Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, relaxing and listening to the Jacques Loussier Trio play jazz renditions of Erik Satie music. I loved Loussier’s Play Bach jazz albums as a teen, and I love them even more now. The Satie album is fantastic and stunningly recorded, too. But before I go any further, they say revenge is a dish best served cold. I have no idea what that means or who exactly said it or why they said it, but I like it. I think it means that revenge can be satisfying if it happens many years after the fact. And I had a bit of it last night on the Internet, specifically Facebook. There’s a thread in some Broadway group about Rosalind Russell and the film of Gypsy – you know, everyone has an opinion and feels the way they feel. I’ve always liked the film and I really like Russell in it, despite the low keys. Anyway, someone posted that they loved the movie and thought it was one of the great movie musicals. And someone came in and made a response and the person who made it must be a new member of the group because I was shocked to see who it was. My old critic nemesis Lawrence Christon. The gentleman who wrote horrible reviews of two shows I did back in the early 1970s and who then tried to follow me everywhere so he could write more vicious and personal reviews. I stopped that from happening because what he was doing was so obvious. I simply called the LA Times’ main drama critic and she pulled him from reviewing Stages and then Together Again. And then he stopped reviewing theater and began reviewing comics. Well, his response to this woman’s post was terse and typical. So, of course I had to post, and it was so much fun to do. I told him that the woman had an opinion. I closed by telling him we all remember exactly who he is, that time does not dim the memory, and then I used the word “oleaginous”, which means oily, and which is what he called me in one of his reviews. He immediately responded with a really nasty post, I mean really classic Christon nasty, and I went to town, spelling out our little history in a fashion that some of you know very well. And he surprised me by coming back and apologizing. I have no idea if it was genuine, but it seemed so, so I responded nicely and said I appreciated the post because it was human and said I’m glad the air was clear and wished him well. He responded by saying that was nice of me and asked what I was up to, and I brought him up to date in a general sort of way. But boy was I glad to get it off my chest to him directly. Those who read There’s Mel, There’s Woody, and There’s You know I got it off my chest in that book. I’ve never minded a bad review because if you like the good ones then you have to accept the bad, too – but only if they’re not vicious and personal – that’s where I draw the line because that’s completely unnecessary and makes the critic seem petty. So, that was fascinating.
Yesterday was a nice day. I had a rough night of sleep, thanks to the chopped liver I ate, which my tummy didn’t like very much apparently. I think I did get about seven hours of sleep, but it was not good sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails and stuff, shaved, and then it was time for our first Kritzerland rehearsal. Daniel Bellusci was first up and we ran his three songs. He was very prepared and so was Lloyd Cooper. Then came Adrienne Stiefel and she ran her three – she, of course, had already been with us so this was her second rehearsal and now she’ll be back for the stumble-through. After Adrienne came Kerry O’Malley – we ran her stuff, including the new Nothing in Common song, and that all went very well. Then came Robert Yacko, and we ran his three and that was that. A fun afternoon.
Then I went to the mail place and picked up an envelope, then to the bank to deposit via the ATM, then to the post office to drop off a bill, and then I decided I needed a good meal, not junk, so I went to Stanley’s and ordered a Chinese chicken salad to go, waited for it, then came home and ate it all up. It was perfect. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first two-thirds of Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not to Be, starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard. It’s a really odd comedy, but I like it very much. It’s not always successful walking the two lines it has to walk, but when it works it works really well. Its two stars are terrific together. I’ll finish that up this very evening.
Then I finished reading one of the two plays I had to read and sent off my thoughts to its author, Doug Haverty. Then I had some telephonic calls, the little Facebook exchange, and then began the Loussier/Satie album.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I may go to Uncle Bernie’s for a nice sandwich, but mostly I can have a ME day, although I do have to read the second play. After that, I’m quite certain I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, we have our second Kritzerland rehearsal and we’ll be joined by our mystery guests, so that will be fun. Saturday is our stumble-through, and then Sunday we do our show.
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, maybe go to Uncle Bernie’s deli for a sandwich, have a ME day, read another play, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have finally critiqued the critic and hoping said critic was being real in his apology.