Well, dear readers, first of all, happy Halloween, you scary lot. But can I also just mention that it is the final day of October? Where did the month go? And what a month it was. And tomorrow will be a new month, one I like to call November, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that November will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. Yesterday, we had our first Kritzerland rehearsal for next Sunday’s show. I love Jule Styne and I think we’ve chosen some pretty wonderful songs – some hits, some lesser knowns, and some obscures – in other words, a Kritzerland show. First to arrive was Roger Befeler and we ran his three songs – a put-together of I Met a Girl and Long Before I Knew You from Bells Are Ringing. Then came a really cute put-together of I’m in Pursuit of Happiness (from Ruggles of Red Gap) and You’ll Never Get Away from Me. And finally from The Red Shoes, When It Happens to You.
Then came Sarah Uriarte Berry – first it was Everything’s Coming Up Roses, then Don’t Rain on My Parade, and finally Never Never Land. All sounding great, I may add and I did add. After Sarah came thirteen-year-old Mackenzie Wrap. First it was a put-together of Little Lamb and Together, Wherever We Go – I got her a little lamb hand puppet and it’s pretty adorable. Then she ran The Usher in the Mezzanine from Fade Out, Fade In. She’s a really talented young person.
Then Kim Huber (married to Roger Befeler) came and we ran her three songs – first a put-together of Absent-Minded Me and People, then Hey Look, No Cryin’, and finally a put-together of It’s Been a Long, Long Time and Time After Time. Finally, it was Nick Tubbs, who ran his two solos (he has a duet with Keri Safran, who isn’t with us until Thursday) – a put-together of Three Coins in the Fountain and Make Someone Happy, and I, Yes Me, That’s Who from Look to the Lillies.
I had to then leave and I went to the House of Pies for a meal pre-rehearsal. I did some prep work on the upcoming scenes whilst eating a small salad, a bacon cheeseburger, and a few fries, all pretty good but not great. Then I went to LACC for our rehearsal.
We begin every rehearsal by singing a group number, and then I picked up exactly where I left off. I moved VERY quickly and got the scene we began with done and we ran it a couple of times and it looked good. Then we just kept moving forward, blocking songs and scenes and by the end of the evening we were miraculously right up to the finale, which I’ll do today, first thing. So, that was a very good productive rehearsal and I’m just hoping everyone retains everything.
After that, I made a run to the new house, dropped a few things off, then came home, answered all the accumulated e-mails, and got no relaxing done at all.
Today, I’ll be up by ten at the latest, I think I’ll be going to Richard Sherman’s to pick up some signed books and say hey, then I have to be at LACC at two for a production meeting and to show the sound designer around, then I’ll grab a quick bite to eat, and then we rehearse. I’ll finish act two (it’s only three pages), and then we’ll go right back to the top of the show and begin assembling everything into a whole – that means assigning scene changes that haven’t been assigned and getting those transitions smoothed out, and solidifying all the staging. I’m hoping we get through most of the show, but it just depends on how much retention there’s been. We also have a sub at the piano, but it’s Alby Potts and he’s great. Then I’m coming right home and by gum and by golly and buy bonds I will relax a little bit, although I still have commentary to finish. That may have to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow I have an easier day – I don’t have anything until rehearsal, so that’s good. Thursday is another double duty day of Kritzerland and Levi, Friday is our longer Levi rehearsal, Saturday we have an eleven-thirty stumble-through and then a two to six Levi rehearsal. Sunday is sound check and show and then we’re in run-throughs every day.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, go to Richard Sherman’s, have a production meeting, eat, have a rehearsal, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: In the Great American Songbook, who are your favorite lyricists? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall hopefully not dream the dream of the night before – rehearsing.