Well, dear readers, we had us a really fun Kritzerland at Vitello’s 116, our annual holiday show that we do annually. I knew that the opening was going to be tough, and it was and here’s why. When I saw the reservation list, I noticed a party of twenty and had no idea of who they were – and therefore they had no idea what a Kritzerland show was, who I was, our vibe. Turns out, the main guy had gotten engaged that afternoon AND it was his birthday, so they were celebrating and didn’t quite understand what a cabaret show is. They were chattering away during the opening patter, and that’s why it was a little tough, because they were distracting people and funny lines went by the wayside. They continued to chatter through the first three songs, at which point a Kritzerland regular came up to the lip of the stage and asked me to ask them to be quiet. So, in a lighthearted way, I did that, and then everything was much better. The amazing thing was that the second song got all its laughs, so that one they were paying attention to. I think that group ended up really enjoying the show. The cast was great, as always. So, here’s how it went: We opened as we always do with Be A Santa from Subways are for Sleeping – doing the vocal honors were young folks Alexa Margolis and Aja Purkin and they were cute as buttons and the number landed really well. Next was my song, This Christmas which, as noted above, got all its laughs and there are a lot of laughs in that song – Adrienne Stiefel did it – this is probably her fourth time singing it at Kritzerland. Then Maegan McConnell did a lovely performance of the lovely cut song from She Loves Me, Christmas Eve, which I recorded on the first Lost in Boston album. Then Kerry O’Malley did All I Want for Christmas from A Carol Christmas and she did it brilliantly.
Next up was Robert Yacko doing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a beautiful vocal. Then came a duet, You’re Just in Love, my fun arrangement of it from Christiane Noll’s album A Broadway Love Story. My duet partner was adorable thirteen-year-old Alexa Margolis, and I must say we did a really good job of it. Adrienne was next, doing What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve. Then Maegan returned to do a really cute Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! And then came Bill Hayes, ninety-six-years young. At the stumble-through he talked for about fifteen minutes before singing his song, but I gave him one cut that I knew would help and it did and so the talking part was down to about eight minutes and much more focused. The song was one he sang on Days of Our Lives, when they created a love story for his character and Susan Seaforth’s character – and we all know what happened – life imitated art, they fell in love, and have been happily married ever since. The song? Bacharach and David’s The Look of Love – everyone loved him, and Susan was there, beaming. I just adore him.
After that, Robert and Adrienne did the title song from the Joe Raposo/Sheldon Harnick musical, A Wonderful Life – I recorded it back in the day with Jason Graae and Glory Crampton. I love the song and Robert and Adrienne did it wonderfully. Maegan came back, with her beautiful soprano voice, and did Cradle Hymn, that beautiful piece that I rave about by Kim Andre Arnesen. Written for female choir, I think this is probably the first time it’s been done as a solo and I just love it. Then little Aja Purkin did the Shirley Temple song, That’s What I Want for Christmas and that went really well. Then came Kerry and The Christmas Song, followed by Robert doing what I described in my set-up to it as one of the most profound and profoundly moving holiday songs ever written. The song? Turkey Lurkey Time, which I arranged for him and which we’d done in the online holiday show last year. It got so many huge laughs. Then it was Adrienne with A Place Called Home from the Alan Menken/Lynn Ahrens A Christmas Carol.
I’d decided just a week ago that we needed a Sondheim song as a little tribute, so we had Robert do Finishing the Hat – he played Georges in Sunday in the Park in the first LA production of the show at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera, opposite Pam Myers as Dot. Everyone loved that. And, as always, we ended with Happy Holidays and White Christmas sung by Broadway’s White Christmas star Kerry O’Malley.
And at the end, I made a big announcement about next year’s Kritzerland shows – only four actual Kritzerland shows, because we’re starting a new series of shows that will alternate with the Kritzerland shows – called Kritzerland Does the Musicals – where we do a concert version of one show – no book, just some occasional connective story patter – just concentrating on the score. First up in this new series will be I Do! I Do! in March, starring Kerry and Robert. We’re really excited about it and the other three shows are going to be great, but I don’t want to mention them yet – two great scores from flops, and one more hit musical. Because I fully expect that someone will begin copying us sooner than later, just as happened with the Kritzerland shows. But we have a way of doing these that will be very unique to us and make them uniquely Kritzerland. Here’s our merry troupe – Bill hadn’t arrived yet.
And here’s Alexa and my very own self doing You’re Just in Love.
Yesterday was fine. I got ten hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails and did a few things, but mostly just rested my voice. Then I shaved and showered and moseyed on over to Vitello’s for sound check. That all went very well, and then I had a small Caesar to tide myself over until a normal meal. Then we did our show and that you know about. After the show, Robert, a young friend of his, and I went downstairs and had a proper meal. I had the Caccia e Pepe only forgot to order it with chicken. It wasn’t more than about four ounces of noodles and it was very good. I had no bread at all. Then I came home. Karen Staitman had brought me a homemade birthday Bundt cake of the chocolate variety, so I had a healthy slice of that, and it was very tasty.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll write, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat, I’ll plan out the rest of the week in detail, and then I can watch, listen, and relax. I can stream the new Adam McKay movie if I want to, which I may.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch with Kay Cole, so that will be fun (she was at the Kritzerland show, too) and then the rest of the week is mostly writing, a couple of meetings and meals, and whatever else is going on. I’ll also try and see West Side Story at some point, I suppose.
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, write, hopefully pick up packages, eat, plan out the rest of the week, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your plans for the holiday season? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a really fun Kritzerland at Vitello’s 116.