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August 16, 2016:

THE THIRD ANNUAL ONE STARRY NIGHT BENEFIT

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, the third annual One Starry Night benefit for ALS is over and if I tell you it was a fascinating evening you won’t even begin to imagine just HOW fascinating. But let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). I was up at seven, got ready and moseyed on over to the Pasadena Playhouse to begin the very long day. I began with the lighting fellow and he showed me the various “looks” he had, which were all fine. I made sure the stage was set up exactly as I wanted it to be and that all worked out great. In past years I allowed the musical director to tell us the set up – and in each of those years I wanted two aisles between the band sections and never got them and they were so far forward that it made the production numbers almost impossible to do. This year I took the MD out of the equation and I figured out exactly how I wanted it, got my two aisles and we had tons of room for the production numbers. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

Sound got everything miked, the stage managers and I went over all the mic move cues, and I’d occasionally go back to the lighting person to answer questions and figure out some internal light cues within numbers. That all took three hours, and then the band arrived and got set up while some of the crew took a break. They ordered food for us and I had about two quick bites of some way too healthy salad with balsamic vinaigrette on it. Then at one the talent began arriving and we did our sound check. There were a lot of numbers to get through but we did it, only going a little into overtime due to having to run two numbers more than once – both were complex and long so there’s nothing you can do about that. But MD Richard Allen kept everything moving along. And one of the most important jobs I have during all of this running around is to keep the atmosphere light and airy and fun, which I did.

Audience began arriving at six, but we still had some things to run. Hayley and Richard Sherman arrived and we ran their stuff. And Hayley told me she found these here notes and had read them. How funny. Then we had to do the red carpet thing, but by that time the first little hiccup had happened and I was less than a happy camper. Two weeks ago we were all sent some interior program pages to proof and approve. I saw the title page was there from last year and I said as long as that appeared I approved. Well, it got left out. So, other than an insert with a “about your director” bio of me (amidst many others), there was no directed by credit. Anywhere. There was a production staff page, where every single person from producers on down was listed – except me. There was nothing to be done about it, other than our producers in their introductory remarks gave me a lovely shout out. But the omission of that credit anywhere in the program is reprehensible. We all work for MONTHS on this show, but it’s me who gives it its structure, show order, and everything else and this I do for free, so it’s more than a little insulting to not have one’s proper credit. Apparently they sent the final program to no one for proofing – I’m not sure how the title page (which had my credit) that I approved got left out, but apparently everyone knew there was a screw-up but no one had actually had the courtesy to inform me about it before I actually saw it (or didn’t see it).

I changed clothes and then mingled. I knew quite a lot of people in attendance, so that was fun. They managed to get everyone in the theater so that we pretty much started on time, maybe two or three minutes late. The opening number was great – great tappers, Valarie Pettiford tearing up the joint, and just a real great way to begin the evening, and the reaction was everything you’d want an opening number to get. Then Bill Hayes came out, did a tiny bit of patter, the did Put On a Happy Face, which he did 55 years ago in the national tour of Bye Bye Birdie. He was utterly charming and everyone loved him. Reagan Pasternak followed with She Used to Be Mine from Waitress and she was just great, as she always is. Then came comedienne Wendy Liebman. We had her last year and she was great, and she was equally great this year and garnered huge laughs.

Then it was Sami’s turn – she, of course, was doing my song Annie, which she owns, but this is the first time it’s been orchestrated (thank you Lanny Meyers) and so it seemed particularly fresh and Sami did what she always does with the number – got a huge ovation. Then we had the first of the evening’s hiccups. I’d told everyone that the Scott Land marionettes prop thing that’s wheeled on had to be “in one” i.e. in front of the main drape. Well, it wasn’t, it was behind – well the drape was down and they had to unplug everything and move it to where it should have been – it was, for me, an excruciating wait, but it probably wasn’t over ninety seconds, maybe two minutes. But Scott came out as it was being fixed and got a big laugh, so that helped. But once he was on, the audience LOVED his act, and it is absolutely unique and truly superb – worth the wait. Then came the first of the ALS beats. This one was supposed to last exactly five minutes. There was no way THAT was going to happen because the gentleman who introduced the segment was off the teleprompter just talking off the cuff and adding minutes we didn’t have. He finally got on this prompter copy and that was good. Then a little coming attractions video was shown (the documentary Gleason, about Steve Gleason, an ALS victim), and just as the award was about to be given to the film’s director, someone in my row began to scream and shout that medical attention was needed, call 911, was there a doctor. Some woman in our row had conked out and wasn’t responding, although within a minute she did respond. She was carried out and Robert Yacko, our off stage voice reassured everyone that she was being attended to and was awake and alert. I’ve actually never had that happen in any show that I’ve done or attended. It was, of course, unsettling, but everyone sat back down, the award was given, which got us back on track, and the show moved forward.

Then it was the Animazement Medley – three songs from Disney films – Hercules, Pocahontas, and Hunchback. The three singers were great – Terron Brooks, Carly Bracco, and Eric Petersen. That was followed by a soulful rendition of Unchained Melody, superbly sung by John Lloyd Young. And that led directly into the second ALS beat, which included a brief two-minute auction up front, then an introduction by Miley Cyrus on video, then the segment about her pilates instructor who has ALS – Mari Winsor. She spoke in a video segment, then the main drape went up and she was there to speak in person. After that, there was another auction, something called a paddle raise – they did very well, and happily the auctioneer stayed within the time he was supposed to, although the entire segment probably ran five minutes longer than we were told it would run. And that was followed by Juliana Hansen singing You’ll Never Walk Alone with a chorus of talented kids. That was a very moving thing which would have been more moving had it been where it was originally positioned, directly after Mari. The auction thing was added in very late in the game. And that was the end of act one. My goal is ALWAYS to have each act run one hour – we absolutely met that goal in year one and two, but because of the overs the act ran an hour-fifteen, which is too long, but it was just not in my control or anyone’s control really. And it wasn’t because there were too many acts – in fact, there were many LESS acts than last year.

I think as hard as we tried, the intermission ran long, but once we began things in act two were pretty much right on time. We began with an entr’acte to show off our great band. That led directly into Valarie Pettiford singing Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries, which as great. Then came the irrepressible and hilarious Jo Anne Worley and she slayed ‘em with her rendition of “Vodka.” Then it was Hal Linden’s turn. When I asked him to do the show, he told me he wanted to do his Benny Goodman medley, playing the clarinet. I had no idea he played the clarinet. Well, let me tell you, he plays the clarinet and plays it brilliantly. It was a long medley, but the audience went nuts and he got a standing ovation.

Then Hayley came out, spoke a bit, then brought on Richard. They bantered, and then sang Let’s Get Together. It was adorable and sweet and magical. Then Richard talked about his song The Whimsey Works, and then Robert Yacko got his chance to come out from his announcement desk and wow the audience. I kept Hayley and Richard onstage to watch and then all three took a bow. It was great. That was supposed to be followed by a comic, but the comic let us know he threw out his back and he cancelled – and it’s a good thing – saved us five minutes and got us to Jason Alexander sooner. Well, Jason did a very long medley of songs from roles he was totally inappropriate for. He got screams of laughter and a standing ovation. It was mad and marvelous. Then we gave out our third One Starry Night award, this one to Kate Linder. That went smoothly and on time. Then we had our other production number, Friend Like Me, with Danny Stiles and the dancers from the Disneyland Aladdin show. That went very well.

Then it was the third ALS beat – this one didn’t go over by much. That was followed by Jean Louisa Kelly singing I Still Believe in Love, which was stunning, and then John Lloyd Young came back and closed the show with Sherry. Then everyone came on for bows and sang Heart and we had our streamer sticks which is a cheap gag but which never fails to get shouts of delight. And that was the show. The entire thing, show-wise, probably ran two hours and twenty minutes but it never really felt like it and that’s a good thing.

I visited with some folks after, got my stuff, and headed over to the Coral Café for an actual meal. I had an egg salad sandwich with bacon and some cole slaw, and then just because I thought I deserved it, I split a small piece of coffee cake with someone. And there you have it.

Today, while I would dearly love to sleep in, I have a noon o’clock lunch at Disney with Juliana, Hayley, Richard and Elizabeth and others. After that, I’ll come home, jog, and do some Kritzerland show stuff, but mostly I have to rest and clear my head.

The rest of the week is the Kritzerland show, meetings and meals and whatever else comes my way.

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 Monkey, for today is the birthday of our very own vixmom.  So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own vixmom.  On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN VIXMOM!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a lunch, jog, do some Kritzerland show stuff, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: You’re on your own, I’m afraid. Too tired to think of anything else. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had the third One Starry Night benefit go so well.

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