Well, dear readers, we had a fun-through yesterday and thankfully we were back onstage with our set. We simply can’t run the show in any other space at this point. It was pretty smooth going – since my assistant director wasn’t there to be on book, I told our wonderful cast that they were on their own and to make it up if they forgot anything. That was a really good thing, actually, not to have that lifeline to depend on. And they all got through it – sometimes fumfering for the line, but mostly not. Lots of fun stuff and the cream puff bit from Barry Pearl went on for a good two minutes and had people howling – my kind of bit – it was one of the first things I thought of when planning things and when you have a comic actor like Barry, who knows how to milk a visual gag as well as anyone, well, it’s just gold. I’m not sure we took anything off the run time, but the more we run, the more I see exactly where we need to speed up, so I’m able to be specific about those places. The set is working very well for us and the more we run the more everyone gets used to the mechanics, and make no mistake, brilliantly crafted comedies like this are machines and must function as well-oiled machines. But once you get the rhythm of it, both the overall rhythm and then the internal rhythm of each sequence, then it’s really easy for the actors to feel when it’s not there. And I will say that our note sessions are really fun and irreverent, so no one feels like their being singled out or criticized. I’ve been in note sessions that were not fun, trust me, which is why I do ours the way I do them. It keeps everyone laughing and energized and most importantly, positive.
After the run-through and notes, I did some re-blocking of a scene that just wasn’t quite working the way I originally had it – that should play better now, and I fixed the blocking on one of Whiteside’s speeches so that he could be seen better. Then Barry, Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael, and I went to Dino’s Pizza, where we had pizza, which is a good thing to have at a jernt called Dino’s Pizza. As I’ve often said, their slices are pretty thin and on the small side, so eating three slices is really like eating one-and-a-half slices of a normal-sized slice. Not that I ate three pieces, oh, no, not that I or anyone else ate three pieces. Barry and I both had five, which is probably like three-and-a-half, and I, for one, was stuffed to the gills. The conversation was sparkling.
Prior to all that, I got eight hours of sleep, then just relaxed, listened to music, did a little work at the piano and on the computer, and then it was time to mosey on over to the theater.
After Dino’s, I came directly home, answered more e-mails, listened to music, and then it was time to write these here notes.
Today, I can definitely sleep in, then I’ll do the usual morning things, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, work at the piano, and then have another run-through at seven.
Tomorrow and Wednesday are both run-throughs and then we finally get a day off – Thanksgiving to be exact. I’ll be having Thanksgiving dinner at the Pearls’ home environment, and that will be nice and cozy. Then Friday afternoon I’ll be at the theater to dry tech our show. There aren’t many light cues but there ARE a ton of sound cues, and we’ll run those, too. There are a ton of doorbells and phone ring cues – that’s the bulk of it. Then we have our first tech that night. Saturday, we’ll convene around three, hopefully have a costume parade of some sort, then we’ll do the first run-through. I’m not stopping for tech issues – if there’s a mistake it will be noted and fixed. Then we’ll have an hour break, then we’ll run it again. Sunday will be exactly the same thing but adding costumes. Then we’re off on Monday, and Tuesday we have an invited dress rehearsal, Wednesday and Thursday are previews, and Friday we open. And on Sunday, I turn a new age.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, do stuff, eat, hopefully pick up packages, have a run-through, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Of the big year-end movie releases coming up, which are you most looking forward to or which at least pique your interest? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a decent fun-through and hoping there will be more.