here is the song I Need an Earthman in French – the girl playing Yoni is really terrific.
Wasn’t that fun? I would so love to have seen this production – they did it in English and French at alternating performances. I would, of course, have wanted to see it only in French.
Today, the workers will arrive at eight, so I suppose that’s when I’ll be up. I’ll do a jog, and then we will finish casting the next Kritzerland show (one guy, one gal, one guest star left) – then I can assign songs and get them to singers. I also have to finish polishing the three songs of episode two of season three’s Outside the Box and get that to John Boswell for the pre-recorded piano tracks. Hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, I’ll eat something light but amusing, and maybe even relax.
Tomorrow night I’ll be seeing the Tommy Tune musical about Studio 54 – a staged presentation – I heard about the show and I find it very intriguing and since Mr. Tune is a fine director/choreographer and always interesting, I’m sure I’ll enjoy it very much. The rest of the week is meetings and meals, a little writing, and I will take at least one day off and not do anything. Saturday is our book signing at Mystery and Imagination Books in the Dale of Glen and I do hope we have a nice turnout. Sunday is our Annual Tony Awards Bash.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, finish casting, assign songs, get singers their music, polish songs and get them on their merry way, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite songs from British musicals of the 60s and early 70s? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that Kritzerland at Sterling’s 34 went so well.