Well, dear readers, we played our final two performances of Li’l Abner. The matinee was sold out, but was a quieter audience than we’ve had, but still they really seemed to enjoy the show and the applause was quite loud and long at the end. At that performance, there was a class of about twenty people whose first language is not English. I’m sure they were quite confoosed about Li’l Abner. But last night’s performance especially was terrific, with another sold out house. Big laughs, hefty mitts, as they say in Variety, and our first full standing ovation at the end, one that wasn’t a knee-jerk standing O like most you see. Such a shame the run was over so quickly, but we hope this is but the first step on our Abner journey. Pity that none of the usual theaters could come out to see this and understand just what a crowd pleaser this rethought version of Abner is. Maybe someday, but I have my sights high and I’m going to do everything I can to make the big dream happen. Congrats to my wonderful cast of players, each and every one, the crew, the costume designers, the set designer, our stage manager, our amazing band under Wayne Moore’s musical direction, and my partner in crime on this production, Kay Cole. Doing a great big old-fashioned musical COMEDY – nothing like it, and when you can deliver something fresh to the table it is just incredibly gratifying to see folks respond to it. And I always reserve the highest praise for the students of LACC’s Theatre Academy – most of them had never done a musical, many of them had never really even sung before, and most hadn’t done actual choreography – but in four weeks they could stand tall with the pros – just a wonderful, beautiful group of people who stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park. They were joy personified.
Prior to the matinee, I’d written a little more of the commentary and am now just about finished with it. Between shows, Sami, her girlfriend Michelle, Sami’s mom and I went to Café 50s, a little jernt across the street from LACC. I had a little BLT-A to tide me over until our late dinner. Before the evening show, the cast gave me a wonderful gift – a framed copy of the Abner soundtrack, surrounded by the cast’s signatures. I loved it. We had some fun people at both shows – actress Cynthia Ferrer (she’s in this month’s Kritzerland show), Ronnie Hallin (Gary Marshall’s sister), Michael Sterling of Sterling’s Upstairs at The Federal, Jon Burlingame and his ever-lovin’ Marilee Bradford (who’d recommended Evan Harris, our Abner), then at the evening show my pal, writer Phil Kellard (also an LACC alum), cousins Dee Dee and Alan, and others I’m not remembering due to the lateness of the hour.
After the show, the cast toddled off to their cast party at some bowling alley. I really don’t do cast parties anymore, so Sami, her mom, Sami’s friend Michelle, me, and Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael Lamont went to the Pacific Dining Car – hadn’t been there in forty-one years. It’s a real old-fashioned chop house and the prices are outrageously high, with some of their steaks going for eighty bucks, nearly double the price of Ruth’s Chris. I had a small Filet Oscar – a filet mignon topped with crab, asparagus and Béarnaise sauce and to start a wedge salad with Roquefort cheese (hadn’t had that in forty years) and a vinaigrette dressing. We shared two desserts – their famous chocolate soufflé and a strawberry shortcake. It was all great, and we all had a grand and very amusing time. We also discussed the bad business of a few weeks ago – you know, when I was asking for the super strength vibes. They worked their magic and that all disappeared over two weeks ago, but not quite for me – I now have to make a decision about what I want to do because what happened was reprehensible and quite illegal and I’m not going to simply forget about it. Now that our show is done, I will tell the whole disgusting story in all its gory detail. From the school’s point of view, I’m sure they’re hoping that them letting the whole thing fade away worked – but sorry, not quite yet. I’m formulating how to deal with the next phase and to that end am having discussions with any number of people, including legal advice. I simply don’t believe people should get away with reprehensible behavior and we’ll just leave it at that for now.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a really good night’s beauty sleep, then I’ll finish the commentary, try to finish the Richard Sherman questions, eat something very light (on a strict diet for the next three or four weeks), and then just relax.
Tomorrow is our first Kritzerland rehearsal, which I’m looking forward to. Then there are meetings and meals, our second Kritzerland rehearsal, the Richard Sherman event, our stumble-through and then sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, finish the commentary, do questions, maybe start liner notes, eat, and relax. 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, elated that we had a truly successful run and that the show worked so well, and sad that it was so brief after such hard work on everyone’s part. Onward!