Well, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news – we are twenty-two. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, we are twenty-two. Yes, twenty-two years ago, HHW was born out of an evil event, but grew to be what will soon be the most popular site on all the Internet. We have a wonderful family here. In twenty-two years, I have never missed a single day of notes, making this the longest-running daily blog in the history of the Internet and one of you dear readers should get us in the Guinness Book of World Records. People come, people go, like Grand Hotel – we’ve lost some wonderful people who’ve passed on, we’ve lost others because they found other sites like Facebook that they prefer, we’ve lost a few for silly reasons, but, to paraphrase my late close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, we’re still here. We have well over 1,500,000 posts on this here discussion board, and we’ve been averaging over 200 posts per day. I love his jernt and can’t imagine what it would be like without it. So, a very happy HHW anniversary to all you dear readers.
Last night, we had what would have been our first preview had we not canned it – and yet, a few people showed up. I knew that was a bad idea and – it was. I’ve been doing shows either as an actor, writer, or director, since 1962 and it has been my experience that there is one run-through or preview of a show where everything is just off. It has NEVER not happened. It’s always kind of mind-boggling to behold. Last night was that performance. Lines missed, entire pages skipped, sound cues so low they couldn’t be heard, mics off when they should have been on and on when they should have been off, late entrances, the great intermission gag so off that no one knew it was intermission, my favorite number, Boom Ditty Boom so sloppy that you wouldn’t even know it was the same thing it’s been, people talking over each other, fumfering aplenty, well, you get the idea. And yet, there were a few moments that worked and were fun – numbers and parts of scenes – and we did lose seven minutes off act one for seventy-one minutes, which is still six minutes longer than I want it to be. I suspect we’ll find that running time for the act when everyone does it the way it needs to be done. Everyone knew it, too. I did give notes and I tried to keep it light because it happens on every show and it’s good we got it out of our system. Our leading lady twisted her ankle yesterday – not severe – but I think that was bothering her, but it really was everyone and everything and it was almost comical. We did get some laughs, though. It was so wacky, that afterwards I went to In ‘N’ Out and got a burger and animal fries, came home, and ate it all up. That was my way of giving myself a little treat. I’ve never had a bum meal there – the food is always fresh.
Yesterday was certainly a day. I did get eight hours of sleep, so that was good, I had Jack in the Box for food – Breakfast Jack x 2 and tacos – it was fast and easy and those are the two items I really like. I averted one disaster, so that was a good thing. Mostly, I just relaxed, had no telephonic conversations, answered e-mails, showered, and then went to the mail place and picked up a tiny package, then went to the theater.
Once there, we ran two numbers, worked on some scene changes, did a mic check, and then we did the show. The second act comes in at forty-five minutes exactly, so even if act one did run seventy-one minutes, we’re still slightly under two hours, and with intermission we’ll be two-ten or two-fifteen.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat something at some point, I’ll relax, then I’ll get ready and mosey on over to the theater at five. Doug Haverty will arrive soon thereafter and we’re going to run his number, which is a tongue-twister and very difficult. Then the cast will arrive and we’ll run a few of the tricky scene and costume changes, we’ll run a couple of scenes that are mangled, line-wise, pretty regularly, and we’ll get everyone warmed up. Then at eight, we’ll play our one and only preview and I’m hoping we have a few friendly people in to see it. I usually don’t give notes after a preview – I’ll just have a quick talk with the company, then I’ll come home and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll be home relaxing and then I’ll go to the theater around six or so to give out opening night cards to everyone. And then we open and play three shows over the weekend, then have a week and a half off, then come back after Thanksgiving and play two weeks, then have another week off, and then it’s our closing week.
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, eat something at some point, relax, get ready, work some stuff before the show, and then we play our one and only preview. Today’s topic of discussion: What are you favorite kinds of short videos that you’ve found on Facebook or YouTube or TikTok or wherever? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have gotten last night’s whatever it was out of our system.