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March 23, 2022:

WE AIN’T DOWN YET

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, we managed to have a run-through without four or five cast members, all of whom will be back with us by Friday, I believe. It’s obviously not an optimal situation, but we will mush ahead. I told the cast tonight, it’s just like summer stock, with not enough rehearsal time, but that like Molly Brown, we ain’t down yet. There’s still a lot of work to do and finessing and details and we’ll do our level-headed best to get it all done. We did have to skip the two long sketches because most of the missing folks are in those, but we did do everything else. After we did the run-through, I re-staged one of the new songs – the fact is, I’d only done a half-ASSED staging originally and we’d never done it since. It’s really simple but the moves are effective and help. We’re still struggling with one of the old numbers and I’m gonna spend a lot of time today thinking about it and how to re-stage it so that it has the impact it has. Our lighting person watched tonight and so he now has a good idea where and how everything takes place. And our projections, which are integral to the show, are up and running but aren’t quite working as they should, computer and PowerPoint-wise. They look great and hopefully we’ll have the technical stuff sorted out soon. And so, we sally forth. After rehearsal, I stopped at Gelson’s and got some more Drumstick ice creams, then came home and ate one, whilst continuing on with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra box. I cannot rave about the sound on these – some of the best recordings, engineering-wise, ever. Now playing, a French program by French composers from France, with Ravel’s Pavane currently playing in a sumptuously beautiful performance.

Yesterday was a Tuesday, for sure. I got eight hours of sleep, answered e-mails, had telephonic calls, got the news that another two people tested positive and will be out for a few days, had California Pizza Kitchen’s roasted garlic chicken pizza for food – very good – had more telephonic conversations, then shaved and got ready for rehearsal.

I moseyed on over to the theater and sat while they tried to figure out what the computer issue was with the projections. And then we did our faux run-through. I gave only a few notes privately, most of which had to do with the show energy getting too low. The rest you know because – you know the rest, and I don’t care who knows it.

Today, I’ll be up by eleven or so, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll think about this number that I have to re-stage or re-think, then I do a Zoom thing at three for a book to which I contributed a chapter about the musical Cabaret. Not really looking forward to it, but I said I would, so I will, not necessarily in that order. And now playing, Satie’s beautiful Gymnopedies one and three in the Debussy orchestration. I’ll eat, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then we’ll have a rehearsal and happily Richard Allen will be with us and that makes everything run much more smoothly. After we do the run-through, then I’ll re-stage the number and hopefully I’ll have figured it out. Then I can relax.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, Friday we paper tech during the day and then do a run-through at seven. Saturday is a late call – at three we do a cue-to-cue, take a dinner break, and then a full tech run-through start to finish, no stopping for anything. I think we’re gonna hold Sunday open in case we’re in not optimal shape, but I hope we don’t have to. Monday is our sitzprobe, then Tuesday is our final dress. Now, if I determine we’re not quite ready for an audience, I may suggest cancelling the first preview on Wednesday, and then just do the Thursday preview. Then we open. Do send your strongest most excellent vibes and xylophones for no more cast Covid and quick recoveries for all.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven or so, do whatever needs doing, try to come up with a re-staging that works better than what we currently have, which isn’t much of anything, eat, do a Zoom thing, hopefully pick up packages, and then we have our rehearsal. 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, where I shall repeat and repeat, We Ain’t Down Yet.

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