Well, dear readers, you want to know something astonishing? Of course you do – you wouldn’t be dear readers if you didn’t want to know something astonishing. I was talking to our stage manager for Li’l Abner, marveling that we have a cast of thirty-five – huge – and thinking that they could never do this show on Broadway now with that size cast. Then I looked up the original Broadway production and they didn’t have thirty-five – they had fifty-three! Can you imagine? A band of twenty-seven and a cast of fifty-three? Wow. So, I guess I’ve done pretty well paring it down, only we still need two more men to make it work, so I’m going to bring in two pro singer/dancers for the ensemble. Then we’ll just squeak by with lots of doubling and a little acting from our musical director.
Yesterday was a rather funny little day and a very productive one at that. I woke up feeling nauseous at six in the morning and I didn’t fall back asleep until around eight-thirty. I slept until the ringing of the telephonic device around 9:45. It was my publisher calling, saying that the book has been moved into production where it is now on the very fast track. This part of the process is very easy. In fact, the guy in production called ten minutes later to say he was on top of it and getting everything ready – he’s the same fellow who’s done the last seven books, so he knows what we do and he’s a great guy. So, that was very good news and we should be able to start pre-orders for the book next week. I think we’re still going to do the limited edition of fifty and those will sell for fifty dollars and will include a tipped in limitation sheet signed by me, Grant, and artist James C. Mulligan. I think that’s something fun and different to do and will make those copies completely unique. I think I’ll book the signing for late April, which should be fine if I’ve approved everything by early next week.
After that, I wrote a bit of a lyric I’m pondering for a tune I’d written a couple of years ago. Then Sandy and Lanny came and we played through some songs and that was really fun. It was actually amazing to me that we’d already chosen half the album, and I played her some other stuff I was thinking about and she liked those, too. Then we went and had food (my favorite part of any working process) – I had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and no fries or onion rings. We talked through some stuff, then came back home, I played a few more things, and by the time they left we’d chosen seventeen songs – that’s at least two too many, so I’ll see what I can live without – one thing I don’t think we probably need is Here on Earth – she really likes it, but we have it on the Brain cast album and it’s very show specific as it is – but I’ll ponder and then decide. We are doing a song from Together Again called Falling Out of Love – I’ve always liked it, but the lyric was very dated and specific to 1982, so over the last few days I’ve had a lot of fun making it very current. It seems like a really nice selection, and even though several things have been out on various albums, there’s lots of stuff that no one knows, as well.
Then they left, I answered e-mails, printed out some orders, the helper came by, and then I had to go and have a meeting with our Daisy Mae – Maddy Claire Parks. She’s Betty Garrett’s granddaughter, and I’ve known her dad, Garrett and his brother Andy for many years – her mom is Karen Culliver. I gave her the script, we talked about the show, and she’s going to be great. She has such beautiful energy and sweetness and a beautiful voice – and she’s nineteen – Daisy Mae, in the show, is supposed to be seventeen according to the Past My Prime lyric. So, all that’s left is to cast an Abner and we still haven’t been able to solve that problem. Maddy had a couple of ideas and she’ll be e-mailing those guys.
After that, I came back home and finalized our Kritzerland cast, which is pretty terrific: Sandy Bainum, Zachary Ford, Maddy Claire Parks, Jenna Lea Rosen, Sami Staitman, Shannon Warne and Robert Yacko, along with two great guest stars – Andrea Marcovicci and the delightfully delightful Richard M. Sherman. And yes, we’ll be debuting the song we wrote together. I’m calling the show These April Foolish Things. There will be a lot of comedy in the show, including a couple of What If numbers. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched three more episodes of House of Cards season two. Like all these kinds of series, this one is getting into a rut – very much like The Killing did in the original Swedish first season. So, somewhere around episode eight, things just began to get kind of irritatingly repetitious. There were still fresh things, but one plot strand involving a wealthy man I wish would just end already – it’s literally the same beat over and over and over again and it’s become a real bore. They did set something up in episode ten that will probably be weirdly interesting. And another plot device that played for one full episode was also annoying because it just wasn’t believable. It’s like they’re trying to hard for conflicts where in season one and the early episodes of season two, all that was done without calling attention to itself. I’m still enjoying it very much. Episode nine was directed by Jodie Foster and episode ten by star Robin Wright. And, yes, they were two of the weaker episodes. So, three more to go, which I’m sure I’ll finish by the evening.
Tomorrow, I will hopefully have a visit from Grant Geissman, who will help figure out where to hang some things that need hanging. Once that’s finished, I’m going over to Foto-Kem to spend a little time with film restoration expert Robert A. Harris and to see what he’s up to. I cannot speak of it, but it will make people happy. After that, I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then choose the three or four songs left to choose for the Kritzerland show.
Thursday is another Sandy and Lanny session – we’re having to have lead sheets created for several songs, but Lanny now has about seven he can work on, eight if I can find what I’m looking for out in the garage. Friday I’m seeing a youth production of Bye Bye Birdie, Saturday who the HELL knows what’s going on, and Sunday I’m seeing my friend Lissa Levin’s play Sex and Education at the Colony Theatre.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a visit from Grant, have a visit with Robert A. Harris, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, choose songs and get sheet music, and then finish season two of House of Cards. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be working on a new album with Sandy and Lanny as well as Lanny and Sandy.