Well, dear readers, our second rehearsal for The Man Who Came to Dinner was quite fun. It’s difficult to really do anything but the blocking, as our leading man isn’t with us until Saturday morning, but we can give him all his blocking then in advance of running stuff. I’m sure he’ll pick it all up very fast, since the character is in a wheelchair for the entirety of act one and only moves a few times here and there. But we’re finding our rehearsal rhythm now. I’m leaving most folks alone at this point, other than to occasionally give comic bits. With a few, I’ve asked them to think about trying a different path, and they’re all good eggs and will. And in certain cases, I’m just going to have to be quite exact in what I need. But what a great play and endlessly funny. Kay Cole is already hilarious, and she’s only begun to find her way to Miss Preen. So, I think everyone is having a good time – the room is filled with laughter, which is what I like. And I finished blocking act one – not bad for two three-hour rehearsals and a hugely complicated opening five minutes – we ran that sequence over and over again and everyone is starting to understand how it has to go and it will, of course, be easier when we have our set. But the timing of that is really choreography that is split-second, and nothing can be off or the rhythm goes to complete hell. Anyway, I’m having a good time.
Prior to that, I got seven hours of sleep, did the usual morning things – answered e-mails, had telephonic conversations, and then went and picked up some packages, got some Taco Bell tacos for my luncheon, ate them, did some work at the piano and on the computer, forwarded a few more orders – they’re trickling in and as long as that’s consistent I’ll be happy – and then I had to get ready for the production meetings.
Those began at five o’clock. We started with the costume guy – I know a lot of folks he’s worked with and he’s going to do a great job – very detail oriented. After that, we went over the set details, and I think that will be fun and look good. Then it was sound, and finally props. I have a really fun way to do the pre-show announcement and also the between scene stuff, but I shan’t mention that here at this time because as most dear readers know, we have prying eyes here and stuff I’ve talked about suddenly appears elsewhere, and we can’t have that, can we? No, we can’t, because that would be most unseemly.
After rehearsal, I stopped at In-N-Out for my evening meal – burger and fries – came home and ate that all up and it was ever so good. Then I listened to music – well, musique – a French composer from France named Charles Koechlin – I’ve been a fan for years, but mostly from a couple of works, most notably his Seven Stars Symphony. There’s tons of stuff on the Tube of You if you’d like to hear some stuff by him. In fact, I grabbed about ten pieces last night with my grabber. And then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I do believe I can sleep in, then I’ll do work at the piano and on the computer, I have several telephonic call meetings today, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, then relax, listen to music, and watch a motion picture on Blu and Ray.
Tomorrow will be more of the same and I think I have some sort of lunch or dinner thing happening, plus giving out Halloween candy to whomever stops by, Friday I have a dinner meeting, and then Saturday we have a four-hour rehearsal, where we’ll block in our leading man, run the first act so he can go through it, and then it’s on to act two – not sure if I can finish or not in that time frame, but even if I don’t, I’ll be close to finishing. Sunday is mine all mine, then Monday we begin our mostly every night rehearsals. If I’m through act two or almost through it, then we’ll get to act three that night and I can really have fun with Barry Pearl as Banjo.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, work at the piano and the computer, have a telephonic call meeting, eat, hopefully pick up packages, relax, and watch a movie. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that act one is blocked.