Well, dear readers, there was the potential for drama, oh, yes, there was the potential for drama, but I’m happy to say the drama that had potential never showed up and that was a very good thing. We had a very good two hours of rehearsal, everyone had fun, we got all our work done, and now it’s straight ahead to the show.
The day began after eight hours of sleep, doing a few things, and then having an hour meeting with my stage manager for the Sherman Event. We went over just about everything, from stage layout to dressing rooms to sound check to contact sheets to the show day schedule – all of it – he’s very on top of things which gives me a really good comfort zone. Then I got ready for our rehearsal. As mentioned, it all went very smoothly and the one bit of potential drama didn’t happen, I think, because I was my usual positive self, never judgmental or mean, just a problem solver. I can’t go into detail yet but it’s just a behind-the-scenes person who has been very disrespectful about me at every step – not sure they know that I know, but I know and in the end I’ll send an e-mail about it, get it off my chest and that will be that. But the singers did really well, I made adjustments to one chart, and it all went very quickly. Our final person was Mandy Wolf, who is Richard Sherman’s granddaughter – she’ll be leading our finale of It’s a Small World, so we worked that out up to the point where the entire company comes back onstage to join in and we do an audience sing-a-long, after which a little quick something involving the city happens.
After that, Mandy, her mom, and I went over to Barone’s for dinner. We were all very hungry. For the table we ordered a half pepperoni/half cheese medium pizza, knowing they’d be taking a lot of it home. For my meal, I had the scampi appetizer, which is just four shrimp – it was kind of perfect. I had a little dinner salad, too, then I had four slices of the pepperoni side of the pizza, but as I’ve said, their slices are very small so four is the equivalent of about two-and-a-half normal slices. We all had a fun time, with lots of laughs. As we were leaving I could not believe my eyes – food was being delivered to a nearby table filled with what I’d have to call four portly people. Each of them – let me repeat that – EACH of them got a medium pizza. FOUR medium pizzas, one for EACH of them. Ten slices of pizza that is, per person. I suppose it’s really like eating six slices of normal pizza, but it was really a funny sight.
Then I came home and had to get my stage manager all the contact sheet information and the other stuff I had on my computer. Then I listened to music for the rest of the evening, so I could relax my brain. A very eclectic batch o’ stuff, but a lot of Marlene Dietrich conducted by Burt Bacharach, but also a very interesting collection of a group called The Neon Philharmonic. These two albums collected here are the kinds of albums I loved back in the late 1960s – weird concept instrumental/vocal pop – think Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Van Dyke Parks, and stuff like that. And yet, I never heard of these albums until Rhino Handmade issued one of their box sets – there were only two albums and some singles. And then – I never played it until last night. While I don’t think the songwriting is on a par or anywhere close to Jimmy Webb, Van Dyke Parks, and especially Randy Newman, the albums are beautifully produced, orchestrated, and the sound is really great. I’m glad that, for whatever reason, I got this back in 2001 or thereabouts. At the time, there was an actual Rhino Handmade store on Melrose or Beverly Blvd. I think – and they had a sale and I went, which is when I got this. It’s enjoyable – just wish the actual tunes were a bit better.
I also had a long telephonic conversation with our very own Nick Redman, did a few things of the organizing variety, and that was that.
Today, I have to cast our final two females for Kritzerland, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up packages, do stuff, have one rehearsal, and then we go to a rehearsal for the orchestra’s four pieces and we do hope that goes smoothly and that they’ve conformed their times to what we need them to be.
The rest of the week is meetings, rehearsals, meals, writing introductions, a lighting script, and then we have our very long show day and then show, followed by a reception.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, cast, eat, hopefully pick up packages, rehearse, and attend an orchestra rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the most food you’ve ever eaten at one time? What was it, when was it, and where was it? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have seen four portly people get four portly pizzas.