Well, dear readers, it is getting late and therefore I must write these here notes in a hurry because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep. But before I dive in, has anyone here noticed that something is busting out all over? I did and I’ll reveal what it is right now – it’s June. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, June is busting out all over, just because, well, just because it’s June, June, June. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that June will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.
As you know, I had a sick person in the house two days ago, and it’s messed with my mind and I am fighting like the dickens to not get sick – so far, so good, but my voice is not at its normal strength, so I’m keeping my mouth shut for the most part. I had a rough night with some tummy problems, but I do think I got eight hours of sleep, so that was good. I wished I could have just slept ten hours, but we had our pick-up rehearsal at eleven-thirty.
That went very quickly and well. I then answered e-mails, rested my voice, listened to a little music, and then went to the mail place, where I picked up no packages and no important envelope. I’m praying it arrives today because should it not, this weekend is going to be hellish. Usually, it shows up the day before the first and sometimes two days before. And of course, twice it didn’t show up at all and it took three weeks to get a replacement. So, send some excellent vibes and xylophones for the important envelope to show up today. I then stopped at McDonald’s and got some food, came home and ate it, and then did some work on the computer, after which I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture western entitled Warlock, starring Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, and Anthony Quinn. I’d never seen all of it and I must say I quite enjoyed it. Performances are top-notch, as is the direction (cue Druxy mentioning that the director was his publicity client – in five, four, three, two, one… – kidding – well not about the client part), and the photography is excellent. The transfer is very nice, so it gives me hope that the previous Fox transfers in the last batch from Twilight Time were an anomaly. Then I watched a bit of Bandolero, which I am finding very strange. I also dozed off several times, so that was good.
Then it was time to get ready to attend an opening night. I moseyed on over to the theater, got a good parking place, and saw a musical comedy entitled Avenue Q, a show I surprisingly have never seen, other than an abbreviated presentation last year. I know and understand that it’s an audience favorite that had a hugely successful Broadway run of over six years, and then a move to off-Broadway, which I thought was incredibly stupid. So, with the caveat that this is the first production I’ve seen, I must say I found the show not as funny as it thinks it is, and very repetitious. Now, all of that was very new territory when it opened, so I kind of get it – nastiness with puppets – well, there were, of course, risqué puppets in Les Poupee des Paris, which ran in Los Angeles for a long time (it has a cast album on RCA) – but the thought of what in essence is a dirty version of Sesame Street obviously appealed to audiences. The music is pleasant (but repetitious) and the lyrics are well crafted and even occasionally clever. I must tell you a funny story – when I was moving out of my Varese Sarabande office, I found in my desk files several demos that had been sent when I was planning the Broadway Bound album in 1996. And these two I never played because my assistant had put them in this folder for some reason, rather than leaving them out for me to hear. One was from some newcomer called Jonathan Larson and featured songs from a couple of musicals he’d written, and this new thing he was working on called – Rent. Yes, I could have been the first to record something from Rent. The other demo was from Jeff Marx, somebody I used to run into at Tower Records in New York – he was a fan of my recordings. I had no idea he wanted to be a lyricist until this demo from a show he was working on called Avenue Q, long before the show became a reality and when it really was simply a Sesame Street parody. I believe the producers of the show told the authors that it needed a story with heart, hence the occasional “heart” songs. Isn’t that funny? The audience seemed to enjoy it and I’m sure they’ll have a very nice run.
I didn’t stay for the after party. I stopped at Rite-Aid and got more Airborne and their equivalent of Coldeeze, came home, had a couple of caramels, and took my preventatives.
Today, I can sleep until eleven or thereabouts, and then I’ll hopefully go pick up the important envelope. Then we have our stumble-through, and after that I may go out for an early dinner, depending on how I’m feeling. Then I’ll rest my voice and relax.
Tomorrow, I have to be up by nine-thirty at the latest. I’ll shave and shower, and then our sound check is at noon o’clock, and then we do our brunch show. I’m sure some of us will grab a bite downstairs afterwards. Monday, I have a meeting at eleven, then have to come right back for the first half of our second Group Rep rehearsals. That’s scheduled to end in time for me to get to Doug’s house, and then we’re attending the Valley Theater Awards – we’re nominated for a few for A Carol Christmas. The rest of the week is very busy.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in until eleven, hopefully pick up an important envelope, have a stumble-through, eat, and rest and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, and Anthony Quinn? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping for a wonderful busting out all over June for the lot of us – yes, it is my fervent hope and prayer that June will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.