Well, dear readers, I shall endeavor to write these here notes in a hurry and then schedule them for midnight, as I must get a good night’s beauty sleep so I can be on my “A” game today. I feel when one is in charge of a huge all-star event loaded with amazing talent that one must be on their “A” game. There is simply no room for a “B” game and so I shall hopefully be on my “A” game.
Yesterday is a complete blur. I believe I fell asleep around two, but it was the kind of sleep where you dream you’re awake so a lot of good that did me. Then I woke up around five and fell back asleep around six. Then the alarm rang at ten and I got myself together enough to have a brief conference call about today’s show. Once that was done, I went back to sleep and pretty much slept until about one-twenty. So, somewhere in all that was about eight hours of sleep, I suppose.
Once up, I had the usual plethora of e-mails about our show, and by the time I finished answering them it was time for our three o’clock rehearsal. That was Lisa Livesay (and hubby Nolan, who wrote her orchestration and will be conducting it). She’s singing the Alan Menken song Pink Fish, which we did in this month’s Kritzerland show. It’s fun to hear a woman do it, but when she got to the very male-specific Fiddler on the Roof reference it took me right out of the song. So, I wrote a replacement lyric for that section so a female could sing it – same exact thoughts only instead of beanie and a beard we have shmata and a shawl – I ended up replacing like four lines, but it works well and now she can incorporate that whenever she does the song. We were supposed to have Mickey Dolenz after Lisa, but we’d spoken earlier and it wasn’t really necessary for him to come.
Then I went and had a cheese omelet and a bagel, then came back home, answered yet more e-mails and finished doing the entrance and exit diagrams for all the performers who are actually performing. Then I printed out the script and wrote in lots of cue notes for the stage manager to copy in his script. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching another documentary on the Flix of Net entitled Showrunner. I suppose it was interesting on some level and yet I tired of it quickly because it’s just a lot of repetition, plus I don’t like much TV. It was fun seeing the star of The First Nudie Musical, Stephen Nathan, in the Bones writer’s room – he’s one of the executive producers on the show. After that, I watched the new episode of Mad Men. It had its moments, just not enough of them and not nearly enough Peggy for my taste.
Then I had some low-cal popcorn and did some work on the computer and that was that.
Today will be a day and a half. I will remain calm so that everyone around me will remain calm. When there’s calm coming from the lead, then it trickles down. We have an insane amount of work to do all day. I’ll get there around nine-thirty or ten and the lighting gal and I will write the light cues, which we can hopefully do in ninety minutes, although if it takes longer we have a little more time than that. At noon, they deal with the video stuff and the podium stuff, which I’ll stay away from but check on to make sure that nothing about it is distracting. Then at one we begin the three-hour sound check and band and vocal rehearsal – we have a lot of stuff to get through, although not as much as last year. And we must leave at least thirty minutes at the end to run the big production numbers. The PSM and ASMs have been instructed to deal with the talent should anyone want a second time through their number, which we simply have no time for. I’ll have handed out the entrance and exit diagrams, and they can run those, too, on their own.
Then at five we have the presenters come in and rehearse with the prompter and I’ll give them their entrance positions. Then I’ll change into nice clothing and do the red carpet schmooze thing and hang out front with folks I know. I’ll go backstage around seven and say break-a-leg to everyone and then at eight – it’s show time. So do send lots of excellent vibes and xylophones for a smooth-running show that does not go over the two-hours it should run. After the show there’s some after party somewhere and I’ll go to that. Then I will come home.
Tomorrow, much as I’d love to sleep in, I think I’ll be having a late breakfast with Petula Clark, then I’ll come home and relax until its time for the Sami rehearsal. Wednesday is also a Sami rehearsal, as is Thursday. Friday I think I have to trek out to Thousand Oaks to see Mary Poppins, Saturday and Sunday are Sami rehearsals, and then Monday we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal, followed by the private reading of the Sami show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, remain calm, do a LOT of work and then it’s our show. We are completely sold out. I will, of course, have a full report, and if I remember, I’ll try to take some photographs during the day. Today’s topic of discussion: Who were your favorite rock-and-roll groups of the 1960s? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, very excited for the day and the evening of the show.