Well, dear readers, after the second night of three hours of sleep I took the proverbial bull by the proverbial horns and went back to bed at seven-thirty in the morning and didn’t wake up until one-thirty. I couldn’t believe it, but I really needed the sleep and I got it. Of course, I missed the entire morning as well as the early afternoon. I had some work to do on the computer, orders to print out, I picked up a couple of packages and then had to get ready for our first Kritzerland rehearsal.
Said rehearsal began with our very own Robert Yacko, in fine voice and singing some rather interesting songs. First we did a put-together of Lonely Town and Something’s Coming. Then he sang this completely weird and wacky song from Leonard Bernstein’s Peter Pan – written for the tour and opera singer Lawrence Tibbitt, who played Captain Hook. It has all the familiar Barrie lines the Comden and Green used, but it’s all set to some completely random and obtuse music. I rather like it. And finally he sang Step to the Rear from How Now, Dow Jones, a bouncy little song with a catchy tune from Elmer Bernstein and fun lyrics from Carolyn Leigh.
Then Travis Leland arrived and ran his three numbers. First up was Lucky to Be Me, then a put-together of True Grit and Walk on the Wild Side – the two songs have nothing to do with each other, but I wanted both in the show so we just slapped ‘em together. And finally it was Maria from West Side Story.
After that, Sami Staitman arrived and ran her one song, Gee, Officer Krupke – she’s playing all the parts and it’s going to be really fun and funny. Then Kimberly Hessler arrived and ran her three songs – Hello and Goodbye from the movie From Noon Till Three, Dream With Me, an unused song from the Bernstein Peter Pan, and then the incredibly difficult but fun Glitter and Be Gay. Our other two female singers weren’t with us – one was supposed to be but had a flight delayed, so we have to make a second rehearsal for her after Thursday. Our other female is Kerry O’Malley, who won’t be with us until the stumble-through.
Then Sami, her mom, Alby Potts (who’s musical directing the Kritzerland show) and I all moseyed on over to Genghis Cohen for our post mortem dinner. Thankfully, I called ahead and was told they were jammed with people, but they know me and said we’d probably be seated as soon as we got there, and that was the case – they had our table all ready for us, while others had to wait – one party was STILL waiting for their table when we left an hour and fifteen minutes later. We talked about a lot of things – how I needed things to be when we begin our rehearsals in terms of energy and positivity as soon as the rehearsal room is entered, and total commitment and focus so that every minute of every rehearsal is given to making the show and performance the best it can possibly be.
I then went over some of the comments I’d received and everyone was pretty unanimous in thinking they would not be good for this show. But I also told them where a couple of the comments had led my brain and they liked those handful of changes I’m thinking about making – one of those changes would give a through-line to three of the monologues, culminating in the penultimate song – I think if I do that change it will actually help focus all three monologues and make that number really have even more impact than it does now. The food was great, as always, and Alby, who’d never been there, just loved all the dishes. He’s planning to come back and bring his girlfriend.
Then I came home, did some more stuff on the computer, printed out a few more orders, and that was that.
Today, I shall try to get a haircut appointment with Teddy before Friday. I’ll do some banking, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and do some work on the computer, then try to relax a bit.
Tomorrow is our second Kritzerland rehearsal. Friday I’m seeing Inside Out at Disney Studios in the morning, and then I have stuff to do for the rest of the day. Saturday I’m doing the final mix on that David Wechter song we recorded last week, Sunday is our stumble-through and then our Annual Tony Awards Bash right here at haineshisway.com, then Monday is our show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, book an appointment with Teddy, bank, eat, hopefully pick up packages, work and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader 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 I shall take the proverbial bull by the proverbial horns and hopefully get a good night’s beauty sleep.