Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much late fish, listening this time to Mr. Previn’s excellent score for Dead Ringer, a motion picture starring Miss Bette Davis. It actually makes me want to watch the film, which, considering the film isn’t very good, is no mean feat. Speaking of no mean feet, I sure could use a one-hour foot rub. It’s been years. But I digress and to digress causes a digression. I do like Mr. Previn’s use of harpsichord in the Dead Ringer score. The reason for the lateness is due to our rehearsal running a little later than usual, and then having to catch up on a lot of e-mails. But here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, whatever the HELL that means. So, the rehearsal. I arrived at five and our missing actor, no longer missing, ran his blocking with the fellow who wrote it down. That took about an hour and then everyone else arrived for our six o’clock rehearsal. I asked for no stops unless it was an emergency, and basically there were no stops – a couple of missed piano cues but the show itself ran pretty smoothly, which was surprising that it was put-together in two days. And the run-time is just what I hoped – first act about forty-five minutes, the second act about forty-two. Not everything was sharp and it was interesting watching the energy ebb and flow, but I didn’t really take notes for this run because all my notes were really general for the entire cast. After we finished, I gave the general notes – all about the energy and pace and my usual spiel about acting this kind of show, which does have some serious underlying drama, but is basically an absurdist comedy. Then we went back to the top and I ran the first two scenes in their entirety, and the change in energy and sharpness was palpable and I know everyone felt that. After that, I ran sequences here and there, just to clean up some blocking stuff, and then we went to the final scene of the show, which is long and involved and which includes about six songs. We cleaned up staging stuff, I gave some specific direction and as we ran it it just got stronger and stronger and everyone felt that, too. Then we let everyone go and hopefully they’ll go over stuff on their own, but I don’t think there’ll be anyone who sees this who’ll think we slapped it together. It has a real good flow, the cast is wonderful, and when it’s sharp it gets all its laughs.
Yesterday was short because I got to bed very late, the alarm didn’t go off for reasons I cannot understand, so I slept until two, nine-and-a-half hours. Once up, I answered e-mails then ordered a Chinese chicken salad from Stanley’s – haven’t had that in quite a while and it was excellent and their dressing is really light. No bread, so it was pretty calorie friendly. Then I showered, did a few things on the computer, then moseyed on over to the theater.
After rehearsal, I stopped at Yum Yum donuts and got two, came home and ate them, and they were a nice treat and so I probably ended up at around 1300 calories for the day, which is fine. And the rest you know because you know the rest.
Today is a holiday, so I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat something light, and then we do a full-out run-through at seven. There won’t really be a way to do a second one, so I’ll just clean up anything that was rough. I’ll take specific notes for this one.
Tomorrow, we’ll do a walk-through of the show and run a few numbers, then we do our first performance at eight. Wednesday, we do our second performance. Thursday, I’m seeing a musical at the Taper, and then there’s a lot of Sami stuff to do to keep getting the Emmy word out, and I have a lot of other stuff to do, including shipping out all the Preview Harvey books. The little gift thing I usually include will actually come via e-mail. You’ll understand why when it arrives.
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, eat, do a run-through, give notes, run whatever needs running, and then I’ll come home and listen and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: In the 1960s, there were a whole slew of new playwrights writing very interesting and adventurous off-Broadway shows – and many of those playwrights went on to have success on Broadway and elsewhere. Which were your favorite off-Broadway plays and musical of that era? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.