Well, dear readers, Kritzerland 114 is done, and we couldn’t have asked for a smoother or better show and, more importantly, a warmer, livelier, or friendlier audience. I knew how the audience was the minute I got up and did the opening patter. All the laughs were there, and it was just so much fun to hear the laughs and time off them. I really hadn’t planned much of the opening patter – just things to touch on, so it was very off-the-cuff, which I enjoy. Then the first number began – Adrienne Stiefel and I sang parody lyrics to the opening of Getting Married Today, then Jason Graae entered and sang parody lyrics to the main part of the song – all about him not wanting to do cabaret. It was hilarious and a perfect way to open the show. Then Robert Yacko did Colorado, My Home from The Unsinkable Molly Brown – at sound check when he was doing the echoes, I gave him a funny bit to do, and boy did it get a big laugh.
Then Adrienne was back, doing Take Me to the World from Evening Primrose – a Sondheim song. Adrienne is always everyone’s favorite discovery because most people don’t know her, and she just wows them with that incredible voice. Then Daniel Bellusci did Only with You from Nine – charming as can be. Then came Sharon McNight doing a Sophie Tucker number called What’ll You Do – there’s really no one like her and she had the audience eating out of her hand. Then came Robert again, this time singing a simple and beautiful song by Burton Lane and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg – the last song they wrote together – Where Have I Seen That Face Before. He did it simply and beautifully. Then I did She’s Moving In from Tonight’s the Night – and unfortunately even though we’d clearly set the tempo I needed (fast) for the stumble-through AND sound check, he started off too slowly and I could not get him to speed up and believe me I tried. In the fast bridge section I got completely hung up because it was too slow – I have to barrel through the first five lines, which I always do on one breath – he was so slow that I had to breathe twice and having to breathe the second time completely made me screw up the sixth line – I recovered quickly, but it continued to be too slow – the jokes in the song work better when it’s fast because the audience has to listen rather than having the time to get ahead of the lyric and see where the joke is coming. No one in the audience really knew, but I wasn’t so thrilled. But it was really the only misstep in the show, at least for me.
Then Daniel was back with Come Live with Me, by Jerome Moross and John Latouche from Ballet Ballads – he did it delightfully. Then it was Sharon doing a Fran Landesman and Bob Dorough song called Small Day Tomorrow – lots o’ laughs. Then Adrienne and Robert did the delightful duet, So Far, So Good from the musical version of No Way to Treat a Lady by Doug Cohen. Then Jason was back with Once Upon a Time, the Strouse and Adams song – which he did beautifully. My set up to it had to do with the cover of our You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile nude cover. In describing where the top hat was placed, I added, “It was a very small top hat.” So, before he began the song, he said, “It was a HUGE top hat.” After the song, I got right up onstage and we hugged and as he was exiting, I said, “HUGE top hat.” He turned back and said, “Really huge.” And I came back with, “We had to buy it at the big and tall store.” None of that was planned but we do that kind of banter well and the audience loved it.
Then Adrienne sang Everybody Says Don’t from Anyone Can Whistle, which was great. Then Daniel did No Moon from Titanic – best version I’ve ever heard. Then Sharon did a wonderful song called Meantime, which the audience loved. Then Robert did I Can’t Get Started – I threw an arrangement at him at our second rehearsal – I had the crazy idea to change musical styles on every verse – started with a swing feel, went to a grand waltz, back to the swing, then to a tango, then to a Take Five 5/4 thing, then a Bacharach Close to You style, a cha cha and then ending with a bouncy 2/4 show beat. Well, he went for it, and it was really fun. Adrienne did the penultimate number, The Music That Makes Me Dance from Funny Girl, which she did wonderfully. And finally, Mary VanArsdel, who played the Bird Woman in the first national tour of Mary Poppins, closed with Feed the Birds. We did it for Richard Sherman, but they were a no-show – just not up to it, which was a shame as I think being at the show would have been a tonic for Richard. But, at ninety-three, they have to make those decisions. So, we dedicated it to him. And then after the bows, the sing-a-long was Feed the Birds, too.
There were a lot of fun folks there, but I think I knew less people than ever, which was weird. Several came up to me afterwards and told me it was their first time and how much they loved it. There was a table in the back with three fellows – they’d seen the Elmer Bernstein concert at the Autrey and had become big fans of mine and I guess watched the online shows. We had our own Amy and Mark along with former neighbors Tony Slide and Bob Gitt, my pal Saul Saladow, who I’ve known since I was fourteen or fifteen, Sami’s mom Karen, the Havertys, including Hartley, our very own Marshall Harvey and friend Henry Stanny, and a wonderful surprise, Linda Purl. Howard Green was there with the director of the Kaye Ballard documentary and also Joe Marchese. I’m forgetting lots of people, but you get the idea. It was just a grand, grand evening. Here’s our merry troupe.
After the show, Robert and I went downstairs and had food – I had that pasta thing with chicken, and he had his pasta thing. I was starving by that point. Then I came home and had a treat – a hot fudge sundae.
Prior to all that, I got eight hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, and then just relaxed and rested my voice. I actually felt pretty good, and the allergy pill kept that in check. Then I moseyed on over to Vitello’s for sound check. Then the audience began arriving. I’d ordered a small Caesar, which I like to eat right away, but apparently there was some miscommunication and despite many attempts to get it to me, it didn’t arrive until seven-fifteen, so I had to scarf it down quickly. Then we did our show, and you know the rest.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven and then I’m hoping to meet the helper at the storage place so we can get the CD booklets signed and she can get the Indiegogo stuff shipped. After that, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, eat something light but fun, and then start planning the Group Rep cabaret, after which I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is more of the same, lots of catching up to do, and I’ll figure out exactly what the next two releases are and get those in the works. The weekend will hopefully be a relaxing one and hopefully the important envelopes will arrive early, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, hopefully meet the helper at storage, hopefully pick up packages, eat, plan the Group Rep cabaret, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: You’ll notice that we did two Maury Yeston songs in last night’s show – we had a third slated but that changed when one of our performers dropped out. I run really hot and cold on Mr. Yeston – what are your favorite scores and songs of his? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a warm and wonderful welcome back to live shows with Kritzerland 114.