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July 30, 2013:

STRAWBERRY FRAPPE

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, how is it almost August?  That just boggles my already boggled mind.  This month has flown by, like a gazelle having a strawberry frappe.  Does anyone still have a frappe, strawberry or otherwise?  I think the frappe has been forgotten, don’t you?  I think the frappe should make a comeback, don’t you?  Oops (spoo, spelled backwards), the frappe is alive and well and living in various and sundried emporiums such as Starbuck’s and McDonald’s.  Who knew?  I thought the frappe was finished, out, done.  And yet the frappe is everywhere, over hill and under dale or, at the very least, under hill and over dale.  Well, something is out but I’ll be danged if I know what it is – perhaps parachute pants?  I’m so happy the demise of the frappe was premature and in error.  In honor of the strawberry frappe and just in the nick redman of time, here is a strawberry frappe.

frappe

That looks luscious, doesn’t it?  Well, that was a waste of an entire paragraph, although at least we know the frappe can still be gotten wherever frappes are sold.  Yesterday turned out to be a day called Monday.  As days go, it was neither here nor there or ever there nor here.  It just moseyed along like so much fish.  I got up at six and announced our new title, then had to deal with a slight emergency – that got dealt with successfully very quickly.  I then went back to bed and slept another two hours, which wasn’t quite enough.  I got up, printed out a LOT of orders, which took some time, then had a telephonic conversation, then went and had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and a small onion rings, just because I had that craving.  Then I picked up a couple of packages, one of which was something very special that I’ve been trying to make happen for two months and which finally did – I worked out a nice trade for a first edition (the UK first) of Lord of the Flies.  This has been a major want of mine – I had a beautiful copy back in the 1990s but that got sold and I’ve regretted it since it’s such a key book of my life.  I had a couple of things an overseas dealer wanted and we finally worked it out last week and the book arrived yesterday.  While it’s not as nice a copy as my last copy, it’s certainly a presentable copy and I’m thrilled to have it again after all these years.  I actually now have only one major want from stuff I used to have – the true UK first edition of Animal Farm, a book one could always get for not all that much money until about five years ago when the price just skyrocketed for it and Nineteen Eighty-Four (I have a lovely copy of the latter).  So, that was exciting.  Then it was time for our first rehearsal.

As I’ve mentioned before, first rehearsals can be semi-smooth or they can be semi-rough.  I prefer the former to the latter, but the latter was what we had yesterday.  Once people have done our show they really learn to understand the vibe and how they need to prepare for the first rehearsal.  Sometimes life gets in the way and not enough preparation is done, and so things are a little rougher than I care for.  But now that our newcomers have been through that trial by fire they know they have to come back on Thursday letter perfect.  And I know they will, because they’re really good and very professional.  We began with Allen Everman, who is new to us.  He ran his three songs – a put-together of The Sadder-But-Wiser-Girl For Me and Seventy-Six Trombones.  Then he ran his difficult number, the tongue-twisting crazy Get a Map and Be On Your Way from 1491, Meredith Willson’s musical about Christopher Columbus.  Once he gets it down, it will be a showstopper.  Then Charlotte Mary Wen arrived and she and Allen did their duet together, I’m Past My Prime from Li’l Abner.  Charlotte was a bit hoarse – I think she’s just gotten over something, but she’ll be fine by Thursday.  She ran her two put-togethers – Love In a Home and You Don’t Know (from Li’l Abner and Here’s Love), and Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet and Pig Foot Pete (really fun).

After Charlotte, our very own Robert Yacko arrived.  Since he’s done quite a few of our shows, he’s always prepared for the first rehearsal and so his stuff always goes smoothly and I can actually work and finesse.  He began with Colorado, My Home from Molly Brown, then did Jubilation T. Cornpone from Li’l Abner, and finally My Wish from Here’s Love.  Wonderful stuff done wonderfully.  After Robert came Jane Noseworthy.  She’s also done many of our shows and so she was prepared, too.  She began with Goodnight, My Someone, then did a slow and sexy Teach Me Tonight, and then her third song, Being In Love (from the movie of The Music Man).  I could listen to this woman sing all night.

Last was Ashley Fox Linton.  She ran her first two numbers – a put-together of I’ll Remember April and You Don’t Know What Love Is, and Wonderful, Wonderful Day from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – she has a terrific voice and presence and once she has the songs in her bones they’ll be great. Then our trio of boys arrived – Justin Jones, Bruce Merkle and David Zack – and we ran I Ain’t Down Yet with Ashley and them.  That was the roughest of the day because if you’re not really prepared on that song it’s just impossible.  So, that one we’ll finesse on Thursday, but by the end they pretty much had it down.  Tom Griep was his usual excellent self.  There are two other numbers in the show – Sue Raney, our guest star, is doing Till There Was You, which she’ll rehearse on Thursday, and Guy Haines is doing Ya Got Trouble.  He couldn’t be there today, so I ran it instead and got through the damn thing.

After that, I went to Gelson’s and got some – you guessed it – melon balls as well as some popcorn for my evening snack.  I did a telephonic interview with a Variety reporter about soundtrack labels and then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched another thirty minutes of Once Is Not Enough.  I won’t talk about it until I finish it this evening. Then I will let forth.

I found two songs today.  The first I wrote one fine day in the 1980s – normally I don’t write a lot of songs that aren’t from shows or movies, but in the mid-1980s I just kept getting little ideas that I liked and they turned into songs.  When You’re Waiting for Love and Chinese Food in Bed were both born during that time, as was Lady at the Piano from the other day and as was this next song.  The idea was simple – define a relationship like a three-act play.  I wrote it in about eight minutes – it just came out pretty much fully formed.  I recorded it for the CD that was called The Music of Bruce Kimmel.  I hadn’t heard it in a while, but I quite like the lyric – and the beautiful bells and percussion is played by Julius Wechter, and what a treat that was.

23 Three Acts

And then, since some people haven’t gotten the CD of Stages and Together Again, my two musicals, one from the late 70s the other from the early 80s, I thought I’d include a song from Stages called First Apartment, just because I like the sentiment.  Singing the opening verse is Tony Award-winning Sammy Williams, and the other singers are M’Lisa MacLaren and Randi Kallan, along with other members of the cast.

02 First Apartment

When Sammy created a club act two years ago he wanted to do First Apartment as a solo, and asked if I would change the end of the second verse, which was originally sung by two people.  The original was:

 

Our first apartment

And we won’t be bored

At last we have a place to make out

Besides the back seat of your Ford

And no parents to observe us

Frustrate, unnerve us

We’re free – on our own.

 

For Sammy I adjusted it to:

 

My first apartment

And I won’t be bored

At last I have a place to make out

Besides the back seat of my Ford

And no parents to say “no” here

I run the show here

I’m free – on my own.

 

Today, I shall hopefully get up after a good night’s beauty sleep, which I really need, then I’m having lunch with Karen Staitman, after which I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, jog, write some liner notes, and relax.

Tomorrow is more of the same, Thursday is our second rehearsal, Friday I don’t know, Saturday is our stumble-through, and Sunday is sound check and show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a lunch, hopefully pick up packages, jog, write and relax.  Today’s topic of discussion: If you could own one first edition of any book from the 17th Century on, what would it be and why that book?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall have visions of a strawberry frappe.

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