Well, dear readers, once again it is late and I must write these notes in a hurry for I must try to get a really good night’s beauty sleep. Our third rehearsal was yet more learning music – I really hate this part – I’m just anxious to start staging and directing and finding out what the show is, rather than the tedium of notes being plunked out. Of course, it must be done. We had a sub for Lloyd last night – he’s finishing up playing for Cabrillo’s Kiss Me, Kate this week. Last night we had Sami, Shaun and Jane, and we basically got through everything. It was a little daunting for the sub because I move so quickly and he’d not seen any of this music before. The poor fellow was probably reeling by the end of it. It’s not easy because I’m just calling out arrangement things and need them notated as I do them so I don’t forget, plus finding keys that work, which means he has to sight transpose, which is not the easiest thing in the world. But we got it done and everyone had their melodies plunked for them and can now learn their stuff. It’s very important everyone gets this in their bodies quickly, both words and music. So, next rehearsal I begin moving people around and that continues all weekend. Then next week there will be two more music-only rehearsals to just have everyone get solid so that I can really start honing what we’ve got.
Prior to that, I’d gotten exactly eight hours of sleep but really needed more. I got up, the helper came by for some invoices, and I answered scads of e-mails and then did some work on the computer. I then went and had some chicken corn chowder (cup) and a ham and Swiss on rye. After that, I did some banking, picked up one package and then put gas in the motor car, after which I came back home. I then had to print out a LOT of music for last night’s rehearsal because our MD needed to work with his show book. Then I decided to try a new time and route because if it worked then I wouldn’t have to leave until five or so. It involved taking Nichols Canyon over the hill – that part worked fine as there are never any cars on that road, so it’s much faster than Laurel Canyon. Then the idea was to get over to Martel, my little secret hidden treasure of a route that I discovered in the late 1980s when I was living in Santa Monica. It was the best way to get from Venice all the way up past Santa Monica Blvd. because it’s the only street that has a signal at every major intersection. I used that route for fifteen years – never a car, never slow, never a problem. Unfortunately, everyone has now discovered Martel (and Houser, which it becomes at a certain point) and it was really a slog to get down to Venice, with at least ten cars ahead of me at all times. Truly irritating. But I could deal with that as I still got down there relatively quickly, but it was Venice that was the real problem with construction being the culprit once again, even though there are no actual workers anywhere in sight and it doesn’t look they’ve been there in months, but lanes are blocked and people are idiots so it took about twenty minutes to go a mile. Once you’re past Robertson then Venice is its usual thing – fast. So, I think the default route will be – Laurel Canyon all the way down to Olympic, Olympic to wherever – that’s the thing I have to now figure out – I’ve got several options that I’ll try, one of them being Bagley, the street I used to live off in Beverlywood. I’m not sure yet if it really goes through to Venice, although it sure looked like it did. But if that works, I’d take Olympic to Sherbourne (the street I grew up on), Sherbourne to 18th across Robertson and up to Bagley and then Bagley to Venice. That would be ideal if it worked.
In any case, I got to the theater around six and since I hadn’t jogged, I walked the half-mile to Abbot Kinney, where I perused a few of the restaurants – there’s a fun place called Lemonade, and I may make that my hangout when I’m early. They have light stuff there – soups, salads, little sandwiches and brownies and stuff. It’s a funky and fun little street. So, I walked around and then headed back to the theater and rehearsal.
After the rehearsal, I stopped and had another cup of chicken corn chowder – I was hungry and that wasn’t too too much food. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I also ate half the small bundt cake that was leftover from the night before – pumpkin spice and very yummilicious.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a really good night’s beauty sleep, which I desperately need. Then I’m lunching with David Wechter. Then I’ll jog, hopefully pick up some packages and write some liner notes. Then it’s rehearsal and our first night of rough staging.
Rough staging will continue tomorrow night, Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday things really get insane, with Kritzerland rehearsals, show rehearsals, meetings, meals and lots of stuff, plus prepping our next release announcement. It’s going to be an absolutely crazy week and I have to keep my wits about me because what we don’t need are scattered wits.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, lunch with David Wechter, do a jog, hopefully pick up packages and rehearse. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite cakes? Not pies, CAKES? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and photographs of CAKES, too, whilst I hit the road to dreamland where I shall keep my wits about me.