Greetings from Chicago! I'm back from a rehearsal with the Plaids and the cast with piano, bass, drums, and guitar. Christine Ebersole is a delight, and DRGinny, without makeup, Christine's a dead ringer for Geri Hart!
DRJoy, I can recommend a lady for you about the Lena Horne role: Montego Glover, who's in this concert: she's beautiful, friendly and funny, an excellent singer and dancer. She and the Plaids are doing "Gotta Have Me Go With You" and we're using the orchestration from the "soundtrack" recording. The Plaids are also doing "Two Ladies in the Shade of the Banana Tree" and "You're A Builder Upper." This concert is looking quite good.
We've had one casualty: our librarian Sue Birch fell last night and broke her ankle, so I think I'll be helping her out tomorrow night backstage. Tonight I'm having dinner with the Gershwin family, the Kimballs, Betty Auman, and God knows who else.
DRJose, I decided I didn't like the DARLING OF THE DAY experience to want to either see the production and what was done to my work or deal with the Light Opera Works people. Since the word's gotten back to me that one problem was my not delivering the completed orchestration last April - and this coming from the person who has been unable since Oct 2004 to provide a contract with the July Styne office - I suspect my work on this show is completed. I don't have time to revisit such angst when I'm having a great time with Arlen, Gershwin, Harburg and others.