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August 27, 2021:

ORPHEUS AND BK IN THE UNDERWORLD

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the last of Orphee aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld) by Offenbach. I’ve quite enjoyed this tuneful little thing. I have the EMI recording with Mady Mesple, conducted by Michel Plasson. I have nothing to compare it to so the performance seems terrific to me and in excellent sound. And it’s one-and-a-half hours shorter than Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg. Otherwise, I’m having a devil of a time choosing songs – I did get three more chosen, but I have to move faster than that. We announced the show today, though, so at least folks can reserve now. We’re keeping the guests a mystery, as we did with the Group Rep cabaret show. Here’s the flyer.

This is the first time we’ve used a QR code, which means if you hold your phone camera up to that bar code thing it gives you a thing to click on that takes you right to the ticketing site. That’s nifty, in my opinion. I also watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I saw the film at a sneak preview at the Village Theatre in Westwood about three months ahead of its release. I knew it didn’t quite work for various reasons, but it was very enjoyable, very funny, and with mostly a great cast. I preferred the original show orchestrations to those of the film’s Nelson Riddle versions. There were a couple of songs missing, but I didn’t really care that much. And Coffee Break was still in the film at that point. According to Robert Morse, it was cut because Radio City Music Hall would not play a film over two hours in length and the film ran about four or five minutes past that and so that was the lift. I’ll bet someday they find the footage. The Fosse choreograph is recreated, so that’s nice. Morse is terrific as is Michele Lee, who replaced the original leading lady during the Broadway run when she was nineteen or so. The Smitty isn’t much – it seems to be Kay Reynold’s biggest credit – otherwise it’s mostly episodic TV up until the early 1980s. She wasn’t that young when she did the film – forty, although she looks at least ten years younger than that. And Carol Worthington, who plays another secretary, had done Once Upon a Mattress at Bluth Brothers Theater and had gotten a lot of raves and notice from that. It was fun to see her in this. Of course, Rudy Vallee is perfect, as is Ruth Kobart, although I must say director David Swift really didn’t know how to make Brotherhood of Man work for the camera. The worst performance of the film goes to Anthony “Scooter” Teague, who simply isn’t funny as Bud Frump. And the funniest performance, save for Morse, goes to Maureen Arthur, who’s brilliant as Hedy. The image isn’t all it should be (typical middling transfer from MGM/UA) but the stereo sound is excellent. I hadn’t seen it in thirty years, so I had a good time watching it again.

Orpheus is almost done and we’re just having the big hit tune that I had no idea was from this. I can’t figure out what it’s actually called.

Yesterday was a day I like to call Thursday. I got up at eleven after seven hours of sleep. I answered e-mails, did a few things, then moseyed on over to the storage place. I left what I’d brought for the helper and then looked for and found what I needed to bring back here, then headed home. I stopped at Taco Bell for food, came home, and ate it. It was quick and good. Then I wrote the blurb for the Kritzerland show, chose the few songs, had some telephonic conversations, watched the movie, then posted about the show, sent out my eBlast for the show, and then began listening to music – some Broadway shows I hadn’t heard in a while, but I didn’t find anything that I wanted to do. I made about four ounces of pasta with red sauce for a snack and that was very good. And the rest you know.

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I will continue choosing the damn songs and hopefully get a lot closer, get singers the music, a dealer comes at two to pick up some CDs and then I’m having a late lunch or early dinner, depending on how you view these things, and after that I come home and can watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow, I can sleep in and then I may pay a visit to the Hollywood Show, which is back in Burbank. If things can be worked out, I think I may do one next year, my first since Ray Courts sold his show. We shall see. But Barry Pearl and his Grease folks will be there, so I might pop in and say hey and see who else I might know. It’s back at the Marriott Hotel across from the Burbank airport. I’ll eat at some point and then come home and have a ME night. I’m thinking Sunday can be a ME day, which is good, because then I have three days in a row of meetings and meals. I also have to do a show order, write two sets of liner notes, write commentary, and have a work session, so a very busy week of being very busy in a busy way.

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, continue choosing songs until all are chosen, get singers music, hopefully pick up packages, have a late lunch/early dinner, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, the four-hour Wagner opera and a few other odds and ends. Blu-ray, another Todd Haynes film, Wonderstruck, which I saw when it came out and loved so I’m interested to see if I still feel that way. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I rejoin Orpheus in the Underworld.

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