Well, dear readers, what a week it was, capped by our Sunday matinee. I was going to say it will be nice to have a few days off, but that’s not exactly going to be the case, since we’re recording the cast album of Welcome to My World on Tuesday and Wednesday and doing a pick-up rehearsal on Thursday. The matinee was a little wacky – a ton of young kids, some too young, I think, as there’s some material in the show that is perhaps a little iffy for the under ten set. Also, if you put that many kids in an audience, sitting together, they get squirmy and they whisper to each other and it’s just a wacky vibe. I think they enjoyed the show, but it is eighty-five minutes of just sitting there. Many of them had come to do the meet and greet with Corey Fogelmanis prior to the show, so there was that, too. Sami actually did really well for the first half of the show, but in the second half the squirmy and whispering stuff started to distract her – it’s not like she can look away from it, especially in the close rows because she’s playing the show to the audience. So, she went up on a line (that has not happened at all since we began tech), and she fumfered a few things. But, trouper that she is, she knew it, she knew why, and she learned that she can’t let it distract her – an important lesson. But her energy was good throughout and I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids, although some of the kids really did love it. My lesson learned is I think this show plays better to adults and adults who bring teen kids, but not kids in groups. Anyway, the day started off wonderfully with a really lovely review of the show from Rob Stevens, which you should check out if you haven’t seen it. And for those who feel like going to the “But he writes for your site, of course he gave it a great review” – no. He has a home on my site – we host him. His opinions are his own and he knows he is free to write whatever he desires, without any interference from me whatsoever, yay or nay. I have nothing to do with anything involving that corner of the site (Now Playing) – he controls everything there. I will say, it’s a wonderfully written review and it made me very happy. We had some fun folks in the audience, including Adyran Russ and her ever-lovin’ Dale, ASCAP’s Michael Kerker and his ever-lovin’ Gene, cousins Dee Dee and Alan, and neighbors Tony Slide and Bob Gitt, and others.
I did manage to get eight hours of sleep. When I got to the theater we did some interviews for Broadway World (I’ll alert you when they run them), and then the whole Corey meet and greet happened. After the show, Sami hung out with the kids out front, and then some of us went to the Smoke House for a celebratory dinner. I hadn’t eaten anything, so we of course had the garlic cheese bread, and I had a cup of clam chowder, and then the small cut of prime rib (8 oz.) and a baked potato. I was VERY full after, even though I only ate half the potato. I’m always astonished but an 8 oz. prime rib has less than seven hundred calories. Then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on the Flix of Net entitled The Specialist, starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, and Rod Steiger, along with Eric Roberts. A rather silly movie but I was in the mood for silly and Mr. Woods seemed to be having a good time chewing up any scenery in sight, as was Mr. Steiger. Stallone was Stallone and Stone was Stone and they have one of the most ludicrous love scenes ever and it really made me laugh out loud, especially as it kept going on and on and on. The movie went on and on and on, or rather didn’t because every ten minutes Time Warner was hiccupping and Netflix would stop. It was very irritating. After that, I just relaxed and listened to some music.
Today, I have to begin figuring out the Kritzerland show. Other than that, I’m just relaxing, I’ll eat something, maybe jog if it’s not too darn hot, hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, and that’s about it.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch meeting with Kay Cole, and then we have the first of our two recording sessions. We’ll start at the top of the show – our goal is to get six songs in the can, which should be doable if everyone brings their A game. At some point, Corey Fogelmanis will arrive and we’ll do his version of Everything Is Gonna Be All Right, which is a bonus track for Indiegogo folks who purchased the CD. We’ll try to have him out by nine, and then we’ll continue in show order, which I think is the best way for Sami. Then we come back on Wednesday night and finish up, and do any vocal fixes I think are necessary. The engineer will then begin mixing it immediately, sending me a few songs at a time once he has them done, so I can approve or adjust. I’m hoping he’ll be finished by Friday evening. We have a pick-up rehearsal on Thursday, just to get Sami back in show mode and to clean up a couple of things, then we resume performances on Friday. The mixed tracks should be to the mastering guy by Saturday, and then he’ll get his end done and send the master directly to the plant. They already have the print, so once they have it it will only be a day or two until we get it. Oh, and it will look something like this.
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 or the Turkey Trot, because today is the birthday of our very own beloved Singdaw. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved Singdaw. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED SINGDAW!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, eat, hopefully pick up packages, figure out the Kritzerland show, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Sylvester Stallone and James Woods? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, wishing all the Jews out there in the dark the happiest of Jewish New Years.