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March 8, 2021:

THE DISCOMBOBULATED DAY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish trying to comprehend why this day and evening has felt like a Saturday rather than a Sunday. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish trying to comprehend the incomprehensible. Since it’s about to be Monday it would follow that what’s left of today is Sunday and yet it feels like Saturday and so it seems like today should be Sunday rather than Monday and yet it is Monday rather than Sunday, which means I am, in short, discombobulated or, at the very least, discomfrankulated. I don’t know why Bob gets all the attention, do you? I am listening to Vernon Handley have his way with Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and I must say it may be my favorite version, even better than Britten’s own. I also listened to my very first Reynaldo Hahn operetta or opera, Omon bel inconnu. I gather that Mr. Hahn was quite popular with the populace in his day. And I have to say that there are some very attractive tunes in this, especially in the overture. It didn’t all quite work for me, but it certainly was enjoyable in its way and then you’d get one of those really nice tunes. It’s just one CD and runs a tight sixty-one minutes, which is better than a loose sixty-one minutes. I also finished reading the teeny-tiny print of Rutanya Alda’s CreateSpace book, The Mommie Dearest Diaries. While I don’t know this for a fact, I’d guess that she touched these up, because she constantly uses the phrase on set which, back in 1981, was not an expression – it was always on the set, never on set. I was there, I know. There’s some sloppy layout issues, but that’s CreateSpace for you, where you’re your own editor and designer. Since the book only runs to 153 pages, I’m not sure why she didn’t opt for a larger type size – that would have brought the book closer to 180 pages and would have made it much easier to read. Certainly, the book has its interesting anecdotes, and hubby Richard Bright, who had serious drug issues, doesn’t come off well, nor does Miss Faye Dunaway, although the latter does seem to treat Ms. Alda okay, but has her excluded from scenes and coverage and the director, Frank Perry, simply defers to Miss Faye Dunaway. One could take all that with a grain of salt if there weren’t so many stories about this woman’s behavior on her various films. I will never understand people, stars or anyone, who feel the need to do that. But do it they do, oh, yes, do it they do. I’ll tell you one thing – for working on a major motion picture in an important role, rather than rest and prepare, she’s out and about almost every night, frequently late into the evening, going to parties and movies and plays. She also seems to eat all the time so she must have had an excellent metabolism. There are interesting moments with Diana Scarwid and the little girl who plays Christina as a youngster. Apparently, Faye was so out of control in the hair cutting scene that in one take she actually punctured the poor girl’s skin and drew blood. She felt bad, though, and bought her a teddy bear. Anyway, I enjoyed it for what it was and for what it was I enjoyed it.

Yesterday seemed like a Saturday rather than a Sunday and yet it was a Sunday rather than a Saturday. I got about six hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, did a little futzing and fixing of the Indiegogo campaign thing I wrote, then shaved and showered and filmed the spiel. Once that was done, I went to the mail place and picked up one package and came right back home. Then I had a telephonic conversation about a club act I’ll be helping someone with, then it was time for a Kritzerland Zoom rehearsal with Robert Yacko. That went very well and he’s all set now. I don’t think I’ve mentioned what the show is, but it’s a little thing I like to call All the Weill, an evening of Kurt Weill. We have a wonderful cast – Brittney Bertier, Gregory Jbara, Judy Kaye, Maegan McConnell, Kerry O’Malley, Adrienne Stiefel (now Adrienne O’Malley – no relation), and the aforementioned Robert Yacko. I think it’s going to be a very fun show.

Then I took the barbecue stuff that’s been defrosting in the refrigerator and heated it all up in the oven at 400-degrees. Baked beans, chopped barbecue meat, and burnt ends and a lot of ‘em. Plus the barbecue sauce. When everything was fully heated, I made a nice plate. I put the chopped meat on a hamburger bun with sauce and that was excellent. The baked beans were a bit weird but I kind of really liked them. Burnt ends clearly aren’t my thing – I ate three small pieces. I texted the fellow in the back house and asked him if he wanted some and he came right over and I gave him a very big plate o’ stuff – most of the rest of the meat, a nice amount of burnt ends and a nice helping of the beans. Then Grant happened to be next door, so he came and took the rest of the burnt ends. So, I had enough meat for one more sandwich and enough beans for one more helping, so I thankfully didn’t overeat. It was a nice meal.

After that, I had a quick Zoom meeting with Doug, and then settled in to finish the Mommie Dearest book, which took the rest of the evening.

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll set the rest of the Kritzerland rehearsals, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat something light, and then at six-thirty I have to go to North Hollywood (near the Group Rep, actually) for a little thing that involves project two aka project two and Marshall Harvey will be there and then maybe we’ll go grab a bit if anywhere has outdoor seating and warmth. Then I’ll come home and watch, listen, and relax.

The rest of the week is more of the same and getting ready for our encore presentation of Tonight’s the Night on Saturday, which will be followed by both a Q and an A, not necessarily in that order.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, I must set the rest of the Kritzerland rehearsals, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, I’ll eat something to tide me over until dinner, I’ll meet up with Marshall Harvey re project two aka project two, maybe grab a bit afterwards, and then come home and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films starring Miss Faye Dunaway? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, having had a discombobulated day of not knowing which day it was.

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