Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry and scurry into bed due to the fact that I only got three hours of sleep due to the fact that I had another allergy attack at four-thirty in the morning and that’s the fifth day in a row and I’m thinking as I write this here opening salvo that we could use a period or a comma or a colon or a semi-colon because this sentence is long and unwieldy, like a gazelle doing the Peppermint Twist whilst chewing Spearmint gum. Whew, just in the nick of time. Anyway, not much to talk about. I got the three hours of sleep, did stuff on the computer until she of the Evil Eye showed up and I took it on the lam and went to nearby Jinky’s for some breakfast. I had their chili huevos and the first few bites were pretty good, then it just got tiresome and began to irritate me – I ate a bit more and then stopped and had a few of the potatoes, but then THEY began to irritate me, then the woman at the next table began to irritate me and then even I began to irritate me. After that, I went to the mail place and shipped a box of music to Ira Levin’s son – very expensive even using Ground, but they’re reimbursing me so it’s fine. I also picked up a package – the publisher-sent softcover, so we’re just waiting on my test copy of the hardcover. But I ordered the books anyway, so that you dear readers can read it sooner than later. I also got two count them two residuals – one for the episode of Alice of all things – that one would get me a filet ‘o’ fish and a cheeseburger at McDonald’s but it wouldn’t over the tax. The other one was for The Faculty and that was $250, so that was nice. I went to the ATM and deposited them. Then I came home just as she of the Evil Eye was leaving. I answered e-mails, then sat on my couch like so much fish and looked for something to watch but fell asleep for about thirty minutes. I listened to another Ormandy CD – guitarist John Williams playing Rodgrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez, a favorite of mine – beautiful recording. Then I sat on my couch again and watched the new Liza Minnelli documentary. I fell asleep a few times, so I’ll go back and watch what I missed. It’s okay – the director likes to show off a bit too much for my taste and there’s just a little too much of Michael Feinstein. They talk about her various romances but skirt over David Gest and others in a line or two. They never even mention The Act or The Rink, unless I slept through it. The best of the interviews is John Kander, and there’s a lot of archival footage of Fred Ebb. The clips of her in her prime are great. The current footage is just plain weird, as you’ll see if you watch it. In the late afternoon I had a cup of chicken soup and a patty melt – the latter was pretty bad, I thought. The only decent patty melt these days is Coral Café. Yesterday’s was from Mel’s and I’m still having trouble digesting it. It was nice to have a day off and I only had one telephonic conversation, so that was nice.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll mosey on over to the theater around five, cast arrives at six and IF all the costumes are there, I think we’ll spend the hour that we have to work things, making sure the quick changes will work. At seven, the actors get into their mics, and then we do our invited dress at eight. A small crowd would be nice.
Tomorrow is our first preview and I’m hoping we have a decent amount of folks for it so we can get a real sense of what the audience reaction will be, what we have to work on, and what comedy we have to make sharper. Thursday is our second preview and then it’s on to opening night. I really hope we have a full house and good houses on the weekend.
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, go to the theater, work quick changes and perhaps do a couple of numbers to warm up, then we have an invited dress. Today’s topic of discussion: When you were growing up, what were your favorite gums to chew. I liked bubble gum, but mostly everything, including most Wrigley’s flavors. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping we get through our final invited dress unscathed rather than unclothed.