Well, dear readers, I am so tired I thought I was going to fall asleep on my way to the car after the ALS benefit. I’d only gotten three hours of sleep or thereabouts, but I had to suck it up and just got myself in gear and over to the Pasadena Playhouse by nine-forty. Once there, it was non-stop going and doing and revising and finessing. For the second year in a row, my promised two aisles for performers to enter with the band split into three sections did not happen and I had to redo about half of the entrance and exit plots. Next year, we have the aisles and we have them from day one in stone. I had not a second to be bothered by that. At noon we did all the video projection stuff and I knew that would look great. While that was going on, I met with our stage manager and went over each and every cue he had to call. At noon-thirty, we were all hungry so Juliana’s dad went and got us some tacos – I had two, but I really kind of just randomly ate them over a two-hour period. Also, our cast began arriving. Our original plan was to run things in order, but that quickly went to hell. I run a VERY tight ship at sound check and I must say we were ahead of the game until the very end. A few of our performers had to get there late, and we also have to work out some stuff in the two big production numbers because there really wasn’t enough space and our choreographer and to do some quick bandaging. But boy did they look great even at sound check. All during the sound check, our wonderful lighting designer was writing all the cues. I had a few little notes about the sound and those were addressed quickly. Basically I was up and down and down and up and onstage and in the audience over and over and over again. At five, we began the podium stuff and teleprompter beats – that was handled by someone else. Then I changed into my good clothes, chatted with Richard Sherman for a bit and then worked out the geography of his appearance.
All during the day, I saw so many amazing people – I hadn’t seen Petula Clark in probably a decade, but she was as warm and personable as ever and we just had a fine old time. I also hadn’t seen Norm Lewis in a really long time and we had so much fun chatting. Of course our wonderful Brent Barrett was delightful and I have to say that Renee Zellweger is a doll. And my beloved Kerry O’Malley, who I just adore. I hung with Bruce Vilanch for a bit, but basically I was just going from performer to performer as they did their sound checks. I did get lots of photos, but it’s too late to post them here now, so I promise they’ll be in tomorrow’s notes. Oh, here’s me and Petula.
I met friends Adryan Russ, Brittney Bertier and Adrienne Visnic in the courtyard. I knew lots of the attendees, which, of course, included our very own Kevin Hall and his friends. There was one little bit of drama when I was handed my tickets, which were in the last row of the mezzanine because someone just hadn’t put their thinking cap on. I simply went to one of our producers and said, “Do you think I spend eight months of my time with this show so I can be seated in the mezzanine? I think he was appalled and he quickly took care of it and I was given the fifth row where I belonged. My seatmates knew me because they’d seen and loved Li’l Abner at LACC, so that was fun. We were completely sold out. I met with our very own Robert Yacko, who did a grand job as our off-stage announcer, just to go over a couple of things and give him one change I’d made. And then – it was show time.
With the exception of two really small tech glitches (they really are unavoidable) the show could not have run more efficiently or smoothly. This one was daunting because I had to structure the show around thirty minutes of speeches and awards, which can be deadly unless you know what you’re doing dramatically. But I hit the nail on the head with the structure, which kind of worked perfectly. It never EVER felt like a speech or award fest and the entertainment stuff came just at the right times with the right songs and the right performers. Our producers opened with a little welcome speech, then there was another speech, and then we were off and running as the music for the opening tap number of 42nd Street began. The curtain rose a quarter of the way up to reveal twenty-five tapping people, then went up the rest of the way. It was a perfect opening number. But all the numbers went really well – everyone did a great job. I will call out only a few because it’s really late and I, unbelievably, have to get up at eight. Lisa Livesay got huge laughs with Pink Fish, Eric Petersen did the big song from Shrek, a show he did on tour, flawlessly, and Petula Clark did Downtown and you have never heard such a reaction, which culminated in a standing ovation. And young Jenna Lea Rosen brought the house down shortly thereafter with Climb Every Mountain, which ended the act – which ran exactly one hour as planned.
Brent opened act two with All I Care About is Love, Juliana did an amazing Over the Rainbow, followed by Kerry O’Malley obliterating any memory of Barbra Streisand by making Don’t Rain on My Parade all her own. Everyone else did great – and then came Melissa Manchester, who was magical singing the song from Ice Castles, Through the Eyes of Love. She, too, got a long ovation. Micky Dolenz and his sister did Pleasant Valley Sunday, and then Petula ended the show with her song, Rainbow, after which the entire company came out for bows and I had these wonderful streamer sticks (like little batons) – you flick them and colorful streamers shoot out of them and travel incredible distances. We had ten, and the audience gasped in delight with each flick and shot of streamers. Pretty good for something that costs six bucks.
The speeches came in right on time, some were quite moving, the awards went quickly, and the second act also had a big production number, Step in Time from Mary Poppins. Anyway, as you can probably tell, it was a magical evening and I had so many comments and compliments from just about everyone. There was a little after party in the restaurant adjacent to the theater – I hung out there for a bit and then finally ambled my way to the car and came home.
Today, I must be up at eight because at ten I’m breakfasting with Petula at her hotel in Pasadena. After that, I’ll come right home and if I’m super tired I may even go back to bed. Then I’ll hopefully pick up packages, and then we have the first of this week’s Sami rehearsals. After that’s finished I am doing NOTHING.
Tomorrow is another Sami rehearsal and I’ll also figure out the show order for the Kritzerland show and begin writing the commentary. Thursday is also a Sami rehearsal, Friday I’m seeing Mary Poppins and Saturday and Sunday are Sami rehearsals. Monday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal and Monday night is our private reading.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, breakfast with Petula, hopefully pick up packages, rehearse and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite Petula Clark songs? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, thrilled with how wonderfully our show went.