Well, dear readers, today we begin the final forty-eight hour puuuuuuush to the Indiegogo finish line. We are at 108% of our funding goal, which is great, but we haven’t quite covered the Indiegogo and credit card feels – we’re close but not there yet. But we not only want to do that, we want to go much higher to make the possibility of a cast recording possible. So, share the link and check out all the new perks and besides those there are still amazing perks left from the first batch. This morning I’ve put up another Harvey Schmidt doodle and note, and also an amazing Harvey Schmidt portfolio of doodles he calls Twelve Red D’s. He doodled these twelve red D’s during one of our early phone calls, back in 1994. Each doodle is on a separate piece of typing paper and each is unique unto itself and signed and dated. Additionally, he’s included a title page that also has an original drawing and which is also signed – AND it also includes his note to me about how he did it. It’s an amazing thing and while it’s a little higher priced you do get thirteen original doodles. I also put up a wonderful original advertising art for the film Sweet Smell of Success. The artist is the well-known illustration artist Irv Docker, and the charcoal on heavy poster stock shows great images of Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, with a gal lying on the ground. It’s fantastic and priced to move. Also up are two James Mulligan art pieces – James is one of the busiest Disney artists (creating limited edition artworks for The Disney Store and elsewhere) – one is an artist’s proof of his popular Galinda and Elphaba Wicked print, signed of course. The other piece is an ORIGINAL watercolor on French parchment, Dick Van Dyke as Bert from Mary Poppins. Obviously that’s one of a kind. So, lots o’ stuff. Here’s the direct handy-dandy link.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/levi-a-new-musical-by-the-sherman-brothers/x/9165600#/
Yesterday was sort of a day – got very little relaxing done, perhaps none at all. I was up at ten but the helper had a problem and had to come later so I could have slept longer. Instead I went over to Grant’s and did some stuff, then came back home after stopping at Gelson’s and getting two chicken enchiladas and some lobster salad for my meal. I ate that all up, then the helper finally came and we finished going through the boxes in the garage. Of the eight remaining boxes we got rid of all but two, so that was good. I found the Harvey stuff and some really interesting other things. The helper is also going to sell all the old electronic equipment I had stacked up out there, plus a Yamaha DX7 keyboard with lots of extras. I just want to get rid of as much as possible. Ultimately, I think some kind of estate sale will be in order.
That took about two hours, and then I went and got some chips for my evening snack. I then had to go through the long, long liner notes and make fixes, corrections, as well as smoothing it all out and rewriting the awkward stuff. That took quite a while. I did make a show order for the Kritzerland show, so that’s done, and I tried to start the commentary but I just was written out and as long as I get it done by mid-week all will be well and well will be all. I wrote the blurb for our new release, which we’ll announce mid-week, and I put up all the new perks on Indiegogo so people could see them first thing in the morning.
Today, I’ll be up by ten to start monitoring the Indiegogo puuuuuush – I have to go into the same relentless mode I used for the first three days of the campaign, so that the puuuuuuush gets us as far as we can possibly get. I’ll probably visit Grant at some point, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then we begin staging Levi. First staging days always make me nervous, but as soon as I get into it the nerves usually leave right away – hopefully that will be the case. I’d love to get through the really long opening sequence and maybe into the second scene – that would be great.
Tomorrow is more of the same with more relentless Indiegogo pushing right up until we close the campaign. I’m actually not sure when it closes – of course I’ll be gone rehearsing for four hours. Wednesday we have a Robert Yacko rehearsal for his show, which he does next Sunday, and Thursday there’s a work session for the Kritzerland show, followed by a second Robert Yacko rehearsal, followed of course by a Levi rehearsal. Friday we have a longer Levi rehearsal and Saturday we have a longer rehearsal, too. And then it gets even crazier the following week. Send lots of excellent vibes and xylophones for good energy and a successful close to the Indiegogo campaign’s making as much as we possibly can.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be relentless with the Indiegogo campaign, I must visit Grant, I must eat, hopefully pick up some important mail and packages, and then I must begin staging Levi. Today’s topic of discussion: Favorite painters and favorite paintings. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as we head into our final puuuuuush for the Indiegogo campaign.