Well, dear readers, our stumble-through went very well and we’re leaving all songs in the show and the order worked splendidly. We had the usual handful of lyric fumfers, but really minor stuff. This cast is fantastic and the stumble-throughs, as always, are almost my favorite part of the process. Just the cast performing for each other – something very magical about it. There are lots of laughs in this show, song-wise, plus a few very touching things. The three young girls have really got Three Friends down beautifully – couldn’t ask for better. John Boswell was his usual brilliant self, steady as a rock and the singers adore him, as do I. Lack of sleep this past week has done the usual stuff to my voice, but hopefully I’ll get through both shows okay.
Before I go any further, may I just call your attention to the little fact that it is September? And it is my fervent hope and prayer that September will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.
Prior to the stumble-through, I’d gotten a little less than eight hours of sleep, then I got up and moseyed on over to Teddy to get coifed. I was regaled with wonderful stories about his dinner the night before with Raquel Welch, who apparently was regaling everyone with stories about Mae West. Teddy did his usual great job – he’s making noises about doing something to the color of my hair (he’s liked it gray for the last couple of years) for the holiday season – something about blonde, but something that will grow out instantly. I always let him do what he wants and he said it was his gift to me. It’s always hard for us to believe that I’ve been going to him for forty-two years now.
After that, I came back to the San Fernando Valley and had some scrambled eggs and an English muffin, just to tide me over until dinner. Then I picked up a couple of packages, then came home. Some of the cast arrived an hour early so we could assemble The Yiddish Sondheim number – they’re doing a great job on it. Then we did the stumble-through. After, I gave my notes, we ran a few things and that was that. Then the Staitman clan and I went to the Studio Café for a meal. We ordered the drumettes and I had two – the kids love those and ate up all the rest. I also had a chopped Eyetalian salad with balsamic vinaigrette. So, not too bad.
After dinner, I came home and an hour later did a three-mile jog. It was still pretty damn hot out and pretty damn humid, too. Then I planked and did thirty sit-ups, after which I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture entitled The Fall of the House of Usher, a film of Roger Corman, starring Mr. Vincent Price. This was the first of Corman’s Poe films. Up until then, he’d been making black-and-white quickies like Attack of the Crab Monsters, Not of This Earth and Little Shop of Horrors. But Usher was a big step forward, filmed in Cinemascope and color. Corman was smart and got a terrific writer to do the script – Richard Matheson. I remember seeing the film at the Picfair Theater – they couldn’t really show scope there – they kind of letterboxed it and cut off the sides. I remember not being scared, but really enjoying the atmosphere. And the audience kind of ate it up. I haven’t really seen it all the way through since, and I’m happy to say I truly enjoyed watching every minute of it. It’s beautifully made, with wonderful photography by Floyd Crosby and clever interior sets by Daniel Haller – all done for a pittance. Price is priceless in these films, and the small supporting cast if wonderful (there are really only four people in the film, plus in one sequence about five extras). But it’s short, to the point, and very enjoyable. This is a Region B release from Arrow films, but it’s coming out here, too, in a Vincent Price box set. People are speculating that it will be the same transfer – if it is, you’re in for a treat because it looks great and exactly like it should. I’m looking forward to the other films in the series. Arrow did a good job with the authoring and I have no idea if the US version will – we’ll have to see.
After that, I just relaxed and tried to rest my voice.
Today, I shall be up by nine and out the door to jog by nine-thirty. I’ve already got everything I need for the show in the car so after the jog all I need to do is shave, shower and figure out what I want to wear. At about noon I’ll mosey on over to The Federal for our 12:30 sound check. I’m told we have about sixty-five people for the afternoon show, but I’m hoping it will be a few more than that. But that’s a fine number. That show begins at three and will probably end by four-fifteen. They have to clear the room immediately, which is fine because I don’t really want to talk too much, I just want to relax and rest my voice. Then they open the doors for the evening show at five-thirty and we go at seven o’clock. That show is jammed with a waiting list. I’m hoping they can squeeze everyone in. I will, of course, have a full report after I return from our post-show meal at Little Toni’s.
Tomorrow is Labor Day, and I will be relaxing and then attending a Labor Day partay at neighbor Tony Slide and Bob Gitt’s house just down the street. The rest of the week is quite busy, prepping a new release, finishing casting and choosing songs for the October show, and meetings and meals.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, have a sound check, do an afternoon show, eat an artichoke, do an evening show and then have a meal. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I will awake and greet September – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that September will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.