Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry, for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon and given the three-and-a-half hours of sleep I got, I need a good night’s beauty sleep. So, let me go backwards if I may. In breaking and bombshell news, I just had a few peanuts and a fruity fruit bar. My evening was spent attending the opening night of a play entitled 2:22 A Ghost Story. Downstairs was certainly full, but I believe the entire evening was comped and I think they’re going to be doing a lot of that during the run. First of all, the Ahmanson is way too big for this play – they even enlarged the set from what they had in London – here, it’s this humungous house. The beginning of the play and every scene change that follows is accompanied by ear-shattering screaming and blood-red lighting that surrounds the proscenium of the set. That gets old very fast, but you wouldn’t have known that from this opening night audience, who were like a bunch of middle schoolers in their reaction. That began when the house lights went down to begin the show – hooting and hollering. It’s why I’m pretty much done with going to the theater, unless it’s a super adult play like Long Day’s Journey into Night, where you know there’ll be none of that fatuous nonsense. The play is slight and about whether to believe the house the lead couple is in is haunted by a ghost – not exactly a novel concept. They’re joined by another couple for dinner and then there’s a lot of palaver about ghosts, characters’ back stories (sorta kinda), and the loud scene changes. Finally, as in the Billy Wilder sketch that I wrote with David Wechter for L.A. Now and Then, a producer of today, in hearing a pitch for a reboot of Double Indemnity, says, “And then we need a twist, a twist that comes out of nowhere, that no one can see coming. Do we have a twist that comes out of nowhere that no one can see coming?” And so it goes with 2:22 A Ghost Story – we get a twist that comes out of nowhere that no one can seem coming, even though a few subtle clews are spread throughout the evening. It gets the requisite oohs and aahs from the middle schoolers, but when you analyze it, at least when I analyze it, it doesn’t quite make sense, and I can’t go into it further without a spoiler. Everyone is talking like this will be going directly to Broadway. I don’t think it will, but who knows these days. I find it odd that they’d take what was in a more intimate London house and play it at the Ahmanson. No one’s heard of this play here. The cast is fine – the play has been relocated from England to Boston – just a few references adjusted and that works okay. Constance Wu is good, Anna Camp is better, Adam Rothernberg is fine, and Finn Wintrock is also fine. The direction moves things along and the sound design, annoying as it ultimately is, is one of the stars of the evening. I doubt it will get quite the reaction it got from the opening nighters during its run here.
Prior to the play, Doug Haverty and li’l ol’ me went to Kendall’s, which is downstairs from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Every time I go there the room has been completely redesigned. They must enjoy doing that. I had some onion soup and a small Caesar salad, while Doug had the same soup with some french fries. Food was okay.
Prior to that, I’d only gotten three-and-a-half hours of sleep – rough night in Jericho. But since I was up for several hours, it did enable me to get all the orders forwarded, so that was good. Once up for good at ten-thirty, I answered e-mails and then the helper arrived at eleven and we got the rest of the Indiegogo perks loaded into her car. I’m still missing a couple of books that I have to order – hadn’t realized I was out – and that will be that. Then I shaved and showered, did some work on the computer, announced the Kritzerland show on Facebook and reservations have already begun to come in. I also made a deal to continue our shows in another venue, but I can’t say where just yet – but that’s a big load off, let me tell you and I have told you. Here’s the flyer for the holiday show.
Today, I’ll be up by eight-thirty and out the door by nine. I have to make a quick stop at the ATM, then I’ll go have a light breakfast, then do some errands and whatnot until it’s time to come home. Then I’m relaxing and resting my voice and I’m sure I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I can at least sleep until eleven or even a bit later, then I’ll get ready, print out the commentary, and then mosey on over to where we’re doing the Elmer Bernstein concert. I’m actually going to try and coerce Robert Yacko to let me drive with him. I’ll have a full report for you. Then next week is all Kritzerland show stuff.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight-thirty and out the door by nine, make a quick stop at the ATM, have a light breakfast, do errands and whatnot, and then rest my voice and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite books, plays, and movies that are ghost stories or feature ghosts? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall be ghosting my dreams.