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March 19, 2022:

THE CAN-CAN MAN

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I do believe I shall write these here notes in a hurry, not because she of the Evil Eye will be here, but because we have an early rehearsal and I must be there all bright and perky and ready to work and drill, not necessarily in that order. To work myself up into a bright and perky mood, I’m listening to Felix Slatkin conduct Offenbach’s Gaite Parisienne, which is extremely bright and perky as these things go. I did manage to watch a real fetid wart of a motion picture on the Flix of Net entitled Secret Obsession. I’m not sure why I watched it, since the trailer gave away everything in the film. First of all, how many terrible movies use the now-hackneyed device of a woman having amnesia and having to acclimate herself to the world again, including her husband who – wait for it – might not really be her husband. I watched one not even three weeks ago. This one’s a low-budget no-star film that Netflix probably paid too much for, as is their way, thereby making these terrible filmmakers money. And make no mistake, it is beyond terrible, all of it. Plotting is awful, dialogue is awful, direction by the numbers, and a leading lady performance that is, well, ludicrous. And then, there’s a mysterious red herring man dressed in black with matching dyed black beard and hair – he’s scarrrrry and he drives a blood-red 1970s boat of a car. Who is this mysterious red herring man? He makes a couple of ominous appearances, is killed, buried, and we never find out who he was. Real good writing there, fellas. It’s just one hilariously bad scene after another. If you’re looking for some laughs, you might enjoy it. And I watched episode one of the second season of Doctor Foster, and, as I suspected, it’s just seems like a rehash of season one, so I shan’t be going further. And why are there all these Netflix series adapted from books by Harlan Coben, as if he were the greatest thriller writer in the universe – hint: He isn’t. But now, Gaite Parisienne is being all tuneful and everything and I’m feeling all bright and perky and like I want to do the Can-Can.

Today, I’ll be up by eight-thirty and out the door by nine. I’ll stop at the mail place and pick up two packages that were delivered yesterday and then mosey on over to the theater for our long rehearsal. We don’t have our full company, so I’ll just be drilling as much as we can as many times as we can so we get everything as sharp as we can. Our choreographer will be with us for some of it and she’ll clean up her stuff, do the last bit she has to do, then watch the number I staged to see if there’s anything she wants to do to it. At three, I’ll grab something to eat because I now have to do a damn Zoom thing at four-thirty with our costume designer. I don’t think it will take too long, at least that’s the hope. After that, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow, I was hoping to sleep in, but that’s not happening because I have to sign at the paperback book show in the Dale of Glen at eleven – I have to be there by around ten-thirty. They suggested I get there at nine-thirty but why would I want to just stand around for ninety minutes? I have to gather together some books to bring with me – that’s always fun. And after, I’ll check out the dealers and see what sorts of things they have. Then I can come home and relax.

Monday, I can relax until it’s time to have a voluntary rehearsal for anyone who feels like being there. Richard Allen will be with us and that’s always helpful. Then we have a run-through every night, followed by a cue-to-cue on Saturday and then a non-stop tech run. We’re off Sunday, back on Monday for a sitzprobe with the band, then Tuesday is an invited dress, Wednesday and Thursday are previews, and then we open our little show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight-thirty, out the door by nine, hopefully pick up some packages, have a six-hour rehearsal, eat, have a Zoom thing, and then I can watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What were or are your favorite kinds of dances to do? I just did the Can-Can as no one can – I am, in fact, the Can-Can Man. Et tu, dear readers?

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