Well, dear readers, I am overwhelmed. Not merely whelmed, mind you, but I am overwhelmed. Not superoverwhelmed, though, so that’s a plus. Not so overwhelmed that I cannot deal with it. It’s like doing a juggling act and trying to keep all one’s balls in the air. Have you ever tried to keep your balls in the air? It’s ever so much fun – that is, if you can do it. In any case, my balls are all in the air, and I’m juggling them as best I can. For example, yesterday I was juggling my balls all the livelong day and evening. For example, in the morning I managed to get over thirty packages shipped, so that was a big load off my mind. I still have to ship out two or three things this morning and then I shall be all caught up, shipping-wise. I then attended a lovely two-hour rehearsal with Mr. Kevin Spirtas. We ran the second act and did some intensive work to get things back to where they were. Then we ran the opening of the first act, and then jumped to several numbers I wanted to give attention to. It’s starting to get back into shape, and Kevin is really fun to work with. I then had to hie myself to the El Portal to meet with a lighting designer. This fellow is sort of the house designer, and he seemed very bright, and, best of all, he knows the theater and the space intimately. So, we’ve hired him. Then I went to dinner with our two producers and we hashed through having to make a difficult decision, the replacing of our set designer. This was especially difficult for me, as I really like the fellow and think he’s very talented. But, for whatever reason, he wasn’t moving as fast as we’d hoped, and it seemed he just wasn’t “getting” the space we’re doing the show in. It requires some very creative planning, and he seemed baffled as to how to make this realistic set I want work for that theater. That, coupled with the fact that he only designs, but doesn’t build or paint, just became worrisome to all of us. So, our producer made that call last night, and she handled it as well as these things can be handled. It was important to me that he know that it wasn’t about his talent, but just about this show’s peculiar needs in the space we’re in. We’re going to be meeting with the “house” designer for the El Portal, and I’m hoping I like him and that he has some good ideas and that he can build as well as design. We’ll be meeting with our new casting director this evening and then next week we’ll most likely start auditioning.
Last night I stopped juggling for a while and watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Anything Goes. It’s quite a bad little film, which has nothing to do with Mr. Cole Porter’s Broadway show entitled Anything Goes, other than featuring a few of its songs. You know you’re in trouble when the first song in a Cole Porter score is by Cahn and Van Heusen. They provided two other songs, as well, and they’re certainly not up to Mr. Porter’s standards. One of them, something about a turban and a crystal ball is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. What is fun about Anything Goes is the staging of the musical numbers – most by Nick Castle, who I feel is a very underrated choreographer. His work here would seem to have influenced both Fosse and Michael Bennett. One of the Cahn and Van Heusen numbers, You Can Bounce Right Back (I think that’s the title), which Mr. Donald O’Connor performs with a bunch of kids and various sized balls, is really top-notch and actually rather breathtaking. Jeanmaire’s two numbers are choreographed by her husband, Roland Petit, and they’re really fun – Mr. Petit is another choreographer I really admire. The title song is choreographed by Mr. Ernie Flatt, but it’s not up to everything else in the film. The “plot” (by Sidney Sheldon) is really most annoying, but the actors do okay (Bing, Donald, Mitzi, Jeanmaire, Phil Harris), and it moves along. I was fascinated to see that it’s the only film directed by Robert Lewis, a sometimes actor and sometimes producer (he also directed part of the omnibus Ziegfeld Follies film). He did direct some TV in the 70s, but it’s interesting that this is his only solo film directing credit. The transfer is very colorful but could be a bit sharper.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Don’t I have some balls to be juggling? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly I am through juggling this section of these here notes.
Today I must continue juggling balls. I must, for example, rehearse with Mr. Kevin Spirtas. I must then have an LACC meeting, and then I must meet our new casting lady. And then tomorrow I must juggle more balls, what with rehearsing and then a big LACC production meeting with the folks who’ll be doing the set, lighting, and sound. Friday, I must juggle even more balls, what with rehearsing and seeing a play and trying to hammer out some kind of rough running order for the LACC show. Saturday, I shall juggle more balls, what with rehearsing and then a very special partay I must attend, about which more later. On Sunday, I’ve been invited to a belly-dancing show at the Henry Fonda Theater. We’ll just see about that. However, if I choose not to go, then perhaps we’ll have some belly-dancing right here at haineshisway.com. In fact, maybe we’ll make Sunday Circus Day around these here parts – we can belly-dance, juggle our various and sundried balls, and even do our very special flying trapeze act.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I really must, for example, try to write a page or four, I must return several telephonic calls, I must answer a few e-mails, I must proof booklets, and I must get The Last Starfighter ready for preorders at kritzerland.com. Today’s topic of discussion: Let’s talk about the circus – what are your favorite circus memories or, if you haven’t been to the circus, what are your favorite movies about the circus and what circus acts in them do you like best? Also, what are your favorite magic tricks you’ve seen, and who are your favorite magicians? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all continue to juggle our collective balls.