Well, dear readers, I could have sworn yesterday was supposed to be a ME day, but I can tell you with quiet assurance that it was anything but a ME day. But right now, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Mr. William Walton’s opera, Troilus and Cressida, an opera about Troilus and Cressida. I’d only heard about ten minutes of it when I bought a Chandos release of it – I really didn’t like the Chandos sound and it just didn’t engage me, for whatever reasons – could have been the sound, could have been the performances, who knows? But I love Walton, and now that I’m more in the opera mode, I decided to listen to the complete version that everyone likes best, conducted by Lawrence Foster, starring Dame Janet Baker. Well, it’s fantastic. Just my kind of music, some of which has echoes of his Shakespeare film scores, which are absolutely brilliant. It’s beautiful music, beautifully orchestrated, and what a cast. The band sounds great, the recording is wonderfully produced in great sound and I’ll be spinning this one several more times soon. I also would like to hear Walton’s own recording – just “scenes” rather than the whole thing, but before he revised it for different singing voices. That CD of excerpts can be had for a couple of bucks and so it shall be mine sooner than later but not later than sooner. And prior to that, I’d listened to another opera, a short one, Richard Strauss’s Friedenstag, either his last or second to last opera, can’t remember which. Most people think it lesser Strauss, but I’m not as smart as them and I rather enjoyed it. And prior to that it was an album of Saint-Saens orchestral music, none of which I’d heard – a two-CD set. That, too, was really excellent. So, the music portion of yesterday was quite top-notch.
Yesterday, in case my quiet assurance was too quiet, was NOT a ME day in any way, shape, or form. I did get slightly over eight hours of sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails, then made a few adjustments to the Nothing in Common script – just so many little incorrect things that drive me crazy, not that that is a long drive. And then, I talked to the author and told him that I felt one of our lead characters disappears early in act two and never reappears, which I found weird. Out of that discussion, I asked for a new scene later in the act – we weren’t going to put it in for this reading, but he wrote it quickly, I revised it, and it really helped structurally as well as keeping the character with us – because the character is sure to be an audience favorite, at least I think it will be. So, that all took up quite a bit of time. I also moved some dialogue from the middle of a song to before the song, where it actually makes sense.
For food, I had Stanley’s chopped salad – that was excellent. Then I spent quite some time with the fellow who’ll be reading the stage directions for our private reading. I really hate when stage directions are read, so we went page by page and are only scene-setting and doing what’s absolutely necessary for clarity. Then I did a Gelson’s run, just some snacks and stuff. I came home and had to get the script conformed, then I sent it to the person who’ll be printing it out today. That was pretty much the entire day and evening, with nary a moment to watch anything.
I’m telling you this Troilus and Cressida is ravishingly beautiful. I wonder if it’s ever performed these days. I’ll check it out on the Tube of You.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll try to find the final Kritzerland performer and I’ll continue choosing songs, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then at six-thirty I’m supping with my two actresses from the playlet. Then we’ll mosey on over to the theater to run the show with costumes, sound, and music. I’m hoping that will only take thirty minutes total, but we shall see. Then I’ll come home and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, we play our one and only preview, Thursday is our opening night, which I’ll attend, and then we also play on Saturday, and I’ll probably also attend that. Plus, I’ll do whatever else needs doing, which will be PLENTY.
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, do whatever needs doing, find the final Kritzerland performer, choose songs, sup with my two leading ladies, run the show with lights, sound, and music, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Shakespeare plays, which have been the greatest productions you’ve seen, and which are your favorite films based on Shakespeare? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall ruminate on the ME day that wasn’t a ME day.