Well, dear readers, we had a lovelier than lovely stumble-through of our Kritzerland show yesterday. A few lyric flubs, but otherwise stellar and the flubbers and son of flubbers know they must drill until they have it perfect. This is a wonderful cast, though, and these songs are just so gorgeous – there really never was anyone like Jerome Kern, a completely unique composer with an amazing melodic and harmonic voice. It truly makes you want to weep at the utter beauty of it all. I know every generation thinks “their” composers are the berries, but I’ve never been like that. Jerome Kern was yesterday’s mashed potatoes when I discovered theater music, and yet there was no not falling in love with it because, unlike many in today’s generation who cannot see beyond their own generations’ noses, I had an open mind and just responded to music that spoke to me and boy did Kern’s music speak to me. When I first heard All the Things You Are, with the stunning verse and gorgeous main melody I knew this was a composer whose harmonies and way with a tune reached my tender heart and brain. As I say in my commentary, I discovered Kern the way most of the kids from the 50s did, through The Platters’ Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. I had that 1958 Columbia Album of Jerome Kern by Paul Weston and that’s what really hooked me – just that glorious music, track after track. And the liner notes were fascinating to me – someone named Stephen Sondheim wrote them. And then getting to do an all-Kern album back in 1991 with Joanie Sommers – that was really wonderful. In any case, if you’re a West Coast lurker or dear reader, I would come on down to see this show. And tell them Bruce-O sent you.
Prior to the stumble-through, I’d had a wonderful ten-and-a-half hours of beauty sleep, which I really needed. Once up, I answered e-mails, did some work on the computer and just kept fighting like crazy not to get sick. I’m still winning but please keep sending those excellent vibes and xylophones for no sickness. After the stumble-through I went to Gelson’s and got various and sundried things to sup on, like a small amount of mac-and-cheese, four little drumette things, some chicken noodle soup, a little lobster salad, and a bagel. I came home and ate some, but not all of that, and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled World for Ransom, a 1953 motion picture directed (without credit) by Robert Aldrich, using his crew and sets from his TV show China Smith, which starred Dan Duryea, who also stars here basically playing that character but with a different name. I was quite fond of the TV show when I was a wee bairn – I loved the exotic locale of it, and I liked Mr. Duryea. World for Ransom isn’t very good – its director clearly emulating Mr. Josef von Sternberg’s films like The Shanghai Gesture and Macao. But the script is silly and it just ambles along for its eighty-two minute running time. The source used for the transfer is marginal.
After that, I finished entering all my little fixes to the book, and now I’ll start on proofer one’s fixes. I’m still waiting for proofer two to send her fixes. I also had several telephonic conversations.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep and I will hopefully feel fit as a fiddle. I will just enter fixes and relax all day, doing a couple of errands and whatnot and some banking along the way. At five we have our sound check and at eight our show.
Tomorrow we resume our Inside Out rehearsals and this is, of course, a crucial week to get the show up and running smoothly so we can finesse the performances. I’ll also be meeting with our sound designer at some point, and our set should be up by Wednesday at the latest. I have a few other things to attend to but mostly it’s rehearsing. After Friday’s rehearsal, I’m there into the evening doing a paper tech. Then on Saturday and Sunday we have our two long eight-hour days, during which it is my intention to have two run-throughs and some clean up time for any tech issues. So, a very full week ahead.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora of the Pachanga, because today is the birthday of our very own dear reader Ben. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own dear reader Ben. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DEAR READER BEN!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, enter fixes, relax, do some banking, have a sound check, eat an artichoke, and have a show, after which I’m sure a few of us will go out for a bite. Today’s topic of discussion: What theater composer did you first fall in love with? How did you discover said composer, and did you then seek out all the other work by that composer? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall fall asleep with the gloriously glorious melodies of the Kern fellow.