Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle doing a one-person show about Gertrude Stein. Where does the time go? It’s here, it’s gone, it’s ephemeral, it waits for no man or woman or pelican. Well, enough about time because it’s time for some notes.
Yesterday was a productive day of being productively productive. I didn’t arise until just before eleven, but then again, I didn’t fall asleep until three, so I did get eight hours of sleep with some rather peculiar but interesting dreams. Once up, I do recall doing some things, like answering e-mails and doing a little writing. Then Jenna and her mom came over and we did a little work on her song for the ALS benefit (she closes act one with Climb Every Mountain). We had a nice chat about stuff, and then they went on their merry way and shortly thereafter I met Sami and her mom for a quick bite. I had tiny scoops of chicken salad and egg salad and about six french fries because Sami was quite vociferous about eating them and they really were yummilicious, even more so than usual. Then we came back here and began what turned out to be an over two-hour work session.
We were just going to run a few of the songs, but we ended up singing through all of them and cleaning up insecure notes and things, plus she sang through the newest of the songs and she’s already got that down pretty well and we haven’t even gotten the sheet music yet. Then we began running the monologues. We actually saw some flashes of really good work where things just clicked. So, that was a very positive thing. We ran all or them, two of which she was seeing for the first time and one of those is already close to two pages long and is still growing. We talked about how this is going to be her primary focus from here on in and how it’s like training for any athletic event – you can’t just wing this stuff – with a show like this, where you are literally either talking or singing for eighty straight minutes and never once off the stage, you have to be in prime shape and all of your tools need to be honed and sharp as a tack, whether acting, singing or dancing and there’s all three in this show. We’re all very excited about it.
They then left and I went to Gelson’s and got a small thing of mac-and-cheese and a small thing of lobster salad, brought it home and ate it whilst watching the little featurette on the Imitation of Life disc. It covers both versions of the film and has the usual dull as dishwater “experts” but thankfully it has Juanita Moore, too, and I just wish the whole thing had been her. This thing was made in 2008 and thankfully we’ve come a long way and these “experts” aren’t used very much so we’re saved the unnecessary and pointless pontificating of the Dr. Drew Casper types. After that, I cleaned up some stuff in the Sami script, wrote a new monologue and adjusted some others, and then finished all but the last two lines of the new song I’ve been tinkering with. I think it’s pretty cute. There will definitely be one more song, a ballad, but its subject matter will just have to present itself to me. That took the entire evening.
Today, I have a noon o’clock lunch with our very own Kay Cole, then we have three ALS rehearsals when I get back. Once those are done, then I can hopefully pick up some packages and then relax. Tomorrow, we have only one ALS rehearsal and then a Sami work session. We’ll only be working on the first four monologues and songs. One thing I noticed yesterday was that most of the rough order the show is in kind of works except for the final three scenes – I need much more of a build to the end of the show, and I’m going to have to write one killer and long monologue to bring us there and to the final song. Friday there’s a seder thing after the third Sami work session. Not sure what’s all happening on the weekend, other than booking the signing for the new book. That should be all approved and to the printers by Friday, at least that’s the hope.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a lunch, rehearse, hopefully pick up some packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear readers any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where time will be ephemeral and all that jazz.