Well, dear readers, today’s notes are inspired by real life events. First, shall we continue to look at the year gone by? I believe we shall. I can’t remember exactly where I left off, but Sandy did the two shows I put together for her and both were extremely successful, especially the LA launch of her CD show. And then I was approached about doing the Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse revue. When I was finally given the green light, we were three-and-a-half weeks from an opening date. At that point, I didn’t even have a list of songs. But I buckled down, winsocki, and made a list, whittled it down, worked day and night on a structure, and began rehearsals. Three of our cast members were members of the theater itself, and two I brought in. It was daunting to assemble the show that fast, but it came together rather quickly, and I had several little conceptual things that clicked right away in terms of intention and fun stuff for staging. I can’t say that some of the experience wasn’t difficult for me in certain ways, but we got through it. I made changes almost daily, both minor things with structure and staging and major things with cutting numbers. We went back and forth about one-act versus two-act, and finally settled on one, which, for this version of the show, works very well. I had to compromise on a couple of things, but I had to choose which battles to fight and the result is certainly fine. If we end up doing it elsewhere, or even if we’re lucky enough to set up a licensing deal, then I’ll for sure put one particular thing back the way I had it originally. While it works okay as it is now, for me it worked better the original way. My biggest joys were watching Sami Staitman grow as a performer – this was a somewhat difficult experience for her, for various reasons, but I worked with her carefully and extensively and in the end she stepped up to the plate and, to my mind, hit it right out of the park, in terms of doing what I’d asked of her. And Jane Noseworthy is always a pleasure to work with and she can basically do anything. The other three cast members are all doing really good work in the show and I like them all very much.
One of the treats of the show was having Kay Cole with me. Her time was limited, so I staged all the solos, duets, trios, and several of the group numbers (I do love doing that stuff), and Kay did the opening, the big tap number and the bows, which is a whole separate number. I think Kay and I compliment each other and she really “gets” me and therefore I get stuff I really like. So, the show is up and running and audiences seem to be enjoying it.
I was also asked to write and direct a big benefit for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which I said yes to and am in the midst of, but that’s a 2014 event, even though I spent time on it in 2013. I also shot two music videos with Sandy Bainum and we put those up a few weeks ago. Also, back at the end of summer, I finally decided on what my new book will be. It’s something Muse Margaret has wanted me to do for years (not as a novel, though), and once we discussed the fact that it could be a novel, she loved that idea and we talked about it for several days. I always like to have the title of the book before I begin, and this one evolved over a series of conversations. We’d both decided my original title was a little too precious and while it would have worked for another medium, it wasn’t really right for the book. Then I wanted to call it the name of one of the characters, but Margaret didn’t love the name I’d chosen, which she thought was also too precious, so I came up with several other name choices and then found one I really liked and decided the book would be that character’s last name. But after a few days, Margaret didn’t love that either, and for very specific reasons. Once I understood what the reasons were and why she was feeling that way, it only took about two hours to come up with a title we both loved and that had a really nice ring to it. So, I’m very much looking forward to beginning the writing on January 1. As with all my books, I’ve already written a rough version of the first three paragraphs. And there’s a project I’ve been dickering with for about seven months – no one, other than the person who’d be involved, knows anything about it and I’ll keep it that way until I know a bit more about the lay of the land. It’s a project that would probably last a good deal of next year if it happens.
I know there are other things I’m forgetting, but I think we’ve covered most of the highlights. In terms of lowlights, I tend not to dwell on that stuff at all, other than to say there certainly were some annoyances and irritations throughout the year, but the good stuff so outweighs any of that that I really don’t give the annoying and irritating stuff a second thought – it just passes and then disappears.
Yesterday was a pretty okay day. It was sunny after the previous day’s rainfall. I was up early, took delivery of 3,000 CDs, which will now ship out on Monday. Then I went and had some bacon, eggs, tomatoes and toast, after which I picked up not one package. I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished Lee Daniels’ The Butler. I found it clichéd, ordinary, and pretty much a bore from start to finish. There is not one original thing in this film – you’ve seen it all and heard it all before and not just once before. It seems designed specifically to be released as Oscar bait and right from the beginning, with the ubiquitous “Inspired by Real Life Events.” I really never need to see that tired line again. Then we get the ubiquitous narrator – the lead character as an old codger looking back on his life. You know the kind – where the sound engineers suck all the high end out of the voice so that it’s pompous and low. None of the is the fault of the actors, who are all okay. It’s Screenwriting 101 (along with some text at the end to get everyone feeling all up and glowing and send people out thinking they’ve just seen something important – The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman did this all so much simpler and better), Directing 101, and the cameos are truly mind-boggling and not in a good way, whether it be Robin Williams as Eisenhower or John Cusack as Nixon or worst of all, Live Schreiber as Johnson or just as bad, Alan Rickman as Reagan (with Jane Fonda as Nancy – I was rather shocked by what Miss Fonda seems to have done to her face). I’m sure there will be those who like this film – I’m not one of them and I certainly cannot recommend it.
After that, I prepped our Monday announcement, I made the Facebook event page for the Kritzerland show, which I believe will be sold out by Monday or Tuesday, and then it was time to go see Annie, produced by a new community theater called Burbank Community Theater. I’ve always enjoyed, on one level or another, Community Theater and I’ve seen some terrific productions and I’ve seen some terrible productions. This Annie seemed more like a musical theater summer camp thing – with way too many people (cast size was at least twenty more, maybe even thirty, than what the show usually is). It’s nice to give all those kids and adults a chance to be in a show, but it never really serves the show itself. Most community theater I’ve seen doesn’t do that sort of thing, nor do they put on their show in a 1200 seat theater with a full orchestra. That kind of negates what community theater really is. The theater was a complete surprise to me – I had no idea it existed. It was apparently donated to the production. It’s located in Forest Lawn cemetery – isn’t that peculiar? I suppose they can do stage shows, but there’s also a huge movie screen and a projection booth, so obviously movies have been shown there.
What can I say about Annie? I first saw it when it came to LA and I really enjoyed it but didn’t love it. That production had Jane Connell and Keene Curtis in it, and I’m guessing that if I saw a program for it I bet I’d know several others in it. I took my daughter and she loved it completely. But it took my second time seeing it, this time with another tour a few years later that played the Pantages, this time starring Ruth Kobart and, I think, John Schuck, with Louanne as Annie, and the second time did the trick – I loved it. I’ve seen the show several times since, and almost recorded the awful revival with Nell Carter. I’ve seen it in LA a few times, and the only time I buy into the show is when the directors are good enough to understand that the show cannot wink at itself, but also can’t get too sugary and sickeningly sweet. The way I can always tell if an Annie is working or not, director-wise, is the scene when Annie’s parents visit Miss Hannigan (those who’ve seen the show know what I’m speaking of). If the actors or director don’t understand how that scene needs to be played or if the hand is tipped in any way, then I know they don’t know what they’re doing. The entire second act hinges on the way that scene is played and if you aren’t serious about it, you fail. Last night it didn’t work because the male actor had a beard – cannot work. Shave or get off the damn stage, because the beard makes the scene not work – at all. Otherwise, it was too big a cast, but they gave their all, and little Oliviana Marie, despite suffering from a cold and being undone by a horrid sound system, did her parents Evelyn Halus and Tom Griep, proud – and I was proud of her, too. Tom was recruited at the last minute to play keyboard. Even though it’s not a community theater thing, the band was full-size and played the score very well. The biggest problem was the sound – many of the cast weren’t miked at all and you literally could not hear a word they said, despite there begin foot mics all along the front of the stage – either they weren’t working or the sound operator just couldn’t get a proper balance. I must say, I do love the score to the show. I’d even enjoy directing it at some point, and no, I would not ape one thing about the original because that’s just no fun at all if you’re a creative director and not just a re-stager, which is what most of the larger theaters in LA want.
One lovely part of the evening was running into the late Michelle Nicastro’s husband, Steve Stark, and one of his daughters, and Michelle’s sister, whose child was in the ensemble. I hadn’t realized I’d never sent Steve Album Produced By, a good deal of which is my love letter to Michelle, so I’ll get that to him this week. I congratulated Oliviana, and I’ll see her in a week, as she’s in the Kritzerland show. After that, I came home because who wants to hang around Forest Lawn cemetery? Not me, baby.
I stopped on the way home and got a Subway Club and that was very good and I heard the report that our show had the second worst audience we’ve had in terms of being lifeless, although apparently the funny stuff did get some laughs. It was my first time missing the show.
Today, I shall sleep in a bit, I hope, then someone’s coming to pick up some CDs. After that, I have to take a huge amount of clothing to the dry cleaners, hopefully pick up some packages, do some banking, watch a motion picture, and then see the show, after which some of us will get a bite to eat. I’m only going to have a little snack before then, because I hear there’s a very good jernt to try right near the theater.
Tomorrow, I may see the matinee, just to say thank you to Jane’s cover, whose last performance it is (Jane will be on tonight). And then it’s the holidays, although I do have a bit of work to do – finishing liner notes, having a telephonic meeting on Monday, and also shipping a LOT of CDs, then we have our annual Christmas Eve Do on Tuesday night, Wednesday I’m going to Cissy Wechter’s for Christmas and I presume I’ll see the darling daughter, too. Then I do nothing at all until Kritzerland rehearsals the following week. I will enjoy those four or five days, let me tell you.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a visit, take clothes to the cleaners, hopefully pick up some packages, do some banking, relax, and see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: What were your favorite things that happened in your world this year? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream dreams inspired by real life events.