Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, after a fun rehearsal. We ran everything we’d done the night before, I made a few additions to the staging of the opening number, which we ran several times. We created a little mini overture of about thirty seconds to precede the first four lines of dialogue that lead into the opening number. Then we reviewed the second scene and song, and I did the same for that. After the song, there’s a four-page scene and other than two tiny moves in it, I decided it played best with almost no moves at all – it’s important plot stuff and normally I do like to move people around without letting too much time go by, but you also have to know when it’s best to just let something play. I always point to Man of La Mancha’s original staging of The Impossible Dream. It’s Quixote, his stick, and he doesn’t move one inch during the song – and boy does that work. Then we moved on and did the last half of the next musical number – we couldn’t do the first half because one of our actresses decided she didn’t want to do the show. She’s not feeling up to par. So, I have an ask out with a super talented and funny girl, although I don’t think she’ll say yes. Then Doug has two people to go to. The goal is to find someone today and get them to tonight’s rehearsal so we can get them up to speed. If not, we might have to schedule a little Sunday work session. We’ll see what happens. Anyway, the number has a big finish – the first half is a duet, the second half brings in six people to give the number a big, splashy finish. I got it all done except the very last four bars. I think everyone is getting used to the way I work and my style and I’m getting used to what they’re doing, and I get inspired by them.
I did come right home after rehearsal, but I had a lot of e-mails to respond to, so I haven’t had a chance to relax.
Yesterday was okay. I got almost eight hours of sleep, I answered e-mails, I had a tri-salad for food – very good – I got the call from the actress we lost, then spent hours trying to figure out who we could go to to replace her, I had several long telephonic conversations, the book is being assembled into a whole and we’re hoping to see a galley can assembled book jacket in the next few days. Very exciting. Then I showered and it was time to mosey on over to the theater. The rest you know and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll do some work on the project with David Wechter, I’ll eat something amusing, I’ll check with the mail place and see if anything’s there, then we have our rehearsal – we’ll be over at Doug’s apartment building in the rec room, which is fine because I’ve got to really long scenes to block. Depending on how Saturday goes, we could finish act one. Then I’ll come home and relax.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch meeting at one-thirty, but mostly the day is mine all mine. Saturday, I think we have a four-hour rehearsal, Sunday is off, as is Monday, and we’re back on Tuesday, hopefully with a full cast.
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, eat, have a rehearsal, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Broadway theater posters? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as we continue staging the show.