Well, dear readers, why don’t we just start with our very good news first – we have found our leading man and we could not be happier about it. It happened in a very roundabout way – one of our cast members, the gal who’s playing Lorraine Sheldon, called a friend of hers, a wonderful actor who works all the time in film and TV – and as it turned out this role is a bucket list role and he private messaged me on Facebook wanting to not miss out on the opportunity. So, we had a chat on the phone and it just seemed really right to all of us. So, we have the wonderful actor, Jim Beaver. If you don’t know his name, you certainly know his face – he’s done so much great work over the years and has been a series regular on several hugely popular series, including Deadwood and the still-running-after-fifteen-years, Supernatural. So, we’ve had our leave it to Beaver moment and I now have high hopes for a really fun rehearsal time and production.
Yesterday began with that news. I got almost eight hours of sleep, I think. Once up, I answered e-mails, had several long telephonic conversations, did some work at the piano and then on the computer, had more telephonic conversations, and then I moseyed on over to the mail place and picked up some packages, and then I stopped at Popeye’s. Last time I was there the lines were out the door because of that stupid chicken sandwich thing. Well, they sold so many they ran out, so yesterday there was exactly zero people there. I got two mild chicken breasts to go, stopped at the Arco station next door and put gas in the motor car ($4.29 a gallon), then came home.
I ate up the two chicken breast and included biscuits, then I listened to some music. I gave Allan Pettersson a rest (I’m up to the tenth out of fifteen symphonies) and listened to the piano concerto and violin concerto of Franz Reizenstein a composer I only knew from his Hammer horror film scores (The Mummy) – well, he’s a wonderful classical composer and I found even more stuff on YouTube to listen to – very enjoyable. He also wrote a comic piano concerto for the 1956 Hoffnung Music Festival that is fall out of your chair funny. That’s on its way to me. Then it was a few more telephonic calls and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I began watching the HBO mini-series entitled Chernobyl. While I remember when all that happened, I really didn’t know much beyond what I heard on the news and didn’t pay much attention to – other than knowing it was bad. So, this mini-series is very interesting and really well done and quite powerful. I’m only two episodes in (I actually don’t know how many there are) but am really riveted by it. The acting, save for one guy I really don’t like, who I’m sure I haven’t liked in other stuff, mostly because he seems a schmactor to me and his voice grates on me. Jared Harris is every bit as good as dad Richard was, but everyone is excellent. You watch these horrid people downplay what happened, lie to the public, cause deaths, and you just want to do harm to them. I’m looking forward to the rest of the episodes – I may even watch another two tonight before I go to bed.
Today, I can sleep until eleven at the latest, then I’ll do the usual things, and then I’m meeting friend David Wechter at some eatery in Encino I’ve never been to. After that, there’s a fun used record store very close by, so I’ll stop there and look around. Like Amoeba, they frequently have classical CDs for a couple of bucks, but they don’t have the kinds of interesting titles Amoeba gets. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then I can relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll relax during the day, and then I’m going to some jazz event in Hollywood. We’ll sup at a nearby restaurant before, which will be fun. Sunday, there’s a partay for the outgoing artistic directors of the Group Rep – Doug Haverty takes over that position in January – so that will be fun, and I’m told the catered food will be really good and might include fried chicken. Well, count me in, baby. Then next week is very busy with meetings and meals, planning our two rehearsals for What If, having a work session, announcing two new titles, and working at the piano and on the computer.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep until eleven, do stuff, have lunch, visit a nearby used record shop, hopefully pick up some packages, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, Allan Pettersson symphonies and more wonderful Julius Rontgen music. Blu-ray, Chernobyl. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have the Beaver as The Man Who Came to Dinner.