Well, dear readers, we had not one but two really fun rehearsals yesterday. The first really fun rehearsal yesterday occurred at noon o’clock for the musical revue. This was the first rehearsal where the author was not present, and I was able to give notes and work on performances in the way I like, so that was great. The run-through ran seventy minutes, a perfect time, and it was pretty hilarious. I gave notes and cleaned up some sloppy stuff – by that time the author had arrived and I think even as he walked in the room he sensed how up we all were. In days of old, I happen to think anyone would have found this material funny no matter what political persuasion they were. But not today – today no one has a sense of humor about much of anything, but certainly not about the administration being spoofed and parodied here. Those of a certain political persuasion will find this material hilarious and biting. Those on the other side of the aisle don’t have the ability to see beyond the partisan. I am the sort who can laugh at anything that’s funny, whether satirizing something or someone I like or not. But thanks to Facebook and Twitter, many in this country have completely lost their senses of humor – they have turned into sourpusses and negative little twits – with these types you can’t joke about ANYTHING, and I’m not only talking about politics, I’m talking about ANYTHING. These dimwits take offense at everything, they post their stupid faux Facebook and Twitter outrage about everything. They call people names, accuse them of being the sorts of people they are not, all because they have the temerity to make a humorous comment. I’ve never seen anything like it, frankly. To wit, the very recent brouhaha over A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I mean, really. I mean, REALLY. End of paragraph one rant.
Then I stopped and picked up a package, then came directly home. I rummaged around in the garage and found the charts I needed, and then we began our first Kritzerland rehearsal. First to arrive was Adrienne Stiefel and we ran her three songs: The Christmas Song, White Christmas, and Winter Was Warm. Then came Robert Yacko, who, of course, I’d just seen at the other rehearsal. We ran his three numbers – Separate Ways (from A Carol Christmas), a Marty Paich put-together of Happy Holidays and The Holiday Season, and the Sherman Brothers’ Christmas in Los Angeles. Then came Sophie Ullet and Adam Wylie – they’re married, you know. We began with Sophie – first up was A Place Called Home, and then her other solo, Let It Go from Frozen. Hubby is teaching her some fun magic to use in the song, so that will be fun. Then we started to do Lovers on Christmas Eve, their duet, but I ascertained they both hated it, so we made a switcheroo to Baby, It’s Cold Outside and they loved that. Then Adam did his two solos, Count Your Blessings and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, a Plaid Tidings arrangement that’s fun.
Next up, Peyton Kirkner and Autumn Jessel came and we ran our traditional opening number, Be A Santa. They already had it down pat from watching the video from the last Kritzerland show. In fact, they could have just performed it and it would have been perfect. Then Peyton ran her Carol Christmas number, Spelling Backwards. Then I tried out a variation on a What If – very short because the joke is over in twenty seconds, but we all laughed out loud, so we’ll give it a try. Keri Saffran comes on Wednesday for her first rehearsal.
After that, I was starving, so off I went to In N Out and got two cheeseburgers and no fries to go – that’s 900 calories. I came home and ate them all up and they were quite yummilicious. I answered e-mails, had telephonic calls, listened to some music, then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first episode of some Netflix thing called Bodyguard that a friend had recommended to me. The first fifteen minutes were really tense and well done, and it certainly held my interest throughout so on I’ll go to episode two on Wednesday. After that, I listened to more music, including the master for A Carol Christmas, which I approved and it is now on its way to the pressing plant via the Internet, so they should have it when they arrive in the morning. There’ll be sound samples up in the morning if you’d like to get a little preview.
Today, I’ll sleep in, probably eat something light for my meal o’ the day, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, and I’ll keep working on liner notes because it’s my intention to announce two new titles, one a two-CD set, maybe by Friday. Then I’ll mosey on over to do our sound check, and we’ll run as much as we can in our allotted hour. Then I’ll have some kind of appetizer there for food, and then we do our show. We’re almost sold out, I think.
Tomorrow we have Keri Saffran for thirty minutes, but the rest of the day is free and I’ll use it to relax and finish liner notes and also the Kritzerland commentary. I have the show order already and half of it gets plugged in from other shows so it shouldn’t take too long. Thursday is our second Kritzerland rehearsal, Friday I’m praying we’ll be able to pick up the A Carol Christmas CDs so we have them for lobby sales over the weekend. We could have sold so many this past weekend. But it’s 50/50 at this point and we’re hoping it’s the good 50. Friday night we resume our performances, Saturday we do our stumble-through, Sunday I have to attend the matinee, after which I’ll hurry over to Vitello’s for our sound check and then show. Whew.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, eat something light, hopefully pick up packages, write, do a sound check and then do the musical revue. I will, of course, have a full report for you. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Christmas and holiday songs? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had not one but two really fun rehearsals.