Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish and it is 12:03 and these here notes should have been up three minutes ago but I was lost in a haze of a daze and I wasn’t even using Waze. But enough about me. Let me write these here notes in a hurry and get them posted or there will be hell toupee. So, let’s start at the end and work our way backwards. We had us a really good rehearsal last night. We began with Cheryl Baxter choreographing the first part of Dancing with Alice, then we reviewed the entire thing, and it looks really good. We then ran the Overture/opening number for Cheryl, and she loved it and that was that. We then dove into the dreaded ten-page scene that follows Dancing with Alice. I moved quickly, just getting the thing on its feet with a semblance of blocking. Then I did the usual finessing stuff. There’s a reprise of Drat! The Cat! that I kept extremely simple, and ninety minutes later it was done. Whew! I really adore this cast and while I’m sure some might find me terse and to the point, I think they all know I just want it good, and I want it sharp and each time we run things it gets better and better. And the show itself is genuinely funny. I think sometimes people forget that Ira Levin began with a comedy success – No Time for Sergeants. And Deathtrap, for all its thrills, has great laughs in it. And he had another hit Broadway comedy called Critic’s Choice, which was made into a movie with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. And the score really is a delight from start to finish. Prior to that, we had a production meeting via Zoom and that was good, although I was asked up front my least favorite director question EVER – “Explain to everyone what your vision is.” I responded, “Well, I’m seeing double right now.” My vision is always the same – to do the best production I can. I discover the show and its style as I go – that’s the way I’ve always done it. Certain things I know up front – like I want it to be seamless, fast, with a flow and getting from scene to scene effortlessly and quickly with no stops. Anyway, it lasted almost an hour. Prior to THAT, I got eight and a half hours of good sleep with better dreams than the surreal horror shows I’ve been having lately. It was still a weird dream, but harmless weird. I used to love my dreams – the flying ones especially, and the one that I used for my short story, I’ll See You in My Dreams. But I don’t have those anymore. Once up, I answered a lot of e-mails, had a few telephonic conversations, had a tiny Marco’s pepperoni pizza thing – six very small slices of which I only ate four. It wasn’t as good as usual. At some point, I shaved and showered, and then I moseyed on over to the theater and the rest you know (wonk, spelled backwards).
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, and then I’ll just try to relax before I head over the hill to Cedars for my CAT scan or two CAT scans to be precise. I’m a little nervous about it, being new territory and all, but hopefully it won’t be too bad. Do send some excellent vibes and xylophones for it to be not too bad. After I’m done, I’ll go eat something fun rather than get in rush hour traffic. Perhaps Musso and Frank or Genghis Cohen or Du-Par’s. The world is my oyster (retsyo, spelled backwards), and the oyster is my world, food-wise. Then I’ll come home and watch, listen, and relax.
Saturday, we’re back in act two land, and I have several long scenes to get done and once those are done, most of act two will be done, save for the big number that leads us into the finale. Sunday is a ME day, Monday might be a ME day, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we will have this shoe completely blocked. Wait a minute – how do you block a shoe. I think I meant show, but I typed shoe. Ed Sullivan had similar issues with show and shoe. I have no idea what the HELL I’m talking about and I’m jiggy with that.
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, relax, mosey on over to Cedars for the CAT scans, eat somewhere, then come home and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray/streaming player? I’ll start – who knows? Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have gotten past the ten-page scene from act one.