Well, dear readers, we had us another fun music rehearsal and we’ve now covered every song. Last night’s session even wrapped forty-five minutes early. It was just three people – our leading lady and man, and the woman who’s playing our leading man’s mother. Of course, we got all the really great songs – She Touched Me, I Like Him, Dancing with Alice, Deep in My Heart, Let’s Go, She’s Roses, and Wild and Reckless. It’s really quite the score. Next up is getting everything staged as quickly as possible. There are a few very big and long scenes to do and a couple of complicated numbers. I only got about five hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails, and decided I wasn’t leaving the home environment. I did stuff for Drat! The Cat! mostly, I had my chopped Eyetalian salad from CPK for food – very good – I had several long telephonic conversations, fielded some irritating texts and e-mails, showered, and then people showed up. I never had a chance to finish Finger Man, but I can finish it today. After the rehearsal, it was another long telephonic call, mostly about our show, and that is why these here notes are not up on time. Nor is time up on these here notes. Time, you are fickle mistress. Have you ever been a fickle mistress? Have you ever been fickle whilst eating a pickle and flipping a nickel? About an hour ago, I had a doozy of an allergy attack, so I took a Claritin-D and it’s calmed down considerably. I’m not sure I mentioned this when it happened, but as you know, I follow auctions online. I don’t really bid on things, but there’s one auction house that does rare book auctions and boy are there bargains to be had. The really rare stuff is usually snapped up by dealers. But this company also does groupings of books, like ten or twelve books in a group – first editions, nothing really rare, some signed. There were quite a few of said groupings, with bids starting at thirty or forty bucks, a huge bargain depending on whether there’s any books you actually want. So, a grouping comes up that I had hearted. No one’s bidding. So, the lower the starting bid to twenty. Nothing. They lower it to ten and I bid and won. All those books for ten bucks plus the premium of three bucks. And because they made a small error on my invoice, they ended up paying the shipping. There were a couple of books in the grouping that I really wanted – one, a first edition of Pal Joey, and the other John Gardner’s book, The Liquidator, which was made into a Rod Taylor movie. These were all in very nice condition and I believe in my grouping it was over fifteen books. Remember – thirteen bucks. The first edition of Pal Joey is in nice condition but has the very rare second state dust jacket. The first state is just plain text on a boring background. Normally, a second state dust jacket on a first edition book really lowers the value, but in this cast the second state was issued after the musical opened and was a smash, the cover featuring Gene Kelly and two ladies. There is exactly ONE copy on the ABE – it’s $88.50 but is in really ratty condition. So, that book alone in my condition is probably work 100 bucks. But that’s not the end of it. Like copies of The Liquidator are also going for 100 bucks. I added up the rest of what I got per ABE prices, using the mid-ground prices and I believe I got 1000 bucks’ worth of books for thirteen dollars. My kind of deal.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll prep for Saturday’s four-hour staging rehearsal, I’ll go to the mail place and see what’s what, I’ll pick up some food from somewhere and bring it home to eat, but mostly I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, we have our four-hour staging rehearsal – just the two leads. I’m always nervous on the first staging rehearsal – it always feels like I arrive thinking I’m not going to remember how to do it – hopefully, as in the past, I’ll remember. I’ll relax in the evening. Sunday is a ME day, Monday the motorcar goes in to get a couple of things that aren’t closing properly – one the arm rest console and the other where the drink holders are. Should be easy fixes, then I’ll get the car back. Tuesday is a big staging day – the overture and its vignettes, and then the title song. I kind of know what I want that one to look like. We also rehearse on Wednesday and Thursday, and I sure could use a modern major miracle right about now.
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, prep, go to the mail place, eat, and then 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 – CD, Drat! The Cat! Blu-ray, perhaps the new 4K transfer of Eyes Without a Face. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had the music rehearsal with all the hits.