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August 31, 2016:

THE LAST OF AUGUST

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we had our first Kritzerland rehearsal yesterday and for a first rehearsal it kind of went really well (first rehearsals are unpredictable and frequently can be very rough) – everyone was up on their material and when that’s the case, things go smoothly and it also enables me to instantly hear if I need to adjust arrangements. But may I first say that it is the last day of August.  This month flew by, like a gazelle in black satin pumps.  That means tomorrow is September, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that September will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

First up was Jenna Lea Rosen. She ran her solo, a put-together of I Can’t Be Bothered Now/Kickin’ the Clouds Away, the arrangement that Lanny Meyers did for Christiane Noll’s Ira Gershwin album. It’s a really great number and she’s already sockin’ it home. Then Sami Staitman arrived and we ran the duet with her and Jenna – Anything You Can Do from Annie Get Your Gun. I adjusted some of the lyrics to make it more about them, but it works really well with two teen girls. Interestingly and subsequent to writing the adjusted lyrics, one of the lines in my adjusted lyric is almost the same as one of the adjusted lyrics on the new Barbra Streisand version with Melissa McCarthy. The only difference is I was true to Mr. Berlin’s rhyme scheme and they weren’t. And frankly, ours plays better. Then again, I was rather horrified by that track on the Streisand album, a rather appalling arrangement that is singularly unfunny. Then Jenna left and Sami ran her solo, Wherever He Ain’t/No More, my arrangement of the opening song from A Broadway Love Story. Sami was keen to do it and it’s a really hard number so I thought it would be a good stretch for her to tackle it and it is. It’s a whole different kind of emotion and she has to really act it. Giving this kind of difficult material to young folks is really challenging but ultimately very rewarding. I adjusted a few words so it plays at least a bit younger, and she’s on the right road to making it work really well.

Then it was time for Marc Ginsburg. He’s new to us but several folks have been recommending him for some time and he’s just great and will definitely be returning. First up was a put-together of Perfectly Marvelous and Why Should I Wake Up, two of my favorite songs from Cabaret. Hearing what he was doing with it, I made a couple of adjustments to the arrangement and it’s going to be just great. Then he ran his other number, also a put-together, this one Gonna Build a Mountain and Nothing Can Stop Me Now. Really fun.

Then we had little Hayley Shukiar. She’s doing a duet with Sharon McNight and it’s absolutely fall out of your seat hilarious. Hayley, who is eleven, I believe, but looks nine, begins it alone with I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy. She sings it once through, and then takes a chorus on trumpet – it’s really funny, then she sings the final few lines. We then transition into Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, and she sings the first two verses. As she begins the bridge, Sharon, doing her best Bette Davis, which is incredible, comes on and looks at Hayley and just stands there until she takes over the song as the older Baby Jane Hudson. Then they finish together. It’s really funny. Then Hayley and her trumpet left, and Sharon ran her solo, a really fierce rendition of Some People.

Then we had Ilene Graff (her hubby, Ben Lanzarone, plays for her) – she’s recreating two performances she did on Broadway. The first, Love Revolution was her solo in I Love My Wife, and the second is Whoever You Are, I Love You – she was a pit singer on Broadway, then took over Fran, and then played her in the second national tour. She does great on both songs. After that, it was Reagan Pasternak, who has been in all three ALS benefits – this is her first Kritzerland show. First she sang Somewhere That’s Green, which she performed at the first ALS benefit and which she does really well, and then Tell Me on a Sunday, which is one of the few Andrew Lloyd Webber songs I’d truly call great.

Finally, we had Nick Santa Maria. He sang his first song, I Can’t Begin to Tell You, which he sings while accompanying himself on the ukulele. It’s sweet, and we added a little instrumental break where he gets to be funny. Then he ran his second number, Rockabye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody, a la Jolson – he, like me, grew up loving Jolson because of the Million Dollar Movie’s constant broadcasting of The Jolson Story. Richard Sherman wasn’t with us and won’t be until Saturday or maybe even sound check on Sunday. Guy Haines showed up and ran his two numbers, The Maladjusted Jester and That’s All. I think it’s going to be a really fun show.

Prior to rehearsal, we had part one of the birthday concert rehearsal. Part one featured the wonderful flute player, Sara Andon. We ran all her numbers so I could hear them, and while we were doing so, I completely revamped the show order so that it will play really well. After our Kritzerland rehearsal we had part two of the birthday concert rehearsal, this with singer Maegan McConnell. I put endings on a couple of songs, and gave some notes, and that was that. After that, I went right to Gelson’s and got some of that Hatch chile mac-and-cheese I said I was going to take a break from – and some prosciutto and melon, too. I came home and ate it all up.

The beginning of the day began at the beginning of the day. I’d gotten about seven hours of sleep due to getting up at four-thirty and not getting back to sleep until five-thirty. I had a ten o’clock over an hour phone meeting about the ALS show and how things will work if we all agree to do it next year. After that, I went and had bacon and eggs and toast and fruit for my main meal o’ the day. Then I came home and did a two-and-a-half mile jog.

Today, I have to finish writing the birthday commentary, which I began just before beginning these here notes. I’m on the third song patter and there are only eight songs so I should be able to finish. I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, jog, put gas in the motor car, and then at some point relax.

Tomorrow is our second Kritzerland rehearsal, and I have other stuff to do on either side of it. Friday is a catch-up day for me and any final futzing or fixing to the Kritzerland commentary. Saturday we have an early stumble-through at eleven-thirty, and then I’m sure we’ll go eat something fun. Sunday is sound check and show, and Monday is the birthday concert.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, jog, put gas in the motor car, and 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, happy to have had a productive rehearsal day, and looking forward to the last of August and, more importantly, a hopefully wonderful new month called September.

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