Well, dear readers, we survived our second preview, and thankfully without a single technical mishap. We had more people, about fifty, maybe a few more, and they seemed to really enjoy the show. I didn’t take too many notes – I mean, I took notes but not reams of them. My pal Marshall Harvey was there, and a few other folks I knew. The audience was wonderful and it’s so much fun to hear them react to the various plot machinations, and they DO react and rather vocally. I must say, the pre-show announcement I wrote, that Doug speaks as Inspector Hubbard, is getting lots of laughs. There was a bigger problem, but not one I’m going to write about in these here notes because this isn’t the place to air it. Hopefully by show time the problem will have been understood and fixed.
Oh, has anyone else noticed that somehow this is the final day of June? How did that happen? That means that tomorrow will be a new month, one I like to call July, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.
Prior to that, I’d gotten between ten and eleven hours of sleep, although I was up for forty-five minutes coughing like a madman. But I think I sweated a lot of it out and I woke up feeling a lot better and not coughing nearly as much or as deeply and with a lot less phlegm. So, that was good. I went and had a cup of chicken soup and a bagel, then picked up one package, then came home. Then I began listening to the nine symphonies of Mr. Ralph Vaughan Williams – no, not conducted by one of the many notable British conductors who are well known for their Vaughan Williams interpretations, nor Mr. Andre Previn who is well known for his traversal. This set is, of all things, on Melodiya – yes, English symphonies played by a Russian orchestra and conducted by one of my favorite Russian conductors, Gennady Rozhdestventsky. I saved the first symphony for later, as I don’t love it and it’s a choral symphony. So, I began with the second and while they are very different from Boult or Barbirolli or Previn, I am really enjoying the heck out of them. They sound pretty great (all live recordings) but it’s just the different approach that is so enjoyable and, in a way, refreshing. I’m through symphony four and listening to five as I type these here notes.
Then I arrived at the theater at six, and we ran the opening scene, just to get the vocal level where I wanted it, and ran the murder (the actors involved with that will always run it prior to the show), then I just sat until it was time for the show. I didn’t cough once and my congestion was much better and I actually had enough voice to give notes after. Then I came home, had a little snack of salami and provolone and that was that.
Today, I’ll hopefully get up after another good night’s beauty sleep. I think I’ll have the soup and bagel combo again, then I have to pick up some thank you cards so I can write opening night notes to everyone. I’ll hopefully pick up packages, and I’m sure the entire afternoon will be spent writing the thank you notes. I’ll head over to the theater at seven to hand them out, and then we have our opening night. I have no idea what kind of house it is. A week ago I was told we were already at forty, so I can’t imagine it will be less than sixty, but I’m actually really hoping we’ll be full up at ninety. They’ll have a little partay for us after, and then I’m gonna go out with friends after that.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye will be her for the first time in three weeks (her yearly trek home), so I’ll have to go do a few things. Then I’ll just relax until six, when I’m meeting friends for dinner. Then we’ll go to the theater and see our Saturday evening show.
Sunday I haven’t quite decided whether to attend the show or not – we’ll have to see how I’m feeling. If there are people I know in attendance, then I may. If not, I’ll just relax. Then next week is all solidifying the next Kritzerland show – we’ve already cast three of the five performers, and so I’ll figure out the other two (both gals) and I’ll see if we can get the guest star I want for this one. I also have to finish finding actors for the Levi reading on July 10, especially the leading lady. And I’ve got to write some of Kay Cole’s patter for her act and we start working on that, too, so another busy month coming up.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, eat, relax, hopefully pick up packages, buy thank you cards and write thank you notes, and then I attend the opening night of Dial ‘M’ for Murder. 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, the Russian Vaughan Williams. Blu-ray, who knows? Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy we survived our second preview and that my condition is in better condition and will hopefully keep improving.