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January 27, 2017:

THE FUN AND FUNNY FIRST REHEARSAL

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we had our first Kritzerland rehearsal and it was really quite a lot of fun. Prior to it I got the word that one of our kids had do drop out of the show, and I couldn’t just cut two songs, so I changed one and gave the other two to kids who were already doing the show – that seemed to be easiest. First up was Jenna Lea Rosen. She ran her two songs, Unexpected Song and The Story Goes On – we worked a little bit on them and she’ll be great. Then we had adorable Hayley Shukiar, who’s doing I’m the Greatest Star, which we’ve tailored specifically for her. It’s really fun and funny. Then we had our trio – Alexa Giraudon, Mackenzie Wrap, and Carly Shukiar – doing my song, Three Friends. We worked on it a lot – it’s a very tricky song, especially when they’re singing about their home lives – you can’t ever get melodramatic or hit it over the head, you just have to be real and honest and you can’t build at all until it goes into the choruses. So, first I asked them to do 50% less. When they did that I said 50% less. And by the end of it they’d all figured out what I wanted and it was much better and will keep getting better from here on out.

Then Jaidyn Young ran the movie version of The Glamorous Life – she has a really good handle on the song and as soon as she has the lyrics completely down then we can do some detail work. Then Sam Herbert came and we ran his two songs – Mama, A Rainbow and Ya Got Trouble. We worked for quite a while, just getting everything to a real place, and that includes Ya Got Trouble, because that has to be real, too, in its own way. Then we had Hadley Belle Miller, who ran her song, the tongue-twisting Tchaikovsky, which she has down cold. I gave her one of the two songs I had to reassign – but a different song than originally planned. I gave her the beautiful 44 Sunsets from The Little Prince.

Then it was Brooke Besikof, who’s singing Joshua Noveck – she’ll be great on it, but there were some crossed wires and she hadn’t written down and learned the little dialogue bits that precede all the verses – the sheet music only has the cue lines. So, she’ll get that down but she’s really fun on the song.

Then we had Mandy Wolf, who’s doing the Sherman Brothers song, The Happiest Girl Alive. The fun part is that she’s the granddaughter of the Shermans. We had to find a good key, and then I gave her a few things to work on and she’ll be really fun. Then we had twelve-year-olds Olivia Knox and Emilie LaFontaine who are doing my song Pals. We worked a bit on it, and it’s really cute. Then I gave Olivia the other song I had to reassign – she’s kind of a soulful girl, which is the right quality for what I gave her – Out Here on My Own. So, she’ll learn that and we’ll work on it on Monday. Finally it was Sami Staitman and we ran her two songs, It’s a Perfect Relationship and What Did I Have That I Don’t Have. She’ll be great – we have such shorthand now that it goes very quickly. She basically knows and understands what I’m asking for before I even finish the sentence. Richard Allen was the man behind the piano.

Prior to any of that, I’d gotten about eight hours of sleep, answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, and then went and had a haircut – I so needed it. Then I went right to Jerry’s Deli and had the exact same meal as the day before: tiny mac-and-cheese, side of bacon, and a bagel, all good. Then I came home, dealt with the reassigning songs thing, and proofed twenty pages, both at lunch and at home. I was hoping to converse with Muse Margaret to get those changes in, but she got back to me just as we were starting rehearsal, so now we can’t do our session until Saturday. So, proofers won’t get their copies until Sunday, which is fine.

After rehearsal, which didn’t end until eight o’clock, I went over to Gelson’s and got some small snacks: a bit of potato salad, two shrimp skewers (very good, and almost no calories), a bit of seafood salad, and that was it. I came home and ate them all up, just because I could. Then I listened to some music and relaxed.

Today I will definitely finish proofing the book. I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then relax, and I’ll probably actually enter all the stuff that I don’t have to run by Muse Margaret, so that tomorrow I only have to do the big stuff.

Tomorrow I’ll finish up with Muse Margaret, get everything entered, and then get the book to the proofers. Otherwise I’ll just try to relax a bit. Sunday I have a meeting with Kay Cole and then we’re both judging for Michael Sterling’s LA’s Next Great Stage Star contest. Monday I’m lunching with David Wechter, then we have our second Kritzerland rehearsal. Wednesday is our stumble-through, and then Thursday is our show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finish proofing the book, eat, hopefully pick up packages, enter the easy fixes, and relax. 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 – CD, too many to name. Blu-ray, not sure what’s up next. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy we had such a fun rehearsal.

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