Well, dear readers, we had our final dress rehearsal – not perfect by any means, but as I sat there, watching my twenty-some odd year dream come true, directing Li’l Abner, I got very emotional. We had full costumes, lighting, sound and our band. First of all, the cast really did a terrific job, each and every one. Yes, some rough spots, but not really all that many, and this was only the second time through with lighting and costumes and the first time running the entire show with the band. The show is fun right from the first bit of the overture and the count off into it. It’s a Typical Day had some band issues, but otherwise went very smoothly. From there, the first act kind of flew by, like a gazelle drinking Kickapoo Joy Juice. We had one person in the theater who was videotaping a few things for the LACC Foundation’s sizzle reel. He was there for most of the first act and I have to tell you, when he wasn’t taping he was laughing out loud constantly, as were several others seeing the show. The cast has finally found the rhythm of the dialogue – I’ve been maniacal about it and knew it would come to them because the writing is just so beautifully done. That’s the thing – Panama and Frank were the best at this kind of comedy – the verbal jokes make me laugh every single time I hear them. In fact, there’s one volley late in act two that has Kay Cole and me howling every time we hear it – it has to do with the Scraggs and how many will be moving in with Daisy Mae and Earthquake McGoon. None of those marvelous jokes is in the musical – they’re all in the movie and they’re now all in our show.
We did have a couple of band train wrecks, especially in the Sadie Hawkins Day ballet, but after we finished, they ran all the problem spots and got them fixed up. I think this is a very difficult show for our MD – the piano part is very busy, but he also has to conduct a lot of tempo changes in certain numbers like Typical Day, the ballet, and the finale. Part of it is my fault, because I keep making little changes here and there, that are peculiar to what I’m doing with the staging – most of those have to do with how we’re getting into the numbers. Frequently I end up not liking the intros and I adjust them to what we’re doing. After hearing the new, shorter version of the overture I made a further cut, so that we’re going directly from its opening bars right into Druthers – skipping The Country’s in the Very Best of Hands, which just seemed like one song too many. I moved where Sami does her little bit of overture business. The way we’re doing the overture I completely stole from an old Jack Benny show – the hillbilly band routine, and it’s just such a fun way to start the show. The second act had a couple of rough patches, but they were minor and have already been addressed. Each time I’ve watched Past My Prime I’ve felt that the way we’re beginning it isn’t quite sending it off correctly, so we’re going to try something new at tonight’s preview, which I think will help.
Maddy’s mom made her a Daisy Mae costume over the weekend and it’s perfect, so that’s one thing no one has to fret over. However, one costume still is nowhere near being right, and that’s going to get worked on all day and hopefully be ready for tonight. That’s Stupefyin’ Jones – it’s a trick costume and it just has to be great. Otherwise all the other stuff looks fantastic. As has been the case at every run-through, the show clocked in at exactly two hours, with the overture, entr’acte and bows. I could not be happier about that. And we had Michael Lamont, Kay’s husband, who took a ton of photographs. After we finished, I gave notes, Kay gave hers, and the band practiced the problem spots. I came home and relaxed.
Prior to all that, I was up at six announcing our new titles, then I went back to bed at seven-thirty and slept until eleven. I got up, printed out orders, then went and had a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and some fries. After that, I drove to K’s Donuts. There’s a great car wash across the street, and I lucked out in that there was no one there, so at long last I gave the motor car the bath it so needed, plus a hand wax. Whilst that was happening, I went to K’s, got their last chocolate peanut butter thing, and two-dozen donuts. We’ve had a couple of rehearsals where I let the stage manager buy coffee and donuts for our cast, which I’ve picked up the cost for. But this time, I brought the tech crew and the costume crew a dozen each, because they’ve really done a terrific job.
Today, I shall eat something light, hopefully print out some more orders, and then I’ll mosey on over to LACC around three to just hang out until 4:45, when I’ll have thirty minutes to run a few things, especially Past My Prime and a couple of scenes that need an energy boost and some tightening. The band will arrive at six-fifteen and run a few things, then our preview starts at seven-fifteen. I know there will be some people attending, just not sure how many. I’m really hoping it’s over twenty and would be much happier if it were many more than that, as the cast really needs to hear where the laughs are, so they don’t trample them on opening night. I’m sure some of us will go out after.
Tomorrow is, of course, opening night, so I have a lot of thank you notes to write before I get to the school. Once there, if we need to run anything we will, but hopefully I’ll just be there to enjoy the show. I think we’ll have a pretty good house, and Richard and Elizabeth Sherman will be with us and I’m really praying that they’ll have with them a very special person. I won’t know that until tonight when I get home. I’m sure we’ll go celebrate after the show. Thursday is a two-show day, Friday is just an evening show and Saturday is a two-show day. I may just order a mess of Chinese food at Genghis Cohen and have everyone go there after Saturday night’s show. That’s what we did for The Brain AND Lost and Unsung. And then it’s on to the Kritzerland rehearsals and show week.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, print out orders, eat something light but amusing, and then attend a preview. Today’s topic of discussion: What movies and shows do you feel were the most unfairly maligned by critics and audiences – things you really liked or loved that got the short end of the stick? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after having had such fun at our final dress.