Well, dear readers, Kritzerland at Sterling’s 52 was a grand way to begin the holiday season. We had a lovely full house of wonderful people in attendance, and each and every one of them got the new Sandy Bainum CD as a holiday gift for being such a loyal audience. I don’t believe we had one lyric flub in the entire show, so that was fun. Our cast was simply splendid all the way around. Paige Befeler, who has only done one other Kritzerland show, has grown into a beautiful fourteen year-old and her voice has gotten better (and it was great to begin with) and she just has wonderful assurance and confidence, not to mention an absolutely adorable smile. Daddy Roger Befeler has only done one other Kritzerland show, too, and it was great to have him back and he delivered his two solos and duet beautifully. Little (well, she’s about 5’5 already) twelve year-old Brennley Brown stopped the show with O Holy Night. I’m here to tell you that even the Jews were believers. She was also fun in the opening number, Be a Santa, with Sami Staitman. Kim Huber, mom to Paige, also shone brightly and the audience just ate her up. Hadley Belle Miller, ten years of age, killed with That Man Over There. Madison Claire Parks did a wonderful and funny rendition of my song This Christmas and her two other solos were equally delightful. Sami Staitman was cute as a button in Be a Santa, and the a lot more than that with My Simple Christmas Wish. After hearing it at the stumble-through, where she sang the curse words, I wasn’t happy and thought the audience just wouldn’t be on her side. So, I came up with alternates, which I threw at her at sound check and pro that she is, she took them, ran with them, and each got a big laugh. Sister Sarah Staitman charmed with Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow. And Robert Yacko reprised two numbers he did last year and was great. His other number also came off flawlessly. Jason Graae did what he always does – stopped the show cold and got so many huge laughs it was unbelievable. His main song, An All-Purpose Christmas Carol is something he’s been doing for years and it’s hilarious. But I’d asked him to do a little bit before that – we came up with how to do it at his rehearsal and it worked like a dream. I set it up that we all know that Jason is hilarious, but that he can also move you to tears with a ballad, and then I said he’d be singing his favorite beautiful Christmas song. Out he came and began a ballad version of Turkey Lurkey Time. It was hugely funny.
At the end of the show, as I was about to launch into our usual audience sing-a-long, Michael Sterling took the stage and everyone surprised me with a lovelier than lovely birthday tribute. My former assistant Amy had made cupcakes for the entire audience! Our wonderful musical director, James Lent, played Variations on Happy Birthday and I got to blow out ten candles, which I did in one breath. I like that I’m ten years old. So, it was a warm and cozy and wonderful evening. Here’s an actual photograph of our merry troupe.
Here’s me with our musical director, James Lent. At the end of the show during the thank yous I got the biggest laugh of the evening – I said, “And our wonderful musical director, James Lent!” The crowd applauded and after it died down I said, “Yes, you just gave it up for Lent.” Barry Pearl told me he knew it was coming all night.
And here I am with those Staitman gals, Sarah and Sami.
Prior to all that, I’d had the wackiest evening. I fell asleep around twelve-thirty or so. At around three, I was awakened by two loud electronic beeps. That sort of thing is very nerve wracking because those beeps happen when a zone in the house has been breached. For example, if you open a door, beeps. A window, beeps. I got up and checked the alarm box but didn’t notice anything untoward. I went back to bed, but I could not sleep for wondering if someone was in the house. About fifteen minutes later I heard the same beeps again. I stayed in bed another twenty minutes then got up. This time I noticed an asterisk next to the date, which led me to believe that there was an open zone. Then I remembered that at the Thursday rehearsal someone who’d used the guest bathroom had opened one of the windows and not told me – I’d seen it and closed it that night. So, I walked to the guest bathroom and voila – an open window from the stumble-through. The real question was why did the beeps not occur earlier or consistently? I shut the window and went back to bed. I think I ultimately got around eight hours of sleep.
Once up, just for grins, I checked the other windows and all the doors – and what did I find? The door that leads from the bedroom to the yard was unlocked. At the last Kritzerland show I’d had to send someone home to get something I’d forgotten. I had them get the secret key, unlock the bedroom door to get in, but I gave specific instructions for them to lock the door from inside before doing anything else. That didn’t get done and that door has been unlocked for a month. It’s locked tight now, however. I also did a two-mile jog.
I spent the rest of the day just relaxing. Then it was sound check and then our show. We had lots of fun folks in attendance – our very own Amy and Mark, my cousin Alan and Dee Dee, Dee Dee’s mom and her friend, and Tony Slide and Bob Gitt who are back from a trip to London. Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy Dellinger, the wonderful Cynthia Ferrer who will be one of the six stars of Inside Out in February, friend Lissa Levin and her hubby Dan Guntzelman, Maddy’s folks, Karen Culliver and Garrett Parks, former helper and maker of cupcakes Amy, Jason’s husband and Susanne Blakeslee and many, many others.
After the show, about twelve of us went to Little Toni’s. I had my usual salad and noodles with butter and cheese. Sami loves the salad and noodles, so she eats quite a bit of them, and I also shared with Brennley. After that, I came home and ate some of the teeny-tiny cupcakes, which were extremely yummilicious. Oh, and Donald Feltham’s new radio show is up and running so be sure to listen to it – it’s all about the new Sandy Bainum album.
Today, why I do believe it might just be my very own actual birthday. I am proudly turning sixty-seven. I know several people who have actually lied about their birth years on Facebook, one close friend of mine who has lied by about thirty years. That one takes the cupcake. But since I don’t feel older than I did thirty years ago and since I feel like a kid, numbers are meaningless to me. So, I shall do my annual birthday jog of some sort, I shall relax and enjoy the day, and I’m meeting Rob Stevens for a late birthday breakfast at eleven-thirty. Hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, then I’m having an early birthday dinner with the helper.
Tomorrow I finally get my final porcelain cap and then I can finally chew on that side of my mouth again without fear. Right after that, I have a lunch meeting in the Oaks of Sherman. The rest of the week is meetings and meals and then a birthday dinner at Ruth’s Chris on Friday night with the Staitmans. I’ll also be choosing songs for the January show, but we have a little more time than usual since we’re the second Monday in January.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a birthday jog, relax, have a late birthday breakfast and an early birthday dinner, hopefully pick up some packages and that will be that. Today’s topic of discussion: What was your favorite birthday of all time, and why was it your favorite? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that Kritzerland at Sterling’s 52 was a success.