Well, dear readers, it is December, a month of holiday cheer and, for me personally, a great big birthday. Of course, 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. I am so ready to relax and have holiday cheer – this last three months were so crazy busy I could barely keep up – between Dial ‘M’ for Murder, Kritzerland shows, a larger than usual number of Kritzerland releases, Levi, more Kritzerland shows AND moving, well, it was crazy.
Yesterday we had us a pretty excellent Thursday matinee performance of Levi. Three days ago we were at twenty-six attendees, but we had over a hundred and they were a wonderful audience. In attendance was Robbie Sherman, one of the sons of Robert Sherman – he flew in from London. And a really super nice lady from the Levi Strauss Company. She told me she very much enjoyed the show, despite it containing some fiction and myths (it’s a musical after all but she knows all things Levi). The show energy was much better and much more focused and the band sounded better, too. The show has been running exactly the same time for the entire run thus far, each act averaging about 56 minutes. I love consistency. We had a few high school students with us, hopeful future students for the department and I think they had a really good time and were very impressed by the caliber of the production. And so, it’s on to the final three now.
Prior to that, I’d only gotten six hours of sleep, as she of the Evil Eye arrived at eight-thirty. I stayed here to make sure everything was fine, and I actually got three boxes of Blu-rays on the shelves in the garage. If I could do three a day I could really make a dent there and make some room. She left at twelve-thirty. I did a lot of work on the computer, and just tried to rest my weary voice. Then about one-thirty I went to the mail place and picked up no packages or mail, and then I moseyed on over to LACC. After the show I chatted with a few people, but I had to get on the freeway to be here at six-fifteen for our mini Kritzerland rehearsal. I was on the freeway at five-thirty. Even with terrible traffic it has never taken me over thirty minutes to get home and even with terrible traffic it’s maybe a twenty-minute drive usually. Well, this traffic was not to be believed. It literally took me thirty-five minutes to get from my on-ramp to Hollywood – that’s usually four minutes without traffic. I didn’t quite make six-fifteen – it took fifty minutes all told. It’s just disgusting and there’s no real reason for it because when you reach a certain point there’s no longer a jam-up.
Once here, we ran Adrienne Stiefel’s three songs – my song, This Christmas (which is currently getting huge Christmas airplay – Sandy wanted to do the radio thing again for her Christmas CD and this year we decided to ignore them about how original songs don’t do well and we gave them This Christmas – in three days it had 30,000 plays, which is incredible), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and The Christmas Song. Adrienne is amazing and she sounds great. Then we rehearsed the two kids’ opening number, and then the other kid solo. Then we all went back to Hamlet for food. I had a little side salad and a fried chicken sandwich – it really was odd and not very good. But I was hungry to I ate it all up. When I got back home, I also had a bagel and then some low-cal ice cream. I answered e-mails, had a long telephonic call and then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I’ll hopefully awaken after a good night’s beauty sleep. Then we have our second Kritzerland rehearsal at twelve-thirty – we should finish around three. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll grab a bite to eat. I have to be at the theater at six-thirty to make sure my ace engineer John Adams has everything he needs and gets set up properly. And the first of the three video shoots also happens, so they need to also set up. Hopefully all that will go smoothly. Then we play our show – I know we’re currently around seventy-five people, but I’m sure we’ll end up with over a hundred. Not sure who’s coming tonight, but if there’s anyone fun maybe we’ll go grab a bite after, although I should probably just come home to get as much rest as I can – and do send more excellent vibes and xylophones for a healthy body and voice.
Tomorrow, we have a twelve-thirty stumble-through and then several of us have to go right to the theater for our three o’clock matinee. We have almost a hundred at this point and that will probably go up and for the evening show we’re currently around 140 and that will go up, too. Not sure what may or may not happen after the show. Sunday, I’ll sleep in till at least eleven, then relax until it’s time for sound check and then we do our show. Then on Monday I begin relaxing and figuring out if there are any more Kritzerland releases to announce before the end of the year – I’m hoping at least one, if not two.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get a good night’s beauty sleep, I must have a Kritzerland rehearsal, I must pick up packages, I must have a bite to eat, and then I must see our show. 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, potential Kritzerland projects. Blu and Ray, Attack of the Puppet People. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to welcome in December and what will hopefully be a festively festive holiday season and birthday – 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.