Well, dear readers, I do believe I have uploaded lots of videos from last Thursday’s Kritzerland show, and I intend to share them with you – not all at once, of course, that would be unseemly, but I’ll parse them out (parse being yesterday’s word of the day, of course) today and tomorrow. I actually still have to upload four or five more. So, why don’t we just start with our opening number featuring Hayley Shukiar, an adorable bundle of dynamite. I tailored this specifically for her. As you all know, I choose the songs for everyone with the intention of providing challenging material where they can stretch and grow.
Wasn’t that fun? Next up, here’s little Olivia Knox. When we had a performer drop out I had to reassign those two songs, so at Olivia’s first rehearsal I asked her if she could handle a solo that she’d have to have down for the second rehearsal, and she said absolutely and she had it down by the second rehearsal. This little girl has such a sweet soul and a beautiful voice and not only that, she really understands how to interpret a lyric.
Here’s Sami Staitman doing one of my all-time favorite character numbers and she does it so well, as I knew she would. Someday maybe she’ll even get to do the show. Sami now has the distinction of doing more Kritzerland shows than anyone.
Here’s young Sam Herbert, our one and only boy performer in this show. We worked very hard on this song to get it to be heartfelt and simple and conversational – it took some time but he really nailed it and there were many moist mom eyes in the house.
Here is little Hadley Belle Miller – she isn’t the first young person I’ve tormented with this song but she’s the youngest. She is FEARLESS and she hit it right out of the park. If I tried to give this to an adult they’d run from the room screaming.
Here’s Jenna Lea Rosen – this is Jenna’s last young people’s show, as she’ll be nineteen this year, but we love using her in our regular shows. She began doing Kritzerland shows right from the time I began using young people – in early 2011. I did this arrangement for A Broadway Love Story, and Jenna does a beautiful job with it.
Here’s Alexa Giraudon, Mackenzie Wrap, and Carly Shukiar doing my song, Three Friends. They do me proud, these young ladies.
And as long as we’re doing my songs, here’s my song Pals with Emilie LaFontaine and Olivia Knox.
Last one for today is Sami socking home What Did I Have That I Don’t Have – one of my favorite Sami performances.
We’ll have more videos on the ‘morrow.
Yesterday was an ordinary sort of day. I had to be up early for she of the Evil Eye, but I hadn’t planned to be up quite as early as eight, but thanks to the buzz saw next door, that’s the way it was. I went and had an omelet and an English muffin, did some banking, then finally came back home. Once home, I spoke with Muse Margaret to discuss the six little possible fixes that I needed her input on. In the end, we did two of them, because the other four seemed okay to us the way they were. So, that’s all done and now we’re waiting for the other two proofers to finish – actually, one of them is finished and I’ll see her Tuesday to get her hard copy back. She, too, really enjoyed the book, so that was nice.
Otherwise I just relaxed for a while and listened to some music, including a new SACD release of some RCA Miklos Rozsa concert pieces that’s quite excellent. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture entitled Witness for the Prosecution – I thought it would be fun to see it, having just seen the play version. I’m surprised someone hasn’t melded the two versions together, because Billy Wilder and Harry Kurnitz so improve the play in just about every way, and there would absolutely be a way to do it. The interesting thing about the play is that it ran two hours and forty-five minutes with the two intermissions. So, without those twenty minutes of intermission, you’re talking about two hours and twenty-five minutes. The film runs 116 minutes and packs a lot more backstory and information in, so I found that fascinating. I know there’ve been a couple of subsequent film versions and that Ben Affleck is tinkering with doing a new one – here’s the problem folks – you ain’t gonna do it better than Billy Wilder. And why? Because sorry today’s actors, but you are not a patch on the butt cheeks of Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Elsa Lanchester, Torin Thatcher, Henry Daniell, John Williams and the rest of the large cast. In fact, I can’t think of one actor today who could do the Charles Laughton role. Who? Robert De Niro? Al Pacino? I mean, honestly. We don’t have actors like Mr. Laughton anymore. We have mumblers who think they’re being “real.” Note to mumblers: You’re not being real, you’re being FAKE. Anyway, I never tire of watching the film.
After that, I went over to Du-Par’s for a quick mac-and-cheese fix. Their night chef really knows how to do the mac-and-cheese right – the day chef is kind of a mac-and-cheese idiot. Then I came home and listened to some music.
Today shall be a day of relaxation, although I do have to get the LACC Indiegogo thing ready to launch tomorrow, so that means typing up all the text and the perks. I’ll eat something and there is a package to pick up that came yesterday, but mostly I’ll listen to music and watch a motion picture of some sort.
Tomorrow I’ll launch the LACC Indiegogo campaign, and then they’re on their own with it. I will say for those who may have missed out, we will have some more Richard Sherman signed musical quotes, as well as signed photos from Cindy Williams and Mark Hamill. Otherwise, this coming week is solidifying the March Kritzerland show and getting everyone their music. On Tuesday I’ll pick up the second proofer’s hard copy and get those fixes in and run whatever I need to by Muse Margaret, and then that leaves one proofer. So, in about a week or so Grant will be able to start on the design of the book.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, eat VERY lightly, write the text for the LACC Indiegogo campaign, pick up a package, then relax with some music and then watch a motion picture of some sort. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that everyone likes the Super Video Sunday.