Well, dear readers, we resumed performances of Welcome to My World last night. We had only about twenty-four people (getting people to this show, given our raves and word of mouth) has been very difficult – maybe it’s the time of year, who knows. However, I’d rather have twenty-four people of the caliber of last night’s audience – very vocal, laughing throughout, and really enjoying themselves, than a full house of deadly quiet people. The show was mostly fine – when you have four days off it’s always a bit rough coming back in when you haven’t had a pick-up rehearsal. Sami did a line-through on Wednesday, but that’s really not enough and we’ve all learned that lesson. But the real problem last night was our stage manager arriving a full hour late. In an unfortunate turn of events, I got there about 6:45 and could have opened the theater and all would have been well except that my theater key wasn’t in my pocket. I’ve had the key in my pocket of whatever pants I’m wearing since we began rehearsals. It’s never not been there, but in a bad twist of fate, when I emptied my pockets last Sunday the key didn’t make it and remained behind. So, I didn’t have the key and we all had to sit outside the theater until seven-thirty. Sami is not a half-hour actor – she needs anywhere from an hour to an hour-and-a-half to get into make-up, get her head where it needs to be, warm-up with Alby, and walk the stage to make sure her props are where they should be, and also run a few things with Greer Geissman. She had no time for any of that so the fact that she was mostly excellent is amazing. She was actually really funny last night, but did have some fumfers, missed blocking (mostly hand direction – I give a lot of hand direction), and she inverted the verses of the final song – she did it very skillfully, though and no one, including her own mother, knew it except me and her. That’s the thing about Sami – I don’t really have to tell her where things were rough or not sharp enough – she’s really aware of it and will always fix it once we talk about it. But last night, she simply had no time for her preparation and obviously that’s not going to happen on the next three shows. I was in a foul mood because of the lateness and it took many hours to put it away because in fifty years of doing theater in LA it was a first. I will say that Sami got a couple of really huge laughs and she finally did what I’ve been trying to get her to do from rehearsal one: To double the laugh by throwing in a take or a look right in the middle of the laugh. And she did it – and it worked. I think it was an eye-opener for her.
Earlier in the day, I was in a fowl mood, so I had some fried chicken tenders – only three, but boy were they good. I tried a new place – well, new to me – I’ve been driving and/or jogging by this place for YEARS and YEARS, but haven’t ever gone in. It’s called Uncle Andres’s Barbecue. It’s really more of a soul food jernt than a barbecue jernt. They even do fried chicken and waffles, and also fried catfish. I did have a taste of their barbecue sauce, but it was too vinegary for me and so I don’t know that I’ll be trying the barbecue. For my sides I had their excellent mac-and-cheese and the potato salad, which was very different but very good. I’ll go back and try the catfish one of these fine days.
Prior to that, I’d slept only seven hours. Once up, I did my morning stuff, then ate. When I got home, I wrote more commentary and am now more than halfway through. I had a few telephonic calls and then it was time to mosey on over to the theater.
I had several people I knew in attendance – Valerie Perri Lipson, our very own Barbara Deutsch, Brittney Bertier, Greg Abbott, and several others. Sami’s new drama teacher was there and he seemed to have enjoyed the show and I think he was impressed with Sami carrying the show all by her lonesome. I came right home after.
Today, I’m hoping to get a good night’s beauty sleep. I’ll eat something very light, perhaps a sandwich of some sort, and then I’ll finish the commentary. Then I’ll attend the evening show. Right now, we’re at about twenty-seven people, and I think that will probably go up today. Tomorrow is pathetic and if it doesn’t go up I will cancel the performance. Sunday is doing really well – naturally everyone waits until the final show. But we’re over half full right now and I believe that performance will be full up. I think some of us may go out after the show.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye comes, so I’ll eat something light for breakfast, then come home and relax until it’s show time. Sunday is our final performance – we are saving the set in case we feel like bringing the show back for a weekend or two next year, close to pilot season, to try and get some casting people there to see Sami. After the show, the team will probably either do The Smoke House or, better yet, Genghis Cohen, where it’s easier to celebrate and not nearly as costly.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, relax, see a show, and probably go out after. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – not a clew. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a good performance and even happier that I found the key to the theater.