Well, dear readers, we had us a fun stumble-through of the Kritzerland show. A few lyric fumfers here and there, but I think it’s going to be a really fun show. Cast was terrific and Bill Hayes at ninety-three is a force of nature. I adjusted some tempos (there are quite a few ballads in this show, so I don’t want them at draggy tempos), fixed a couple of arrangement things, gave a few singer notes and that was that. Afterwards, Jenna, her mom, and I went to Barone’s for food. I had the antipasto salad, which I only ate two-thirds of, and their teeny-tiny small pizza, which Jenna had two little pieces of, so that wasn’t too bad.
Prior to that, I’d tossed and turned a lot but I think I did get eight hours of sleep, maybe even a bit more. Once up, I felt not great but not terrible. I answered e-mails and rested my voice. I ascertained that the important envelope did not arrive, which means if it’s not here on Monday the USPS has, for the third time, lost my pension check. Which means I have to wait a full two weeks for a replacement. So annoying, but maybe a miracle will happen and it will come on Monday.
I rested and relaxed until everyone got here for our three o’clock stumble-through. I was back from dinner at about six or so. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish, just willing myself not to feel like I’m getting sick. Do send some excellent vibes and xylophones that I wake up in fine fettle.
Last night, I finished watching Bandolero, a very strange movie in which we are asked to like what in essence are the bad guys. After all, they really would like to be good guys – just weird. Dean Martin is pretty good, James Stewart is always great, George Kennedy is fun, and Raquel Welch is surprisingly good. Lots of great character actors, a good score from Jerry Goldsmith, and the transfer looks great. Not a great movie, though.
After that, I watched the first half of Baby, the Rain Must Fall, starring Mr. Steve McQueen and Miss Lee Remick, and co-starring Mr. Don Murray. I’ve never seen it – don’t know why, since it was Robert Mulligan’s follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird. It was a big flop, so wasn’t around all that long. Steve McQueen plays a wannabe singer/songwriter and his vocals are dubbed and quite obviously so by singer/songwriter Billy Strange. In McQueen’s band is a very young Glen Campbell. I’m enjoying it. It’s based on a Horton Foote play called The Traveling Lady, which was a thirty-performance flop in 1954. I’ll have more to say when I finish it.
Today, I have to be up no later than nine-thirty, but probably it will have to be nine. I need all that time to get warmed up and in shape to do the show. Praying I’ll wake up in fine fettle. I’ll shave and shower, then I’ll mosey on over to Vitello’s for our noon o’clock sound check. Then we do our show. They’ve asked if we could start a little early and we’ll try to do that. I guess they have to prep the room for whatever event bumped us to the brunch show. After the show, I’m sure a few of us will go have some food downstairs. Then I can relax in the evening.
Tomorrow, I have an eleven o’clock appointment in Burbank, after which I’ll grab a quick bite, and then we have part one of our second round of Group Rep rehearsals, after which Doug and I are attending the Valley Theatre Awards. Tuesday, I have to trek to Santa Monica to gather up the Nick Redman collection we’re giving to Profiles in History to auction. Julie Kirgo, will then follow me back to Calabasas to drop off the stuff and so she can sign all the paperwork. The rest of the week is meetings and meals, casting the August Kritzerland, and then part two of the Group Rep rehearsals on Saturday. There’s a stumble-through for that on Monday night. Then we play two performances of that fundraiser on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up early, do a sound check, and then do our show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a nice stumble-through and hoping I wake up feeling in fine fettle.