Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish after a very long day and evening. I am listening to some historic recordings of Erich Wolfgang Korngold music as I write these here notes. And I tell you thar’s gold in them thar Korn. The mono sound isn’t so bad at all. It’s perhaps a bit odd that I’m listening to music at all, given it was an all music all the time kind of day. Or, as Teresa Brewer put it – Music, Music, Music.
I did manage to get eight hours of sleep, so that was good. Once up I did all the usual things – answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, had some ice cream to tide me over until after our evening rehearsal, I did some work on the computer, and then got all the rehearsal tracks onto the laptop and into iTunes and a playlist. I put the speakers and laptop in the car. Then I got ready and then it was time for our second Kritzerland rehearsal. We added Sharon McNight to the mix and she’s her usual wonderful self, singing one VERY irreverent song, along with two classics. It was actually a really strong rehearsal – everyone knew their stuff and so that’s always fun just to watch and then give whatever little notes I have.
That lasted until six-fifteen, at which point I hurried over to the Group Rep for our third music rehearsal. I got the speakers and the computer set up, and then our cast arrived. We began with the group numbers, and boy do they sound great. Kay Cole, who’s choreographing two numbers, was there – she’d never heard anything but the two numbers she’s doing, and she professed to really like the music. I do know that the opening number really works well. Then we began doing all the other numbers – sometimes working on specific things, but mostly everyone was getting used to singing with the actual tracks – they’ve been working with the tracks but with a piano plunk on top of them. The hardest thing for them is timing dialogue within numbers. Everyone who has that within a song is simply going to have to learn how the dialogue fits within a certain number of bars – it has to be exact and I’ve told everyone they have to think of it musically. It will take some getting used to, but by the end of the evening a couple of folks had that down pat.
Our little kids chorus is adorable – they’re the first voices we hear in song after four lines of dialogue – I think that will put the audience in the exact frame of mind for what’s ahead. We cleaned up some notes and rhythms, took a break, and did all the group stuff again, then some assorted solos and duet. I think everyone is having a really good time. Sophie Ullett, our new cast member, picked up the group stuff and will learn her solo number prior to Monday’s rehearsal.
After rehearsal, I stopped at Taco Bell, since I’d only had that bit of ice cream earlier. It was really crowded and I was there for almost twenty minutes, which was disgusting. It’s like the entire Sherman Oaks population decided they had to have Taco Bell at ten o’clock in the evening. I honestly don’t get it.
I came home and ate it all up, listened to music, had another telephonic conversation, and then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I must have a ME day. I have to rest my voice (I never stopped talking yesterday, and I had to sing two songs for the Kritzerland rehearsal) – I don’t really want to do any work at all, other than perhaps finesse the commentary should it need finessing. I’ll eat, hopefully pick up packages, and just rest my voice and relax.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye will be here, so I’ll go have a light breakfast, and then we have our stumble-through at one. When that’s done, once again I can do nothing but rest my voice and relax. Sunday I will do exactly that until it’s time to mosey on over to Vitello’s for our sound check and then show. Then on Monday evening I begin staging A Carol Christmas.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a ME day, I must rest my voice completely, do no work other than finesse commentary, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and then continue resting my voice and relaxing. 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 – I have no idea. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had an all music all the time kind of day.