Well, dear readers, our little Li’l Abner journey has begun. We all convened yesterday at three o’clock in the Caminito Theatre on the campus of Los Angeles City College. Two years ago, we convened to begin work on Lost and Unsung. The show has a rather large company of players so we had a LOT of big tables set up for our table reading of the show. After some preliminaries and our set designer showing everyone the set model, we began. It’s a little weird doing a table reading of a musical without the music, but our MD is starting today, having just returned last night from a tour. So, we skipped the songs and just read the text. Act one was, as I knew it would be, VERY long. Li’l Abner, the show, is very book heavy and probably runs about two hours and forty minutes, which is a bit too long – apparently when the same creative team made the film they agreed because as true to the play as the film is it runs only 105 minutes. So, it is my goal that our production runs no more than two hours tops. A lot of that will have to do with pacing. Scene changes in our production will be instantaneous, so that will save us time. I don’t want to say more, really, due to the prying eyes that we occasionally get here – don’t want another production popping up suddenly that does exactly what we’re doing, which is fairly unique, I think.
We have a wonderful cast, filled with good energy. Cold readings are never smooth, but we got through it and boy were there a lot of laughs. No one wrote better verbal comedy than Panama and Frank – they were just masters at it. And the characters are so colorful and wonderful. The hardest thing for young actors in a show like this is to understand the rhythm of the dialogue – it’s built in and you simply cannot fight it and end up winning – so, getting the rhythm is key. Once it’s gotten, everything flows easily and I think even at the read through some people were instinctively picking up the proper rhythms. I was pretty much casting in the blind, as I’d only spent a little time with the Academy students, but I’m happy to say that I think my instincts were all pretty much spot on. Our guest artists are all going to be wonderful – Evan Buckley Harris is so winning already, you just love him – he’s our Abner. Maddy Claire Parks could not be sweeter and more real and lovable – as she finds the role she’s just going to be great. Barry Pearl is already fun as General Bullmoose, but he and I have an easy shorthand and he will be a GREAT Bullmoose. John Massey could probably open tomorrow and knock ‘em dead as Marryin’ Sam. And adorable Sami Staitman is going to bring her usual great energy to a track I’ve pretty much created for her – it’s in the show, but I’ve made her much more of a presence by combining lines and other characters into something that will work for her really well. The student actors, as noted, have such good energy – our McGoon is going to be great, as is our mammy and pappy, as is our Phogboud and mayor and all our wives and husbands and other Dogpatch citizens. I think they’re all going to have the time of their lives finding out how to make a show like this work and how to inhabit these larger-than-life characters.
Act two is a lot shorter than act one, so that’s a good thing. I do have to figure out some transition things, but mostly I think this will all fall into place. It is my goal to be finished, at least in rough form, blocking the show by the end of next week – it IS a huge show, though. But I was so pleased with our first day and will look forward to getting this show up on its feet. Here is an actual photograph of our mighty cast at the table reading.
Prior to rehearsal, I’d finally gotten a pretty good night’s sleep, answered e-mails, did work on the computer, got all the sheet music for the Kritzerland show and got it to the singers. With someone like Cole Porter you could do ten shows and not even tap his greatest hits, so it was just a question of stuff I really like that will work for our cast. I think I’ve chosen a lot of good material, and some off the beaten track stuff. I do have to learn a duet, and that will be daunting – Sami and I are doing You’re the Top, with a handful of updated lyrics. I decided not to eat until after rehearsal, so at around two I moseyed on over to LACC. Oh, and we shipped out the rest of the CDs yesterday morning.
After rehearsal, I braved the traffic, came home, and went right to have dinner – I had a cup of chili and a ham and Swiss on rye. Then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I continued my documentary addiction with a film about Hustler magazine’s Bob Guccione. He was an interesting fellow and his story was interesting, but it did go on a little too long for my taste. Then I started watching another called When Jews Were Funny. I’m not liking it very much, but it has some good old comics in it, so I’ll stick with it. Its problems all lie with its filmmaker.
After that, the rest of disc one’s master came in for me to listen to – it’s fine and hopefully disc two will come in tomorrow and we can get this off to the pressing plant by Thursday. The packaging is going in today to the printers.
Another haineshisway.com milestone also happened yesterday, with the debut of Rob Stevens, the official haineshisway.com theatre reviewer. We’re thrilled to have him and his first review is already up – when on the home page of the notes, just click on “Now Playing” and you’ll find him. I think we’re also getting a special domain name for him so he can use that as his byline. I’ll know that today.
Today, I have some errands and whatnot to do, some work on the computer to do, hopefully the disc two master to hear and approve, and then it’s on to our first of two music learning rehearsals – can’t wait. After that, some of us will go grab a bite to eat at the House of Pies.
Tomorrow is music rehearsal number two, then on Thursday we begin blocking – it’s an ambitious day, but hopefully we’ll get through everything we’ve scheduled. Friday, Kay Cole comes in and we have three big numbers to do – if we get all three done, that leaves only two other substantial numbers for her – the end of act one ballet (which we’ll do together) and Put ‘Em Back the Way They Wuz. Not sure what’s happening on the weekend yet, other than I’m going to a seder on Saturday evening.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some mail, hear and approve a master, have a rehearsal, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Who were your favorite Jewish comedians, male or female? Who was the first comic you ever remember seeing? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have begun our Li’l Abner journey.