Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 07:14 AM PST

I shall be errant and truant for most of the Weekend into Monday since we will be on the Isle of Long celebrating our Labor-less days.

Since I'm hurrying to finish up small projects I have nothing in the work CD player and I have nothing in the machines at home but I'm sure we will listen to a plethora of lovely tunes on Isle of Long as well as watch a movie or two.

Happy Labor-less to all H/Ks

Posted by Ben @ 08/29/2003 07:16 AM PST

DVD - Since I watched ALL THAT JAZZ twice this week (once with comment, once without) I decided to watch the DVD of FOSSE which I bought when it was released but never got around to watching. I learned two things from this DVD:

1) Fosse's choreography for specific situations in a libretto was much more interesting than his dance for the sake of dance numbers.

2) Never tape a Broadway show when it has been running for years and features almost all replacements. The cast was individually good, but a lot of the precision --- every wrist at the same angle, every hat in the same position --- was off.

CD - Betty Hutton in SATIN AND SPURS (with 17 bonus tracks of her early Capitol recordings which are better than the Livingston/Evans S&S score); JOLSON AND COMPANY (not nearly as good on CD as on stage); and the Bernadette GYPSY, neither as bad as I feared nor as good as I hoped.

VHS - Waiting for the new Brilliant But Cancelled on Trio, although this one does not appear as interesting as the first. Still to see an unsold pilot based on FARGO with Edie Falco alone will be worth it.

BK - I still haven't read Rupert Holmes' new book, but I logged on his site which was listed on the back cover. I then e-mailed him asking what is happening with DORIAN and telling him I really enjoyed the reading I attended at the York. I got back a long personal reply from him. He seems really nice. He mentioned that he is adapting DROOD for ABC-Disney. I wonder if they will select one ending or if you can vote on ABC's website for the ending (and if there will be different endings on each coast should the voting be different).

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 07:51 AM PST

You see, Dave - people talk enough, they eventually agree. I found much to concur with in your post that ended yesterday's comments. And I hope you can see that I'm not applying a different set of standards to Wildhorn, I'm applying the same standards as I do for Rodgers, Loewe and Bock. Even myself.

Dilemma of the day has to do with applying for the Kleban Award. I'll be sending them 8 lyrics and a tape of these songs. In these days of impressive recording equipment being available to so many, I figure that all the other applicants will submit great-sounding CDs. My cassette submission is made up of 5 DAT recordings from live performances and two studio recordings that I only have on cassette. Trouble is, the 8th (and, I think, best) song has not been recorded well. Just a cassette recording, either live or at home. Do I besmirch my tape by ending with a less-than-high fidelity recording, or besmirch my submission by leaving off the best song I ever wrote?

CD player: Mannix by Lalo Schifrin, just about my favorite instrumental album. DVD: The Sword and the Stone

Posted by Noel @ 08/29/2003 07:54 AM PST

DR Jayrand53 and DR Susan watch the mail this weekend!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/29/2003 07:59 AM PST

If I can't do my first post dance than I'm dang well going to do my Labour Day Dance.

labour labour la-BOUR labour labour la-BOUR

It just doesn't look right without the "u". Labour vs. Labor - the final battle.

My assorted audio-visual pleasures of the week:

cd - I'm bop, bop, bopping along to The Inaudible JRB

dvd - Anastasia (ooh... gotta love those A & F songs)

mp3 playlist - Miss Saigon. I still have "The Heat is on in Saigon" stuck in my grey matter.

Labour, labour, la-BOUR! Labour, labour, la-BOUR!

:)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 08:14 AM PST

Emily,

What is The Inaudible JRB?

CD Player:
A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE (gotta love those A&F songs, eh Emily?)

GODSPELL (2000 off-Broadway)
Very fun recording. I was considering it for my friend's school show this year, but have decided it against it. He doesn't have enough male voices. I have recommended ONCE UPON A MATTRESS instead, and lent him the cast recording last night. If he balks at that, I'm open to hearing suggestions. Bear in mind this is a middle school (grades 7-9), with only a few boys likely to audition. There are a few girls with strong voices. He has done ANNIE and SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK in the past two years.

DVD Player: Nothing yet, but I may stop by ye olde video shoppe later this eve to pick something out.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 08:23 AM PST

Good morning dear spritely, nymphly, lithe and prancing BK.. May the Hills of Sherman go smoothly for your toils of the day.

DR Ben -- You and Ant have a wonderful weekend on the Islands....and be careful, mischief may ensue when you get a mouse and a wannabe pigeon together in close proximity!

A question for perhaps DRs MBarnum and/or Jrand....Where did the term "Bollywood" come from, and exactly what does it describe?? I have a vague idea, but I may be completely wrong.

Car CD player -- well, far from my favorite, but I had to listen to a live performance recording of one of my own shows. The CD is going to be sent to a friend as a gift.

DR Kerry said to send his greetings and a big hello to all... he has been busier than usual this week with extra work stuff. We really haven't watched a VCR movie.

DVD -- but the other night, with DR Laura, we watched the DVD of "Putting It Together" with Carol Burnett and George Hearn, et al..

My God, I just wish S.S. could date ONE person who was nice to him, was upbeat, was good in bed, and was still happy and nice the following day...I think he is a sad and cynical person.

But, what the hell do I know -- I write songs with titles like "There's A Place In My Heart For You," and "Lovers Belong To Sorrento," and "Try A Little Kindness." I know, I know, I can just hear all of the groans from some of the worldly sophisticates here.

Now, I must heed our fearless Mensch's suggestion, and go prance like a wood nymph......hell, I did that years ago!

Posted by MusicGuy @ 08/29/2003 08:27 AM PST

DR Noel - if they listen to the whole tape....and they like what they hear...and you knock them out with the last song, go for it!

It is after all, the content they are listening to, not the recording technique.

A composer can have the best best best CD recorded by the best engineers, etc but if the material isn't good...well the trouble with washing garbage is...when you're done, all you end up with is clean garbage! (Thank you, William Goldman).

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 08:39 AM PST

MG - the term "Bollywood" has come to mean any film or DVD from India. It originally was coined in the 1970's by a Bombay journalist to describe the business side of the Hindi film industry as is viewed by some in that industry as a derogatory term. I have been using it as a description of the DVD's that I have purchased and enjoyed, and I think some are even advertised that way...I know some CD's are, hopefully we haven't insulted any Hindi artists!

I love ONCE UPON A MATTRESS - have directed and choreographed it once and have only seen one production that was a failure...the Winifred was WRONG!!! Wife of the director, you know, oh well.

I can hardly wait for the MAIL!!!!

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 08:52 AM PST

Emily ---
If you like that ANASTASIA, you should hear the one BK recorded. It's based on the Broadway flop ANYA with a Rachmaninoff score adapted by Wright and Forest. It was reissued recently on the OC label.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 08:55 AM PST

Regarding MATTRESS, make sure if you do it you use the original 1959 script, not the revisal from a few years ago. For every one good line they added, they cut five better, funnier ones. Only one change made sense --- making the contests in the first scene less like a 1950s quiz show --- as this would have gone over the heads of theatregoers under 40. But every other change was a change for the worse.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 09:00 AM PST

Back from my job training....being an English tutor at my school is NOT going to be as easy as I had anticipated. By all accounts, some of the students who come into the tutoring center can barely tell a noun from a verb but hey, I'm going to be getting paid ten bucks an hour so hopefully the thought of my swelling bank account will help me to get through it :)

I love, love Once Upon A Mattress...such fun memories of doing it in high school. I think it's perfect for a middle school theatre troupe!

WEL (or any other DR)--did you see the revival with Sarah Jessica? I read she was quite miscast.

Noel--good luck with the Kleban Award! I wouldn't worry too, too much about the quality of the tape--it's the quality of the songs that really count, probably.

Posted by Maya @ 08/29/2003 09:08 AM PST

MusicGuy,
Bollywood = Fun

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/29/2003 09:12 AM PST

Noel, glad to see we share some common ground... ;-)

I think that Wildhorn, like all composers, works better with a decent lyricist. Nan Knighton may not be brilliant, but her lyrics for SCARLET PIMPERNEL are a darn sight better than what Leslie Bricusse concocted for JEKYLL & HYDE.

Actually, this would make an interesting topic for discussion. Which composers have been ill-served by their lyricists (even if that lyricist was him/herself), and which lyricist would you like to pair them with?

I'll cite the previously-mentioned Frank Wildhorn, who has been undermined by the same lyricist on two shows. Leslie Bricusse wrote some clunkers for JEKYLL & HYDE, but he was even worse for VICTOR/VICTORIA. One wonders what that show might have been if someone like David Zippel had worked on it.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 09:19 AM PST

I've read that the music Wildhorn wrote for Camille Claudel (again with Knighton) is his best yet. So maybe that theory does work out, Dave...

What ever happened to David Zippel by the way? Love his City of Angels lyrics...

Posted by Maya @ 08/29/2003 09:22 AM PST

I agree with all of you about ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. I played Sir Harry a few years ago, and we had a great deal of fun. We used the original script in that production, and I wasn't aware the revisal was even available.

At the time we did the show, the "quiz show" angle played quite well. Because "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" was all the rage, we even slipped in "Is that your final answer?" for an easy laugh.

Whichever version we do, there are bound to be cuts for time, and probably some transpositions for young voices. That will likely be my responsibility.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 09:25 AM PST

David Zippel has worked mostly in animated films in recent years - notably on the Disney films MULAN and HERCULES.

He also wrote THE GOODBYE GIRL with Marvin Hamlisch, but we'll forgive him for that.

When asked what he was working on a year ago, Zippel answered:

"Alan Menken, Larry Gelbart and I are doing a Busby Berkeley extravaganza called Buzz!!. Cy Coleman, Larry Gelbart and I have written The Private Lives of Napoleon and Josephine and Cy, Wendy Wasserstein and I are writing a show called Pamela's First Musical, based on Wendy's book."

But in July it was reported that the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "The Woman in White" with lyrics by David Zippel, would have a reading on July 12/13 in Sydmonton.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 09:40 AM PST

From now on, whenever anyone wants to know why I don't watch any of the TV shows that are so hot right now, I'll pull out and dust off the following recent quote:

"Reality TV should be cruel," says "Cupid" executive-producer Simon Cowell. "Life is cruel."

Don't know what'll be in the various players today; we're just kind of keepin' it loose and seein' what happens.

Posted by Lulu @ 08/29/2003 09:44 AM PST

Good morning, one and all, and all and one. And thank you, DR MBarnum. I can hardly wait!

Posted by Susan @ 08/29/2003 09:50 AM PST

Wow, Zippel sure has kept busy in the last year or two! I didn't realize he did the lyrics for Mulan and Hercules. I really liked both those movies...then again I tend to like anything with Lea Salonga and Susan Egan voices.

I forgot to mention in my first post...

DVD--Triumph of Love. Mira Sorvino and Ben Kingsley are both very good in this, but Fiona Shaw positively owned that movie!

VHS--Punch-Drunk Love. I liked it, but am thoroughly convinced that Paul Thomas Anderson is on drugs.

CD--Hairspray OCR, Steel Pier OCR

Well, I am leaving for Pittsburgh anon so everyone party on over the weekend!

Sarah--let me wish you a very, very happy sweet 16 in advance since I will be gone! Wuv ya, Swishy!

Posted by Maya @ 08/29/2003 09:52 AM PST

In one VCR at home is the Broadway's Lost Moments that I taped from NY Channel 13. Nice to see so many terrific performers, but I want more, do you hear? I want every single Tony Award show performance, I do. I want the good and the bad. I want our BD's close personal friend Sharon McNight creating the rôle of the Diva in the how-did-that-get-nominated Starmites. I want BK's close personal friend Dorothy Loudon singing "Easy Street". I want it all.

In the other VCR is the Crocodile Humper Diaries from Wednesday that we still haven't watched. These shows are getting better since little Bindy has begun upstaging her mother, the gorgeous American Terry Erwin, who was upstaging her father all along.

In my CD player here at work is William Finn's Elegies, Finn at his finest, even though it is issued by The CD Company that Dare Not Speak Its Name.

And for those of you who know or care, I just got a personal e-mail from the multi-talented Kcaj Relgnarw--spelled backwards to keep the wrong sort of people from coming to this site on a Google search.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/29/2003 09:56 AM PST

Maya---
I saw the MATTRESS revisal with Sarah Jessica Parker-Broderick. Although she was miscast she tried her best, but was totally sabotaged by the new script and direction by a man who is great with plays but not with musicals. While she will never be a perfect Winifred, she wouldn't have seemed quite as out of place with the original script and good direction. However contrary to what the critics claimed, the show (in its original form) does work with someone other than Carol Burnett. It toured with Dody Goodman in the first class tour and Imogene Coca in the bus-and-truck, played England with Jane Connell and has had many other productions. If the rumor is correct, I think that Marissa Winakour will be excellent in the ABC movie as long as they use the original script.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 10:02 AM PST

To DR Joy or any other microsoft word experts:

I seem to have accidently hit a key that is now putting backwards Ps all over my screen (I don't know how else to describe them - put the loop on the left). This is probably a stupid question because it's obviously some sort of spacing thing and not hurting my text. But I WANT THEM GONE. :)

Anybody know what I hit?

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/29/2003 10:03 AM PST

WFO - I assume you are referring to the gay porno icon now married to a 1940s Big Band Singer.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 10:03 AM PST

We did our MATTRESS the year of the revisal, so we had the original script. We changed the quiz show to JEOPARDY...with appropriate Final Jeopardy music which also seemed to work fine.

I only saw SJP on the Tony Awards show, but it seemed okay...she did "Shy" if I remember correctly.

Bill - did you ask Kcaj how Teragam Gnitihw is doing?

Remember when Mabel Albertson played the mother of the Whiting Girls on tv? Neither do I.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 10:07 AM PST

Oh and in the first act finale - I had four of the knights stand down front and lift part of their costumes (forget what it's called, but it's kind of a vest with the crest on it) - each had a letter written underneath to spell out F R E D.

I had seen that in the aforementioned bad production - and it was terribly funny.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 10:10 AM PST

In the CD player --

In honor of the upcoming weekend and all the dancing going on here at HHW, I have been listening to all kinds of disco compilations, including some I have burned. Ahhh... Melba Moore singing "You Stepped Into My Life (and I'm Oh So Happy)" ... bliss.

In the VCR:

Catching up on "Queer Eye" episodes and having a blast.

In the DVD player:

Next up is Silk Stockings and the widescreen Journey to the Center of the Earth, with James Mason and Pat Boone! Such fun

Posted by Philip Crosby @ 08/29/2003 10:10 AM PST

Jennifer,

It sounds like you have hit the "Show/Hide" icon on your toolbar. Look for a button with the backwards "P" character on it, and click it to turn the formatting characters off.

If you don't see the button, here is the long way:

Go to your "Tools" menu and choose "Options". When the dialog box appears, go to the "View" tab. In the middle, under the heading "Formatting Marks", de-select the option "All". Click and watch the offending characters disappear.

Hope this is helpful.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 10:16 AM PST

SILK STOCKINGS and JTTCOTE...both such fun movies and DVD's!!!

Emily does that mean I work at the Indiana Dept of Labour?

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 10:22 AM PST

Hey Dave THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I did it the long way and it worked right away.

Where would I find this backward P on my keyboard?

I hate when I accidently hit something. Does anyone know what I might have hit?

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/29/2003 10:25 AM PST

I accidentally hit myself this
morning. Myself got really
angry at I and hit I back. It went
downhill from there, and then it
went uphill.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 10:30 AM PST

From work during my lunch break.

Well so far I have had two votes for where I should go this weekend.

1 vote for Charlotte, but only if Matt cleans his house.

1 vote for New Orleans from Tom of Australia.

I have never been to either city.

My other choices are Pittsburgh, NYC or Orlando or just stay at home and catch up on all the summer movies I did not see yet.

Posted by Michael @ 08/29/2003 10:31 AM PST

Jrand & WEL:

No, actually Mr. Relgnarw and I were discussing a computer virus hoax.

But indeed I do remember "Those Whiting Girls". The ever-inaccurate IMDB lists sister Barbara in the cast but unaccountably leaves out Margaret! She is mentioned, however, in the description of the show.

Click on my name to see a picture of Ms. Gnitihw, Mr. Charles Pierce, and Mr. Relgnarw as they look today. Personally, I think Jack is cuter now than he was then, but maybe that's just my age showing.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/29/2003 10:33 AM PST

In my VCR - THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945) with George Sanders, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ella Raines and Moyna MacGill. It's based on the play called "Uncle Harry" by Robert Job. Good acting all around. George is a bachelor who lives with his two sisters in a small town where the family used to be quite prominent. When he finds love and wants to marry, one of the sisters does everything to stand in his way. Without giving too much away, I'll just say there's a murder and a surprise ending. I read in "Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever" that the producer, Joan Harrison, resigned in protest when the movie censors insisted she change the ending. If you want to see this film, be sure to get the restored (by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) version. Republic Pictures Home Video.

Posted by Donna @ 08/29/2003 10:36 AM PST

Donna, I have never heard of the movie, but it does sound very interesting! Is it on DVD? Today is payday and so I am just itching to buy something!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/29/2003 10:42 AM PST

In the CD player, the usual eclectic mix:

A Capitol Records compilation of Harry Warren songs

OBC recording of Chicago

Melissa Manchester's "Tribute" album (Miss Manchester is a highly underrated artist in my humble opinion (IMHO in internet lingo))

A Rhino collection called "Sirens of Song"

The soundtrack to When Harry Met Sally, with the irresistable Mr. Harry Connick, Jr. on the keyboard

A sampler promoting the upcoming season of the San Diego Opera (and a mighty interesting season it will be)

Posted by Jay @ 08/29/2003 10:47 AM PST

Itching to buy something with
your scratch? I have either two
words for you, or one word -
Benjamin Kritzer and/or
Kritzerland. So it is written, so
it shall be done.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 10:47 AM PST

Dave: The Inaudible JRB is a cd Jason Robert Brown recorded of his previously unpublished works that he released to only his closest friends, family and work associates. Some of these close friends, family and work associates, started to distribute the cd to fans for, gasp, money.

JRB doesn't like the fact that this happened, but can't very well reverse time. Click on my name for a message from JRB denouncing the whole practice of selling the cd.

Quite frankly, I am a HUGE fan of his and bought the cd without knowing his feelings. The music on it is great and I feel selfish keeping it to myself. So, I make copies free of charge for other fans - like DR Jose, Paulie, etc.

If you'd like me to send you a copy, e-mail me your home address. Another shipment from the JRB missionary should be going out tomorrow :)

Jrand: you labour away at the department of Labour. :)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 10:47 AM PST

click on my name for my e-mail address

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 10:48 AM PST

BK: Kritzerland is on my list of purchases this month, how did you know! LOL!

My itch has been scratched!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/29/2003 10:49 AM PST

Whew, I say!

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 11:11 AM PST

Just came back from the dentist. What a fun way to start the day!
DVD - THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE
CD - JAZZ MASTERS 13 - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM
VCR - unwatched tape of last night's (sorry!) MTV Awards (I have my reasons - which are boring)

Posted by Panni @ 08/29/2003 11:48 AM PST

Well DR WFO - what an interesting picture. Yes Kcaj is looking great, as are the other dames in the picture.

You know, I still favor Margaret Whiting's version of IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING over many others. And when I saw her do an evening of song with Rosemary Clooney, Helen O'Connell, and Rose Marie (4 Girls 4) - she was as easy on the ears as she was on the eyes...bright, funny, and quite the songstress. Her way with a story was fine, too. Nobody could touch Rosemary, of course, but Margaret's voice was probably closest to the way "you remember it."

Labour....LOL....

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 11:50 AM PST

Jennifer:
The offending backwards P, called simply a "Paragraph Mark" (hereinafter referred to as PP), can serve as an extremely useful tool. It shows you where you have inserted spaces, tabs, hard returns (which means that you pressed "Enter"), etc. It saves you from banging your head against a wall screaming, for example, "WHY IS THAT INDENTED? I DIDN'T INDENT THAT!!!" because you can see exactly where you indented it. You see, Word has a lot of built-in automations. It tries to be intuitive and help you to do what you really meant to do, but it's often wrong. The best way to get along with Word is to learn to speak it's language and to learn to anticipate how it will react when you do certain things. If someone else has been working on a document and had the "Show/Hide" PP option on, if you open that document it will open with the PP's showing. So that's my guess as to how it happened.

In the future, I would recommend that you add that button to your toolbar, if it's not already there, and then go back and undo what you did before ("The Long Way") to make it go away. Then if you ever decide to use the PP, all you have to do is click it on and off again. Here's how to add it to your toolbar:

Go to "View-->Toolbars-->Customize".
Click the "Commands" Tab.
You will see two boxes, one that says "Categories" (on the left) and one that says "Commands" (on the right).
In the "Categories" box, choose "View".
Then in the "Commands" box, you will see your nemesis, the PP. Click on it and drag it to your toolbar and drop it wherever you want it. It will be there whenever you need it, and all you have to do is click it on or off.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 11:57 AM PST

OH, THE HORROR!!! I used the wrong "it's"! Please note that the "it's" above should, of course, be "its". How embarrassing.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:00 PM PST

Oh wait, no I didn't. Never mind.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:00 PM PST

Emily,

I am a huge JRB fan, too, so I am torn. I would love to hear the CD, but I also want to respect the composer's wishes not to distribute the CD.

I think that for now I will honour the composer's wishes - at least until my curiosity gets the better of me. ;-)

Jennifer, you won't find the backward P on your keyboard, but if you look at the toolbar at the top of your screen in MS-Word, you should see an icon that has the symbol on it. If you don't have that toolbar, or if the icon is just hidden, I can show you how to find it. Just let me know.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 12:01 PM PST

Okay, one is wrong, one is right.

Posted by Dummy McDummerson @ 08/29/2003 12:01 PM PST

Oh yes you did.

Posted by The Grammar Police @ 08/29/2003 12:01 PM PST

I am beginning to get the
picture, oh, yes, I am
beginning to get the picture -
no one is going to be around
on the weekend. Should we
all just take off? Or will there
be enough Hainsies/Kimlets
to party until the cows come
home?

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 12:01 PM PST

Mooo.

Posted by A Devoted Hainsie/Kimlet @ 08/29/2003 12:02 PM PST

Or Joy can show you.

....nevermind. ;-)

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 12:03 PM PST

Jrand53 wrote:
Formica nymph? Think how shiny it would be? And you could clean it Joy!

Are you suggesting that I clean it, as in "And you could clean it, Joy!" or are you expressing joy at the thought of cleaning it, as in, "Oh, the joy!"

Because if you're suggesting the former, well...I do floors but I don't do nymphs. And if you meant the latter, then would you like to come over and clean my house, since you get so much pleasure out of cleaning? Thanks!

;o)

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:07 PM PST

BK, o thou charming and party-devoted host:

I will probably be most E&T over the weekend, as I have much, much wedding preparation to do. We are slightly more than a month away, you know. I have a very specific, Virgoish schedule drawn out, with a map and a timeline and diagrams and everything. And I just don't see any room for partying, unless I make history and get everything done early. Ha.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:11 PM PST

Ah, one more weekend (and a long one at that) 'till school starts! I'm so looking forward to getting back into the classroom! On Saturday, I'm going to a Bangels concert in Golden Gate Park, and spending some time with my 3 year old niece on Sunday. We were going to have the weekend off from "The Fantasticks" but that was changed, so now we're in on Sunday eve and Monday afternoon. Most importantly, I'll be spending today putting all my Cast recordings into CD binders and watching Season 3 of "Sex and the City".

Nothing of interest in any CD players. In the DVD will be "Sex and the City" very soon.

Posted by Matthew @ 08/29/2003 12:16 PM PST

Paulie will be around all weekend, partying it up with the Hainsies/Kimlets all across the world. I will be where the party is.

Oooh, can't wait to get my copy of THE INAUDIBLE JRB

There is currently nothing in my DVD player. At my completion of this post, however, I will be making a trip to the Buster of the Blocks and renting ALL THAT JAZZ and/or THE LORD OF THE FLIES, which I read (and really liked!) over the summer.

I've got some Harry Connick Jr. CD in my player. SONGS I HEARD, perhaps.

Nothing in the VCR. The thing is collecting dust, dying.

I'm currently reading A SEPARATE PEACE by John Knowles in addition to HANS BRINKER or THE SILVER SKATES; a children's musical for which I will serve as MD.

Once I get paid (a week from today) I will be investing about this Kritzer character. I also plan to quit my job at least temporarily. Isn't it great that I'm allowed to quit my job temporarily and just go back when or if I want to?

Ah... life in high school. Good times, for certain.

Posted by Paulie @ 08/29/2003 12:18 PM PST

I meant clean it WITH Joy...as in happiness and/or the lemon scented diswashing liquid, recommended for cleaning your new formica countertop.

But never - no NEVER - put dishwashing liquid in your dishwasher. I repeat NEVER!!!

Well, I would hate to be the one to say it will be quiet here this weekend, but then...it might be.

Don't you hate to be wrong about being wrong which means you were right to begin with? It's just terrible.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 12:20 PM PST

I read that rant the last time DR Emily posted it.

Very strange. I can understand wanting to have some music made specifically for friends - stay just for them...but to be mean and cruel to people who love your music seems to me counterproductive.

I pushed my JRB music to the back of my collection and there it will stay - not listened to again. It hasn't been on my player since then. He doesn't need me, I don't need him, it's a perfect relationship...oh a BELLS ARE RINGING reference!

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 12:23 PM PST

I have a question for the Mr BK and the rest of the DR's.

How do you catalog your CD's and DVD's?

Alphabetically by title? By subject? By composer (CD) or lead actor or director (DVD)?

By subject (cast album, soundtrack CD) or genre (musical, scifi DVD)?

Or do you let all of your entertainment lay around like so much fish?

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 12:27 PM PST

I guess the verb should be "store" not "catalog."

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 12:28 PM PST

Jrand, it's all clear to me now. I don't have a dishwasher, so there is no danger of me putting Joy into it. But if I did, I sure would be clean, wouldn't I?

And I do hate about being wrong about being wrong...but in this case it was so much worse, because I was right about being wrong about being wrong. But I think I've cleared it up this time...but I could be wrong.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:28 PM PST

DR Jrand:
The answer to your cataloging (or cataloguing) question is, I catalog my CDs by genre. On the left tower are showtunes, in the middle are jazz on top and classical on the bottom, and on the right are movie soundtracks on top and compilations (cabaret, solo albums, BK albums) on the bottom. Then I have a separate shelf for rock n roll, in order of hardness (James Taylor first, Aerosmith last).

Don't have enough DVDs to catalog yet, so they lie around like so much fish.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:32 PM PST

MBarnum - I did a quick search on the internet for a DVD version of "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry" but found no reference to it. I borrowed the video version through the L.A. County Metropolitan Cooperative Library System. If you're in L.A. County you should be able to borrow it too from your local library. I forgot to mention that it was directed by Robert Siodmak ("The Killers") and that it is also known as "Uncle Harry." If you see it, let me know what you think!

Posted by Donna @ 08/29/2003 12:34 PM PST

For artists and groups I have a selection alphabetical by name.

For Sondheim I have a section alphabetized by show.

All other musicals are alphabetized by show.

And all other multiple artists and BK albums are sort of jumbled together in a section I keep saying I am going to organize some day.

Plus piles of not-yet-played purchases. Oy!

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/29/2003 12:35 PM PST

I'm quite anal about the way I
catalog things, but because
the DVDs have overflowed
beyond the den (where they
are alphabetical, on nice
built-in shelves) the ones that
are now in the kitchen (in an
unused cabinet) and the book
room remain helter-skelter,
which I find very annoying. I do
have all the Criterion DVDs
together, and I do keep all my
multi region DVDs together.

CDs are alphabetical by
genre.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 12:38 PM PST

Well well well... even though I have been a "resident" of NYC for just over 3 months now, as of Monday I will become an OFFICIAL resident when I sign the lease on my brand new apartment!!!!

Just wanted to share the good news so we could party here at HHW!

Posted by Craig @ 08/29/2003 12:41 PM PST

JRAND, the impression I got from JRB's post is that he wasn't against people having the cd as much as he was against them selling it.

I will admit I bought it. I feel guilty. Still... I can't imagine my JRB collection without it. I could care less for most of his instrumentals on the cd (they are super boring IMHO) but I NEED to have access to a clean version of:

"I Could be in Love With Someone Like You"
"Nothing in Common"
"Take me to McDonalds"
"I'm Learning"
"Something Like Home" (JRB's audition piece for the job composing the score for RAGTIME which he of course lost to A&F)
"Coming Home"
"I'm in Bizness"
"Someone to Fall Back On"
"You Can do More"
"You Gotta Keep Movin'"
"The Old Red Hills of Home" with an alternate verse for the older performer

Have I sufficiently tempted you Dave?

I really think your standing up for your morals is great and all, but it's JRB! I'm sure he'd appreciate you're wanting to get the stuff so badly.

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 12:42 PM PST

Re Inaudible JRB:

I just read the link that Emily posted...jeez, what a brat he seems to be! I don't know the guy in person, but those are his words and, quite frankly, not the first snotty ones I've heard from him. My fiancée invited him to see an original musical he (my fi) wrote, and JRB's response was that he didn't want to come because everyone would be watching him to see what his reaction would be.

Going back to yesterday, I'm beginning to think that that Carly Simon song was written about JRB.

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 12:42 PM PST

I guess it's time to break out the newest craze sweeping the nation:

The Yea Craig Found an Apartment Dance

I think this one is going to be bigger and better than the Macarena

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 12:45 PM PST

CD Player: Promenade, which I don't listen to often enough. (There's a great shot of Madeline Kahn (1969) on the back of the liner notes; but she was "succeeded" before the album was recorded.)

Posted by Dan-in-Toronto @ 08/29/2003 12:45 PM PST

It's a good thing I like his MUSIC and not HIM.

There's a big difference, which people seem to forget.

I'm sure he's positively evil.

Of course, I always had a thing for Byronic heroes. They kept be going through Romanticism

JRB is the Heathcliffe of musical theatre

:)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 12:46 PM PST

It seems like the biggest complaint I have heard raised about Jason Robert Brown is that he is too honest. Sometimes he is bluntly honest, I'll admit, but he is also that way in his work, and that is what draws many of his to material.

The fact is, Joy, he is right in assuming that people would be watching him for his reaction. Is he evil for acknowledging that? I don't think so. He thinks the focus should be on your fiance, not him. He is right about that, too.

Also, imagine how you might feel if you had created a one-of-a-kind gift for your closest friends, and people started copying it and selling it. Might you feel somewhat violated? Of course you would. I know I would. Is it mean and cruel to want to keep that gift private? Of course not.

Funny how it is often the same people who are critical of JRB that worship at the altar of Stephen Sondheim, who is far more acerbic and condescending in interviews than I have ever heard JRB to be.

(And before anyone asks, I am a huge Sondheim fan, and I admire the fact that he is an iconoclastic personality.)

Jrand53, to deprive yourself of JRB's music, just because you don't like a couple of comments that he made, is to cut off your nose to spite your face. I mean (and I hate to keep beating up on Richard Rodgers today) in light of what he have learned about Richard Rodgers' private life, should we stop listening to his work, too? It's your choice, but I would rather separate the composers from their work, and enjoy their music regardless of their personalities.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 01:02 PM PST

Not true, DR Dave. I never liked him that much to begin with.

Craig - remember never take an old broom into a new house...and always arrive with an unopened box of salt.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 01:12 PM PST

Sondheim would have a point
in saying, "I don't want
everyone to watch me for my
reaction."

JRB has NO business saying
such a thing, because very few
people even know what he
looks like, let alone would
watch him for a reaction. I'm
sorry, talented though he may
be (although I am not his
biggest fan), that is just
unbridled ego, and he's had
unbridled ego forever. It's his
"thing", this unbridled ego - he
had it during Parade when he
had the temerity to push Eric
Stern off the podium and he
has it now.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 01:13 PM PST

JRB's music, that is.

If I couldn't separate composers from their private lives, my collection would be very small.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 01:13 PM PST

Click on my name for an interesting interview with JRB. You be the judge.

I would counter BK's argument by suggesting that young performers and afficionados of musicals theatre could spot JRB in a crowd as easily as they could Stephen Sondheim. Again, it's that generational thing.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 01:18 PM PST

Jrand53, if you put aside JRB's music because you're not a fan, that's another thing altogether. In the context, I inferred a different meaning from your earlier post. My apologies.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 01:20 PM PST

Dan-In-Toronto:
At last another Al Carmines fan on this here site. Most people have never heard of him. The only other Carmines show that I know of on CD besides PROMENADE is W.C. (a studio cast, not Mickey Rooney and Bernadette Peters who did it in stock). However I have several Carmines shows on vinyl including PEACE, JOAN and THE FAGGOTT. My all-time favorite Carmines show has never been recorded: THE JOURNY OF SNOW WHITE. I saw both the original production in the early 70s and the revival (which was cut down but still good) in the late 80s or early 90s. I've seen a few productions of PROMENADE including the original off-Broadway at the theatre named for the show (but also after Madeline Kahn left - she only stayed a few week; that may have been when she went to film MAME until Lucy had her fired for stealing the film from her). I saw CHRISTMAS RAPPINGS and THE FAGGOTT and directed a production of PEACE. I have suggested that BK record more Carmines but he is probably right that it wouldn't sell. As far as I know, the only Carmines song he ever recorded is "The Moment Has Passed" on the Jason Graae at the Cinegrill CD.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 01:31 PM PST

I don't think it's generational at
all. I don't think anyone would
have known who Sondheim
was if he was sitting in a room
back when he was JRB's age.
But that has nothing to do with
the man's ego, which is huge
and loud. Nothing wrong with
that, but it's a fact. And
anyone, whoever they may be,
who pushes the conductor of
his show off the podium,
rather than having a private
discussion, is a jerk. It's a
moment that is still talked
about by those that were in
attendance.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 01:35 PM PST

Oh - and how could I forget. I also saw the program he and his partner did of Al Carmines Theatre Songs and met him at the reception afterwards. I think when he left the Judson Church his new church made him cut out his theatrical activities.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/29/2003 01:36 PM PST

IT'S FRIDAY!!

I have succesfully completed the first week of school without forgetting anything, getting lost, being late, or having a nervous breakdown. I think it's time for the "Sarah Didn't Die" dance.

*dances*

Right now I'm listening to the sounds of Led Zeppelin in my CD player.

In the DVD, we have Chicago.

In the VHS section, we have the science exam tape that my friends and I made last year. It was 6 minutes shorter than it should of been, with about 2 minutes of random babble that we just stuck in there. But we got the highest grade in the class, because it's hilarious. We have great footage of us being chased by a peacock. Those things are vicious!

I will only be errant and truant MAYBE tonight if plans work out, and then Sunday night (Millie), so I can party all weekend long. We can dance and sing and laugh and dance some more and I'll bring the keg.

Wait...no.

Posted by Sarah @ 08/29/2003 01:46 PM PST

The fact is, Joy, he is right in assuming that people would be watching him for his reaction. Is he evil for acknowledging that? I don't think so. He thinks the focus should be on your fiance, not him. He is right about that, too.

Stephen Sondheim attended one of my musicals, and I saw no neck-craning to see his reaction. I've also sat in an audience with Jason Robert Brown, and nobody gave him a glance. Honesty is certainly a good thing, though, and, honestly, Brown is a legend...in his own mind.

Uncle Harry - I wonder if there's any way to get anything related to the U.S. Steel Hour's tv adaptation of this play. It is the one and only thing my mother ever wrote.

I ended up making a new recording here at home of the 8th (and best) song for the Award. I thank the DRs for expressing their faith that sound quality won't matter.

I finished the processional song. It may be the only song of its kind to quote pirates: "Arrr, Arrr, Arrr, Arrr!"

Posted by Noel @ 08/29/2003 01:49 PM PST

If you want to get into a real juicy argument about whether one can (or should) separate the art from the creator, shall we discuss Richard Wagner? If you think this is old news, it's only been a year or so since there was a near riot in an Israeli concert hall when Daniel Barenboim attempted to lead the orchestra in a piece by the incredibly talented but horrifically anti-semitic composer.

Posted by Jay @ 08/29/2003 01:53 PM PST

Don't feed the animals.

Posted by The Zookeeper @ 08/29/2003 02:03 PM PST

Jeans and a burgandy polo
shirt.

That is either the title of Jason
Robert Brown's next musical
or my attire.

Swishy Sarah, I hope you took
note (C#) that the Unseemly
Live Chat is on Monday not
your birthday. Now, you WILL
have to stop by on Sunday
because we might just be
having a Swishy Sarah
celebration, mightn't we?

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 02:04 PM PST

No problem, Dave.

I bought the music because people I respect recommended it to me.

Because my reaction was not the same as theirs is not a reflection of the quality (or lack thereof) of the music OR their opinions. Mine is just not theirs.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 02:05 PM PST

WEL -

You're a bigger Carmines fan than I; that is to say, a more knowledgable fan. But I love every song in Promenade, both Al Carmines' music and Maria Irene Fornes's lyrics. (Does any other show song have a title to match, Chicken Is He?)

I too saw Promenade at the Promenade Theatre. And, minus Madeline Kahn and George S. Irving, the cast was still impressive - Gilbert Price, Shannon Bolin, Pierre Epstein and Alice Playten who, back then, was being heralded as the next Merman. (The last time I saw her was on Frasier, as Marty Crane's girlfriend.)

The only other Carmines recording I have is the vinyl In Circles. There's a great quote on the back of the album from Newsweek's Jack Kroll: "Carmines captures perfectly that quality which makes Gertrude Stein sound like a metaphysical Molly Goldberg."

I would love to see Promenade revived.

Posted by Dan-in-Toronto @ 08/29/2003 02:06 PM PST

My goodness this is a
splendiferous number of
posts, isn't it? No other chat
board has such a
splendiferous number of
posts as this. And even
though there seems to be
some disagreement regarding
a brash young composer, well,
that is what makes horse
racing and no one is really
acting in a boorish fashion
(toreador pants, pink ruffled
top and flamenco boots).

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 02:08 PM PST

White pants and a hot pink teeshirt that says "Peanut" on it with a picture of a peanut that looks suspiciously like something other than a peanut. ;)

Posted by Sarah @ 08/29/2003 02:27 PM PST

You see, here is the perfect
example of human nature. I
make a post about our lovely
number of posts, and
immediately the posts stop.

No LULLS.

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 02:27 PM PST

I've never been a HUGE fan of JRB. But as for the ego, it shows in his music - which is a (ahem) BITCH to play correctly, and the fact that he wrote a musical loosley based on his life and he's not even really well known or even dead.

Posted by Matthew @ 08/29/2003 02:27 PM PST

That would be a good trick if he wrote a musical about himself if he were dead. ;-)

Posted by Jay @ 08/29/2003 02:34 PM PST

Hey! I did it!

Posted by Ed Kleban @ 08/29/2003 02:35 PM PST

Matthew are you trying to insinuate that only really well know or dead people have interesting stories to tell about their lives?

cuz that definitely shortens the list :)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 02:38 PM PST

Jrand53, I completely understand what you mean about the difference of opinion. I can relate to those who don't care for JRB's music, just as there are composers whose CDs gather dust on my shelves at home, too. Different strokes.

BK, I think that you misunderstood what I meant when I said "generational". The younger generation - particularly those in their twenties, the BFA crowd - appear to worship JRB the same way that the up-and-comers in the 1970's worshipped Sondheim. The older generation - many of whom who are inclined to like more "traditional" fare - don't always share the fascination with the new crowd of young composers, which includes not only JRB, but Ricky Ian Gordon, Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa and others. It is those younger people that I was suggesting would be buzzing about JRB being in the audience.

And yes, those young people would be more likely to recognize JRB because a) he has been an onstage presence in his shows (SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, URBAN COWBOY), while Sondheim was not, and b) today's youth has grown up with the internet, and thus has faster access to that sort of information. It would take an average high school student less than one minute to pull up a photo of JRB. Could the same have ever have been said of Sondheim?

Noel, the fact that you are able to say that Sondheim attended one of your shows - aside from being a source of envy among many of us DRs - only serves to indicate that at least one person noticed he was there. It is a fairly safe assumption that at least a few other people noticed, too, no? ;-)

Here's the acid test. A question to all the DR's:

You are seated at a new musical, and a Tony-award winning Broadway composer walks up the aisle, and takes a seat a few rows in front of you. Do you

a) ignore him
b) turn to you partner, and make mention of it
c) keep quiet about it until intermission, and discuss it with your friends in the lobby
d) leave your seat and approach the composer to discreetly tell him how much you love and respect his work
e) shout out, "Omigod, it's insert name of composer here!!"

On a related topic, I have read anecdotes related to the egos of each of the young composers I mentioned above. In fact, I can recall reading similar stories about Bernstein, Sondheim, and Rodgers, too. Is there a connection between ego and talent?

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 02:39 PM PST

Media check:

CD - TITANIC (OBC) for rehearsal purposes

VHS - A POCKETFUL OF RYE

DVD - DEAD OF NIGHT/THE QUEEN OF SPADES to be followed by LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.

Thanks for the info about DROOD, WEL. It is one of my all-time favorite shows, and I'd LOVE to see it done well for a larger audience.

Posted by Matt H. @ 08/29/2003 02:39 PM PST

In my DVD player (still), Robert Preston’s Music Man since I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet.

In my home CD player, two really nifty (I like that word) CDs that were given to me by a wonderful friend, a compilation of Randy Newman songs done by other artists, and the OAC The Boy from Oz.

In my car CD player, OBC Titanic, A New Musical.

Jrand Do Teragram Gnitihw and Margaret Whiting know each other?

Sorry, I will be E & T all weekend, but only because my computer is sick.

Posted by TCB @ 08/29/2003 02:43 PM PST

But I did score 100!

Posted by TCB @ 08/29/2003 02:43 PM PST

Reality check: I'm a relatively well-informed person -- although not the aficionado of the American musical that most of the HHW-ers are -- but still not a total moron. And if you said "Jason Robert Brown" to me, my response would be, "Who?"
On the other hand, I HAVE heard a rumor that Sidney Sheldon was married to Elaine May. Pass it on.

Posted by Panni @ 08/29/2003 02:49 PM PST

CD Player update:

HAINES HIS WAY. Rock on.

Posted by Paulie @ 08/29/2003 02:49 PM PST

I'm thinking of seeing CAMP ce soir. Anybody out there seen it? Opinions? It's either that or THE MAGDALENE SISTERS - which I hear is a remake of THE DOLLY SISTERS, with Jack Nicholson taking Cuddles Sakall's role.

Posted by Panni @ 08/29/2003 02:55 PM PST

DR Michael: Another vote for New Orleans from my partner Colin. His suggestion is of course Breakfast at Brennans. (We've only been to the airport at Charlotte so we know our choice is somewaht biassed!)

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/29/2003 02:59 PM PST

I know TCB had a birthday last week. I did not realize he had reached 100. Congratulations Tom. Even older now than Horace. Hope you are enjoying a naked man. (That is a Randy Newman reference children!)

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/29/2003 03:05 PM PST

NOEL - Did I read that correctly? Your mother adapted the play Uncle Harry for the U.S. Steel Hour? Wow! Have you considered checking the Museum of Television and Radio? Click on my name for the website.

Posted by Donna @ 08/29/2003 03:17 PM PST

I'm out and about (not oot and aboot) for the night, I'll be home as tomorrows notes are being posted, probably. Post lots of lovely posts, and have a fantastic evening. See you on the flipside!

Posted by Sarah @ 08/29/2003 03:57 PM PST

Not to belabor a point, but if
you put Guettel, Gordon and
LaChiusa AND JRB in a
roomful of people, I would
guess that very few would
have a clue as to who they are.
I would also venture to say that
if you put Flaherty and Ahrens,
John Kander, and Harvey
Schmidt in a roomful of
people, that very few would
know who THEY are either,
internet or not.

Yes, a few crazed musical
theater fans might know who
they are, but that's about it. I,
in fact, have been in rooms
with some of the above and I
am here to tell you that very
few people knew who they
were. I was in the Beaumont
seeing Parade when Mr.
Brown, who was two rows in
back of me, gave his own
show a standing ovation,
screaming like a rabid crazy
person. No one knew who he
was - they just thought he was
a rabid crazy person.

I think we have both made our
points, and since neither of us
will change our opinions one
iota, I say NEXT!

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 04:08 PM PST

Good afternoon all !!

DR Panni -- DR Kerry and I saw Camp a few evenings ago, and found it to be a nice evenings entertainment. The kids were fresh and talented, it had some plot twists that you would expect, but the overall effect was human and warm.

DR Paulie -- My, what suave, dashing, and sophisticated taste you already show, if you are listening to "Haines His Way." I can't remember from the other day Paulie..in which city do you live?

Dear nymph-like BK -- I saw your new show title, and I think I have a couple of my songs that would work great for "Jeans And A Burgandy Polo Shirt." I even have a demo recording, by Elaine May and Sheldon Harnick.

Posted by MusicGuy @ 08/29/2003 04:26 PM PST

Well, mostly everyone else
here got to leave early, but not
me - I'm still here - oh, a
Sondheim reference. And I
shall be here for at least
another hour. How annoying
is that?

Posted by bk @ 08/29/2003 04:32 PM PST

DR Joy trying to help me with my microsoft word troubles wrote:

If someone else has been working on a document and had the "Show/Hide" PP option on, if you open that document it will open with the PP's showing. So that's my guess as to how it happened.

Well that would at least make sense. But nope, it happened while I was working on a file. I accidently hit something (maybe ctrl or alt + something). I was just wondering what on earth I did. I tried to undo it. But nothing happened. That is the thing I hate about computers. Can't they just tell you what you did :)

Btw, thank you so much for your suggestions. I will take note of all of them. But I don't really wanna see my dear friend PP again for a while :)

Joy also wrote:

Re Inaudible JRB:

I just read the link that Emily posted...jeez, what a brat he seems to be! I don't know the guy in person, but those are his words and, quite frankly, not the first snotty ones I've heard from him. My fiancée invited him to see an original musical he (my fi) wrote, and JRB's response was that he didn't want to come because everyone would be watching him to see what his reaction would be.

Okay now I am so curious, WHO IS YOUR FIANCEE??

Btw, I don't know JRB although I've emailed him a couple times and somehow got on his "friends email list". But I do love his music.

Jennifer

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/29/2003 04:34 PM PST

Dave wrote:

Jennifer, you won't find the backward P on your keyboard, but if you look at the toolbar at the top of your screen in MS-Word, you should see an icon that has the symbol on it. If you don't have that toolbar, or if the icon is just hidden, I can show you how to find it. Just let me know.

I do not see the symbol on my toolbar. But I think I've had enough of the backward P for today. Joy explained how to get it (if I ever decide I want it).

Again, thanks so much for your help.

Dave also wrote:

Here's the acid test. A question to all the DR's:

You are seated at a new musical, and a Tony-award winning Broadway composer walks up the aisle, and takes a seat a few rows in front of you. Do you

a) ignore him
b) turn to you partner, and make mention of it
c) keep quiet about it until intermission, and discuss it with your friends in the lobby
d) leave your seat and approach the composer to discreetly tell him how much you love and respect his work
e) shout out, "Omigod, it's insert name of composer here!!"

Well I guess it would depend who it was, and who I was with (would they know the composer I'm gushing over?).

But I can tell you one thing, IT WOULD NOT BE A! ;)

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/29/2003 04:51 PM PST

Well, it's official. THIS computer was given the death sentence by the Network Engineer. Early next week he and I shall get together and brainstorm the NEW COMPUTER. I hope that brainstorming includes dinner. >>grins sheepishly<<

As for the media center contents:

DVD PLAYER:
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (both discs, though the bonus features aren't nearly as interesting as last time around).
HOUSE OF WAX
THE HAUNTING
WAIT UNTIL DARK
(can we say that I received an assignment?)

CD PLAYER
THE JUDY GARLAND BLUE BOXED SET
(I finally watched ME AND MY SHADOWS, and was duly impressed with both Ms. Blanchard and Judy Davis).
THE CLIFF RICHARD COLLECTION (I don't think this has left the player since I won it on Ebay).
Hand Made CD of live Tony Award performances of "Forget About the Boy" and "Run, Freedom, Run" combined with the RAGTIME performers on Rosie O'Donnell; just a quick disc I made this morning. Which would mean that in the VCR is:
A TONY AWARDS tape, with several others standing by.
I pulled all of my Rosie O Broadway tapes from the shelves and shall spend the weekend tracking down the tracks.
dust is in the LASER DISC PLAYER.

If you can find me, I'm here (Oh! A Stephen Sondheim reference) but, lord know for how long. . .the screen is now a greenish yellow, and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the monitor!

Posted by td @ 08/29/2003 05:17 PM PST

DR Dave, when I saw KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN on B'way, Michael Crawford was seated right behind me, John Kander and Fred Ebb were across the aisle from me and Stephen Sondheim was in the house. I spoke to none of them. Nor did I shout to the rafters, "Omigod! LOOK WHO'S IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT?!?!?!?!"
On the other hand, seeing SHE LOVES ME the night before, both Rob Marshall and Scott Ellis approached my father and I, and told us how much they appreciated having audience members like us at that particular preview.
I will say that when Angela Lansbury introduced me to Mr. Sondheim, he was not aloof, nor was he ungracious. He was a very nice man, and showed no signs of egocentricity.

Posted by td @ 08/29/2003 05:24 PM PST

Good to hear about the Computer possibilies td - Hope the dinner is included. I am sure there should be a Wait Until Dark Reference there too. Melbourne is at this moment providing a hail storm for Jose who is about to venture out for a "Chocolate Tour".

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/29/2003 05:25 PM PST

Dave, in your multiple choice, why didn't you give us an option of "stare at the composer to see his reaction"? I assume you're just curious about the fan behavior of Hainsies and Kimlets.

I knew Sondheim was there, of course, because my musical director, who had invited him, told me he'd be coming. The cast and audience members weren't aware of who he was. I'm only sure it was, indeed, Sondheim because, at my urging, he sent me a letter giving his view of the show, which still hangs on my wall today.

Here's what Jason Robert Brown said in February of 2000:
I generally don't go see people's stuff in settings like
this - it's too distracting trying to determine what would work if the production were better or the actors knew their lines or the chair I was in were more comfortable, and meanwhile the actors are all watching me to see if I laughed

Posted by Noel @ 08/29/2003 05:29 PM PST

Only slightly apropos to this string of discussion, Andrew Porter once amusingly described a snippet of aural experience he had while attending a performance of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera:

Prompter: Ed essa.

Radames: Ed essa.

Woman seated next to Mr. Porter, loudly to her companion: That's Leontyne Price.

Posted by Jay @ 08/29/2003 05:35 PM PST

One other thing: I'm somewhat surprised to learn that Ricky Ian Gordon has legions of fans. Did they turn out to see his famous musicals such as Dream True or My Life With Albertine? Anybody like RIG here?

Posted by Noel @ 08/29/2003 05:36 PM PST

Mr. Guettel notwithstanding, why do all the guys in this group have three names? William Finn even makes mention of this in one of the songs in "Elegies."

Posted by Jay @ 08/29/2003 05:44 PM PST

yes, TCB, they are intimately acquainted!

DR td - guess who has a DVD review in the new SS?

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/29/2003 05:59 PM PST

You know Noel I think that quote you shared from JRB is actually quite endearing.

It is clear that he likes going to shows so that he can enjoy them, not so that he can give constructive criticism or determine whether or not the production has any future worth.

If he wanted to teach composition for musical theatre, he'd be teaching composition for musical theatre.

He made the choice to try it himself and, while he has had success in it, there really is not rule that he has to go see every show he's invited to.

Plus, I'm sure he's also dragged to a lot of downright AWFUL workshops (not including your husband's show Joy of course). I would get darn tired of it soon enough - especially if I was trying to work on my own stuff at the same time.

If I saw JRB attending the same show as me I think I would definitely recognize him. He's kinda uniquely funny looking and would most likely stand out in a crowd. I would also spontaeneously combust with excitement!

:)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 06:01 PM PST

Poor TCB will have to wait until he reads your response when he goes back to work next week. To be so alone in the world sans computer - so sad. Next Thursday should see the return of François. Where is DR Ron today? I shall try and coerce Jose into posting later today (tonight).

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/29/2003 06:04 PM PST

The sad point about the JRB post to RATM is that he was replying to someone who was trying to find something he had heard about.

JRB ripped the guy a new butt, said he'd produced the CD for his friends and that he (the original poster) wasn't his friend.

I'll bet he (original poster) isn't a fan any more, either. I know I'm not.

Talent is no excuse for rude, ill-bred behavior. Never has been.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/29/2003 06:36 PM PST

Great news, Dear Reader JRand53!!!

Posted by td @ 08/29/2003 06:42 PM PST

So many new musicals are done in New York any given day, when a show of mine is given a splendid production, I know I'm fighting an uphill battle trying to get anyone of any importance to attend. I didn't ask Jason Robert Brown to critique my show; I genuinely thought he might enjoy it. And then maybe, if he was enthusiastic enough, he might tell high-powered friends about it. I also invited Hal Prince, who sent very polite regrets, and Sondheim did the same (he'd attended a different show of mine). There's a stunning gap between the manners of the truly famous Prince & Sondheim (and I believe DR Joy told us of a similar note from Charles Strouse, who's another good guy) and those of certain 3-named phenoms. Mr. Brown's saying he wouldn't attend something at the Sanford Meisner Theatre was particularly ironic, as his Songs For a New World had played around the corner at the WPA. But I admire the opening number from that show, truly I do. I even admired it when it was the closing number in the movie, Fame several years earlier.

Posted by Noel @ 08/29/2003 07:10 PM PST

Jay:

Well, assassins tend to have three names, as is pointed out in the James Lapine/Stephen Joshua Sondheim show.

Emily:

Future husband, and three guesses... cause I know well from yesterday's posts that he likes to play guessing games.

Panni:

No, you have it wrong. May Britt is married to Mr. Shelnick... oh, a very unseemly spoonerism!

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/29/2003 07:31 PM PST

I clicked on Emily's link to JRB's post to ratm, because I didn't remember it being as harsh as some on this board are depicting it. Upon re-reading it, I still don't see the tenor that some people are inferring from it. His first line sets it up to be a humourous post, so I take his words in the tone that he establishes from the outset.

Frankly, I have had members of this board - including our esteemed host - speak far more harshly toward me on occasion, and none of us are famous. ;-)

Noel, the point of the multiple choice was to see if any of us would choose option A. As the responses thus far have pointed out (rather emphatically, in some cases), the answer is 'no'. So the presence of the composer in the audience does attract attention, which pulls focus from the intent of a workshop or reading. That was all I intended to say.

I also agree with Emily that the JRB quote makes my case more than it refutes it.

td, I am sure that Mr. Sondheim is a very nice man; however, when he was interviewed for the New York Times a while back, the theatrical community pounced on him for his cynicism and arrogance. That's why I said "in interviews". I think that the press has much to do with our perception of the personalities of these talented men.

The three-names thing is an interesting phenomenon. I see it a lot among young actors and actresses as well. I had always assumed it was related to Equity. I would guess there are plenty of "Richard Gordon"s and "Jason Brown"s out there. The middle name becomes a necessity in that case.

But don't get me started on LaChiusa.... ;-)

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 07:38 PM PST

I'm sorry William, but I don't get the reference to my (or is it JRB's) future husband

although I would like to know if it refers to mine! :)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 08:01 PM PST

And if you mean Dave, William, I think he's already taken ;)

Posted by Emily @ 08/29/2003 08:04 PM PST

DR William Orr: It's Rednecks. "Why do these rednecks always have three names? John Wilkes Booth! James Earl Ray!"

"LEE HARVEY OSWALD!"

:o) I love that moment.

DR Dave: You make some interesting points, such as
It seems like the biggest complaint I have heard raised about Jason Robert Brown is that he is too honest. Sometimes he is bluntly honest, I'll admit, but he is also that way in his work, and that is what draws many of his to material.

Yes, I agree with you, his work is very honest and therefore often poignant. But we're talking about his work here, and in his personal life he crosses the line into rudeness. It is possible to be honest without being mean.

The fact is, Joy, he is right in assuming that people would be watching him for his reaction. Is he evil for acknowledging that?

Not evil, just egotistical. First of all, why does it need to be said? Why couldn't he just graciously say "Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I have another engagement that night, good luck with your show"? Second of all, to answer your test, I have been in that situation several times, and once the curtain goes up I forget about who is in the audience. Intermission is a different story. ;-) And any actor who blatantly WATCHES an audience member for a reaction should be fired.

Also, imagine how you might feel if you had created a one-of-a-kind gift for your closest friends, and people started copying it and selling it. Might you feel somewhat violated? Of course you would. I know I would. Is it mean and cruel to want to keep that gift private? Of course not.

No, of course it isn't. I would be hurt and angry at my "friends" who had done that. I would not, however, take it out on the poor sap who unwittingly slapped down money for it. It was just unnecessary for him to be so sharp with that poor guy.

To wrap this up, I like a lot of his music and I think he has a great talent. But it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth to hear him say these decidedly ungracious things. He needs a PR person.

Also to answer your acid test: I saw a night of "Brave New World", the concert/readings of artists' responses to 9/11, at Town Hall last summer. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty had written a song for the funeral of LaChanze's husband Calvin, who was killed in the Twin Towers. Lynn, I believe, sang the song at the funeral, but at this performance, LaChanze sang it herself. A few minutes after that emotional experience, she came out to the audience and sat down right in front of me. I could have reached out and hugged her or stroked her hair. But the show went on, and I watched it, not her.

Oh yeah -- and JRB was in the audience that night, too.

;-)

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 09:10 PM PST

DR Jennifer:

You'll figure it out. ;-)

DR Emily:
He was referring to my future husband. And yes, he does like to play guessing games...ALL THE DAMN TIME. Drives me nuts, mostly because I'm usually too dense to get the answers! So I says to him, I says, "Bernie, you pop that gum one more time..."

Posted by Joy @ 08/29/2003 09:24 PM PST

Jennifer: It's ME!!!

Posted by JRB @ 08/29/2003 09:25 PM PST

If I can offer an anecdote that is tangentially related to my earlier quiz...

In my high school days, I attended a concert by Terrence Trent d'Arby. (Free tickets.) At the end of the show, the house lights came up immediately, and there was an instant buzz around the auditorium, as Bruce Springsteen stood up and began to make his way toward the exit (with his bodyguard). That small crowd soon became a mob, and it was difficult to leave the theatre for several minutes. The next day, no one talked about the concert, but *everyone* was talking about who was in the audience.

When I saw SHOW BOAT in Toronto, I sat directly behind a woman with a tall stack of red hair. I discovered at the end of the evening that it was actually Reba McIntyre. Same story. I'll bet a whole bunch of people went home and told their friends they saw Reba McIntyre that evening, not Patti Cohenour.

Granted Bruce and Reba have a different level of celebrity, but I'm sure you get my point.

Posted by Dave @ 08/29/2003 09:44 PM PST

Quoth Emily:
Plus, I'm sure he's also dragged to a lot of downright AWFUL workshops (not including your husband's show Joy of course).

Quoth I:

Future husband...

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/29/2003 10:07 PM PST

G'day Mates!

I am currently logging on to the internet courtesy of the hospitality of DR Tom and Colin. After my Chocolate Tour - which was truly an indulgence - I was picked up at my hotel, and had a very lovely and scenic drive out to the country. Truly beautiful out here, and we even stopped along the way so that I could take a picture of some kangaroos and their joeys. Now I'm enjoying the beautiful surroundings of DR Tom and Colin's house and yard - although "yard" is truly an understatement. And, yes, Magnus and Fosca have greeted me with their traditional licks.

So... As not to take up too much time, I shall log off now...

I'm sure Tom will have a full report of my visit - as will I later on - after tonight.

-No worries...

Posted by Jose C. SImbulan @ 08/29/2003 11:43 PM PST

The catagorical der Brucer is making life difficult for me again. He decided to reorganize our DVD collection, following his own logic which of course does not match mine. I had very carefully, for example, separated the DVDs that are appropriate for grandlads aged three and six to view, even though we are still on the opposite coast from them. Der Brucer has now mixed all the animation together regardless of whether they are appropriate (as South Park is not), and moved the non-animated films into all sorts of other catagories, some of which I can't figure out.

There is a word for how I feel about this, and the word is AAAARRRGGGHHH!!!

In any case, I was able to relocate my current favorite guilty pleasure DVD, Casino Royale, and am just as pleased as I've ever been with it, no matter how guiltily.

As for the DVD for The Two Towers, I am waiting until November, when the four-disc Special Edition is due for release. I wasn't as happy with Two Towers as I was with Fellowship of the Ring, but if the extras in the Special Edition are anything as good as those found on the first film's SE, it will be worth the longer wait.

Posted by S. Woody White @ 08/30/2003 02:25 AM PST

Just returned from WalMart...busy even at 6 am. BUT I did find some DVD's for $5.88 including:

GODZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS
RODAN
GODZILLA'S REVENGE
GODZILLA VS MOTHRA
BATMAN THE MOVIE w/audio commentary by Adam and Burt

Off to see the Titanic Science exhibit.

Celebrities in the audience...hmmmm...how can you NOT notice? But if the show is good, sometimes you forget. I sat across the aisle from David Henry Hwang at a preview of one of his plays, and what I noticed most was his groovy socks! But I didn't watch him.

Posted by Jrand53 @ 08/30/2003 05:56 AM PST

I sure do you love you guys and am thrilled you've become the ost popular site on the planet, but it sure is a bitch trying to catch up on reading hundreds of posts and still have a life. Well, it'll give me something to do when they put me in the home (which ought to be anydy now)!

Posted by Kerry @ 08/30/2003 07:11 AM PST

There are no 3 day weekends in retail.

Posted by Kerry @ 08/30/2003 07:11 AM PST

DR Joy: Yes I did figure it out!
I had a pretty good idea when I asked the question. But I suppose having you refer to the JRB message and then having it actually posted confirmed it for me!

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/30/2003 07:13 AM PST

Good morning all....it's an early, and way-too-bright morning here in the wilds of Arizona.

DR Jrand -- Good God, what do you have there, a 24 hour Wal-Mart?? By the way, I hate to be a naysayer, but I personally have sworn off of Wal-Mart. I don't care to give them any financial support, for the same reasons that I will not pull into an Arco or Mobil gas station. They all remain in a small minority of the 10 largest corporations in America who refuse to offer equal company benefits to unmarried couples and spouses....no matter how long those relationships have been. The other 7 of those largest corporations all have said that their employee loyalty and productivity went up, after they offered equal spousal benefits, regardless of gender or "state marital" status.

I know that "instant shopping" is the most fun, But we have rarely wanted anything for a really good low price, that we haven't been able to find off the internet, and often amazon. It is here in a few days, and it prevents even a few of my dollars from going to bigots and homophobes.

Ah haz spoken.

Posted by MusicGuy @ 08/30/2003 07:25 AM PST

Dave,

I love Reba and all, but I would have been SO PISSED if she had sat in front of me at the theatre with a huge stack of red hair. That has happened to me before and it's one of my pet peeves in the theatre. Can't you flatten your hair for one sorry night so other people can see what's on the stage? Grr.

Posted by Joy @ 08/30/2003 07:52 AM PST

Dave,

I love Reba and all, but I would have been SO PISSED if she had sat in front of me at the theatre with a huge stack of red hair. That has happened to me before and it's one of my pet peeves in the theatre. Can't you flatten your hair for one sorry night so other people can see what's on the stage? Grr.

Posted by Joy @ 08/30/2003 07:52 AM PST

Now them's celebrities. Springsteen's as big as they come as American rockers go. I'd say Reba is probably similarly as celebrated in the country world. And musical theatre writers? Well, none get mobbed. There was no commotion when Sondheim came to one of my shows or even when Harnick, the subject of the show (portrayed in the show, came to the revue about him and Bock. The point (that's been made countless times already) is that JRB, in his own mind is someone like Reba or the Boss, rather than Sondheim or anyone who was married to Elaine May.

Posted by Noel @ 08/30/2003 08:23 AM PST

Now them's celebrities. Springsteen's as big as they come as American rockers go. I'd say Reba is probably similarly as celebrated in the country world. And musical theatre writers? Well, none get mobbed. There was no commotion when Sondheim came to one of my shows or even when Harnick, the subject of the show (portrayed in the show, came to the revue about him and Bock. The point (that's been made countless times already) is that JRB, in his own mind is someone like Reba or the Boss, rather than Sondheim or anyone who was married to Elaine May.

Posted by Noel @ 08/30/2003 08:24 AM PST

Now them's celebrities. Springsteen's as big as they come as American rockers go. I'd say Reba is probably similarly as celebrated in the country world. And musical theatre writers? Well, none get mobbed. There was no commotion when Sondheim came to one of my shows or even when Harnick, the subject of the show (portrayed in the show, came to the revue about him and Bock. The point (that's been made countless times already) is that JRB, in his own mind is someone like Reba or the Boss, rather than Sondheim or anyone who was married to Elaine May.

Posted by Noel @ 08/30/2003 08:26 AM PST

Now them's celebrities. Springsteen's as big as they come as American rockers go. I'd say Reba is probably similarly as celebrated in the country world. And musical theatre writers? Well, none get mobbed. There was no commotion when Sondheim came to one of my shows or even when Harnick, the subject of the show (portrayed in the show, came to the revue about him and Bock. The point (that's been made countless times already) is that JRB, in his own mind is someone like Reba or the Boss, rather than Sondheim or anyone who was married to Elaine May.

Posted by Noel @ 08/30/2003 08:27 AM PST

Well this has been interesting...

Posted by Sarah @ 08/31/2003 12:22 PM PST

Wow, it's Groundhog Day AND Labor Day all rolled into one! Or all rolled into 00/00/!!

Posted by JMK @ 08/31/2003 12:43 PM PST