Well, dear readers, we were back performing Levi this evening after a week-and-a-half off. It was a pretty good show considering that – it’s hard to leave off on a huge high and then be away for that length of time – so, for me as a picker of nits, the pace was off a bit, cues weren’t being picked up quite as they should, and at times the energy was a bit low. Sound was weird, too, which was really odd because the sound man saved his Saturday show, so it really should have been exactly the same, but he was basically having to remix on the fly because it just wasn’t. Most of it was fine but the band blends were off and some of the dialogue was a bit low. The band was way too ragged for my taste – the bass made a silly mistake right on bar one, playing during a clarinet solo where he’s clearly not supposed to play. And I really had a strong conversation with our MD about all of it and I know he has passed along my displeasure so hopefully they’ll pull it together for the final four. But it was great fun to see it again and I’m not sure any of my picked nits were all that noticeable to the audience.
But before I go any further, may I just point out that today is the last day of November – where has this month gone? And tomorrow it’s December and it is my fervent hope and prayer that December will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. As most of you know, I have a birthday coming up and it’s a rather big one and I’m of mixed emotions about it, oh, yes, I’m of mixed emotions about it.
Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth were there, Doug Haverty brought his Dorathy and daughter Hartley, Leslie Young came back, this time with full family in tow, several Disney folks were there, and I’d say about fifteen people were seeing the show for the second time – save for two people who were seeing it for their fourth time! We had a critic there – who knows what he’ll think? Hoping for the best, of course.
Prior to that, I’d slept about seven hours, maybe a bit more – had an active mind and I’m trying not to be sick – so send some excellent vibes and xylophones for no sick and a strong voice. I didn’t fall asleep till after three and so was up around eleven. I answered e-mails, had telephonic calls, did work on the computer and at the piano, had two brief visits (one of the visitors brought me a house-warming gift of two K’s Donuts chocolate peanut butter things – I happily admit to eating both as I’m writing these here notes, and I don’t care who knows it. I got a text from she of the Evil Eye asking if she could come this morning at eight-thirty rather than tomorrow at nine. I was hoping to sleep in but that won’t be happening now. I don’t know that I’m comfy enough to leave her on her own, so I’ll probably hang around and do some writing and stuff so I can keep my eye on things in case anything confounds her.
Then I moseyed on over to the mail place where I picked up no packages and a catalog. Then I was on my way to LACC. Once there, I had a brief conversation with the box-office person – the guy I brought in was out because of oral surgery, but he’ll be back today. We ended up with about eighty-five people, so that wasn’t too terribly terrible. Then we did the show, I chatted with a few folks after, then came home and ate my two chocolate peanut butter things and now I’m feeling completely gross – gross, but happy.
Today I’ll be up by eight-fifteen and then hang around whilst she of the Evil Eye does her thing. When she’s done, I’ll take a shower and get ready to go to our matinee. I’ll first hopefully pick up some packages, and I need to make several important telephonic calls as well as book an appointment to take the written driving test – time is running out for that. I also have to study for it, but thankfully I’ve been sent two sample tests and their answers. I’m going to shoot for next Tuesday or Wednesday. Then I’ll see our matinee – many fun people coming to see it including Robert Sherman’s son Robbie all the way from England, and a nice lady from the Levi Strauss company in San Francisco. We were VERY light for this until yesterday afternoon but we’re now up to around seventy or eighty, so it should be a nice crowd. After the show, some of us may get a bite to eat somewhere nearby.
Tomorrow, I’ll try to get a decent amount of sleep, then we have a Kritzerland rehearsal around one o’clock that should last about two-and-a-half hours. Then I’ll go to LACC at six to have a chat with the fellow doing the videotaping, as well as our very own John Adams, who’ll be recording the audio of the show. I can’t say that there’ll be an actual CD release – depends on several things. Then we play our evening show and I believe we already have a decent house for it that will hopefully get bigger by curtain time. Saturday I’d love to sleep in, but alas cannot – we have a stumble-through at twelve-thirty and we must go directly from that to our matinee at three – I hate cutting things that close, but our pianist was simply not available before then. In fact, I’ll let Hadley Miller leave after her second number, which is halfway through the show – that way she’ll make her one-thirty call. Marc Ginsburg isn’t called till two-thirty, but he has the penultimate song in the show – I’ll let him go as soon as he’s done it and he’ll get there in plenty of time as long as we start on time. Then we play our matinee, I may or may not grab a bite between shows with the Staitmans – may want to go after the show, but we’ll see how we’re feeling and when the matinee actually finishes. Sunday I’ll be able to sleep in, and then we have our sound check and show. And then I will be ready to have some damn rest.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, supervise she of the Evil Eye, hopefully pick up packages, attend our matinee, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could choose songs for young performers to sing, which would you choose and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have returned to Levi land.