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November 15, 2014:

THE LONG REHEARSAL DAY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, holy moley on rye, what a long, long day we had yesterday.  I was at the rehearsal hall at ten and we began our rehearsals, mostly for the LA people to work with our NY musical director, Chris Denny.  He got most of it very well, but some of it took a bit of work in terms of adjustments here and there.  On the handful of new things in the show we needed to make arrangement decisions, but all of it had to go very quickly since we were running the songs from two shows.  Our ensemble is very good – I gave them some notes, which they implemented very quickly.  We took a half hour break at some point, then Richard Sherman came and we ran his two things.  Then we finished with everything, just in time to begin the first of our two stumble-throughs.  We had only one major meltdown in the Sherman show and the person who had it knows what needs to be done by show time and I know it will be.  Part of it was the feel of the song – there was no way to really interpret correctly with the way it was being done.  After we finished, I spent most of the notes session on that and we got it where it needed to be.  Then we ran the second show, which is much more complicated – we had several issues there mostly due to having done nine hours of work.  I made notes on those problems and gave them and we should be fine.  We’re all getting together at four-thirty at the club to run those problem numbers.  I have to bone up on the dialogue set up to Let’s Get Together – just can’t seem to keep it all straight in my head.

After we finished, we had to hurry to the Walter Kerr to see Gentleman’s Guide to Murder.  First excellent thing: No cell phone announcement or any announcement – so nice, like the old days.  There’s something in the program about it, but all I can tell you is there were no cell phone or audience problems.  The show begins slowly, but soon hits its manic stride.  It’s a very entertaining and very funny show, thanks to the two male leads who are just wonderful – both of them.  The staging is fun, the set is lovely, and the sound design very natural, the latter especially appreciated.  My only nitpick is the score – it’s just very repetitious-sounding to me, with only one really standout number, which is the one they did on the Tony broadcast.  Also much appreciated was no woo-hooing from the audience at any point.  It was like an old-fashioned audience – appreciative, big laughs, but sophisticated and not filled with teen fanatics.  We all had a great time.  By we all – Jenna and her mom, Sami and her mom, Adryan and the Shermans.

After the show, we all went to Angus McIndoe (Joe Allen wouldn’t even take a reservation – they were slammed – I wasn’t so happy about that).  I had some chicken, which wasn’t that good, a great baked potato, a good cup of cream of tomato soup, and some really iffy mac-and-cheese.  Sami and Jenna both had steak and they liked it very much.  After that, it was right back to the hotel for some really needed sleep.

Today, I have no plans until we sound check.  I will only leave to get some fruit to tide me over till the end of show when I can eat an actual meal.  Otherwise, I’m just resting my voice and relaxing, drilling the dialogue, looking over my patter and that kind of thing.  Then we convene at the club at four-thirty.  I’ll check out everything, make sure the set-up is what I want and then we sound check.  At seven we do our first show, which will end around eight-twenty, and then it’s right onto the nine o’clock show, after which we’ll eat.  Send excellent vibes and xylophones that my voice holds up strongly and also that we get more people in to see the show.

Tomorrow I do more relaxing and resting till sound check, we do our two shows and then eat.  Then I shall be on my way to the airport first thing Monday morning for my early flight home.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get sleep, rest and relax, do a sound check, do two shows, and eat.  Today’s topic of discussion:  What is your favorite Broadway show (or Broadway show on tour) that you ever saw?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland as we prepare to do our first show’s two performances.

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