Haines His Way

And one for Mahler! (Who was always kempt.)

Insurance Salespeople Line Dancing!!!

I read that as mice-ing thinking that there were little tiny mice running around.

And I thought I was the only one......

You remember naked; I remember spandex shorts or something similar.  And that's what makes horse races!  

And seeing what he is wearing in some of the pictures (courtesy of the link that dear reader MBarnum sent), I think we BOTH might have been correct, DR DTM!  

You remember naked; I remember spandex shorts or something similar.  And that's what makes horse races!  

And seeing what he is wearing in some of the pictures (courtesy of the link that dear reader MBarnum sent), I think we BOTH might have been correct, DR DTM!  

I never forget naked, DR Stuart!  

DR Stuart,

I just sent you a rather private e-mail, then realized you're at work. Think twice before opening it.

Quote

from: Jennifer on Today at 10:13:35am ]
I read that as mice-ing thinking that there were little tiny mice running around.

And I thought I was the only one......

No...I was really scrambling to imagine micing as a practice in NYC...and, of course, it didn't seem like a stretch as there's probably plenty of rodent life there.

But in my day, a microphone, and the practice of using one, was called a "mike" and "miking"....the "c" turning into a "k" in the abbreviated forms of the word.

Things may have changed, though...

Okay... is it spelled "mikeing" or "miking"?  "Mic"  is short for microphone so how do you spell it when you change it to other parts of speech?

For those of you who didn't follow the link to Michael  Riedel's column that was posted back on page 2, it states that in the new production of DRACULA now in previews Melissa Errico goes topless and Kelli O'Hara is totally nude... for evening performances only.  They are both fully dressed at matinees.  Now I have nothing against nudity in the theatre if it is germaine to the character or plot, but how can it be germaine to the character or plot at night but not in the afternoon?  I would have expected more of Melissa... when she was the special guest in chat here a couple of years ago she seemed like a nice sensible woman.  Is she that desperate for work that she is willing to participate in this obvious attempt to sell tickets to a bomb?  Doesn't she realize that if the nudity can easily be eliminated that it is being used to sell tickets and is not necessary to the show?  I am afraid that if this is a show that the critics hate but sells out at night (by selling out) then it might start a trend.  In upcoming musicals might one see a topless Mary Poppins at night or a nocturnal naked Truly Scrumptious?

DR WEL, i just looked it up and while you can write "mic" or "mike" the variations are "miked", "miking", "mikes".

Good Morning!  Well, almost Good Afternoon!

I was actually walking by Musso & Frank yesterday, and had wondered why the What If? gang hasn't supped there yet.  I look forward to returning there.

The mics (or mikes, if you prefer) did introduce a small wrinkle into last night's rehearsal/run-thru, but everyone seemed to deal with it.  One advantage the mics have provided me with is that I can now play out a bit instead of holding back to hear some of the singers every now and then.  With my placement on the stage, I'm basically behind the singers most of the time.  So with them singing out towards the audience, there were times when I was straining to hear them in the quieter sections, but not last night.  *One of the speakers is above my head.

It really is an interesting space.  Yes, a show in there could be done without microphones, but it's not really an acoustically designed space.  The natural ambiance of the room actually has a muffled and slightly-fuzzy quality to it.  If it was a cleaner acoustic, then maybe we could drop the use of the mics, but...  As BK mentioned, the mics will only be used to enhance the sound, not amplify it.

All in all, I felt better after last night's rehearsal.  With this type of show, and with all the various types of material, the rehearsals with the singers help me more than my own practice.  There are some nice, intimate, personal moments in a show, and the run-thrus this week have made it eaiser for me to "read" where the singers are going (as their renditions have been developing) - and when I need to lay back and when I need to supprt them.  Practice makes perfect.

As for DRACULA...

I'm not sure I would call Melissa Errico "desperate"...  I think she's just going along with the director's vision of the piece - or at least giving it a try.  Heck, she was naked for a few moments when she played Dot in the Kennedy Center's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE two summers ago.

As for the nudity in general... Who knows what goes on in the mind of the creative team during a rehearsal and preview period?  Nudity could very well work in a retelling of the Dracula story, but whether or not it really works in this re-telling... we shall see...

Also keep in mind, the reports have both leading ladies showing some skin at some point during the evening, not just Melissa Errico.  Kelli O'Hara supposedly is "sans nightgown" during one of her encounters with the Count.

Can't say I'm starting to crack under all this pressure.  Honestly, I've cracked under all this pressure.  I snapped at a particularly timid performer and raised my voice to deliver a tirade in front of the entire class.

The two different over-stuffed cabaret shows are Sunday and Tuesday night, so we're getting down to the nitty gritty.  There's 26 songs in one cabaret and 23 in the other, so I've a lot of things to keep in my head.  Such as everybody's tempo.

Each moment I'm there I try to be as supportive as possible to all the neophyte singers, many of whom are understandably nervous or bewildered by the whole process.  Today I failed.

On the program, it says I'm the musical director.  There's a director and a choreographer credited as well.  On the back of the program, the entire faculty is listed, including a voice teacher, who, for purposes of this recap, I'll call Reed Williams.

We had limited time this morning to cover about a third of the songs, so I was happy to see a relatively simple one, Sondheim's Love Is in the Air, which, thankfully, we've always done in the same tempo.  Except today, the singer asked me if we could do it slower.

Now, the singer couldn't have known that I had compartive adverbs.  "Slower" is meaningless to me.  "Slower" than a speeding bullet - THAT I can understand.  But, before I could ask the necessary follow-up question, "slower than what?" the singer contined "Reed Williams said it should be slower."

I saw red.

"This is not OK with me.  Let's hear it once again in the tempo we've been doing it in and then we'll see if a change needs to be made."

But the director noticed the singer's lip quivering as I played the first bars (as I always have - in fact I've never even heard any other tempo; I first heard the song played by Sondheim himself in his talk at the "Y").  And I leaped in to explain:

"I'm sorry, folks, and this has nothing to do with you, who are, as they say in the phrase 'don't kill the messenger' just the messenger.  You've done nothing wrong.  But I just snapped because I'm hearing, a few days before, that Reed Williams has suggested a new tempo.  And if you read your program, it says that I'M musical director if this show.  So, if a tempo is right or wrong, I get the credit or blame.  It's my responsibility, ultimately, and I'm not averse to trying new things at this point, but you must understand what it means to me to have to deal with a suggestion from somebody who has not even heard me play the song."

The director then marched off to give our boss an earful.  I waited two and a half hours to more calmly do the same.  (Mr. Williams wasn't present today.)

It's not that I'm keen on having all this authority.  If Reed wants to set tempos, list him as musical director, me as accompanist, and I'll simply follow orders.  But, this being an educational program, what are we teaching the students if the hierarchy of the theatre can be so subverted?

Yeah the Riedel column I linked to earlier mentioned that both actresses take off their clothes.

The thing I find interesting is that usually it is very artistic pieces that have nudity in them.  Well, then what is Wildhorn doing using it?  I don't mean to be offensive, but his musicals usually appeal to the masses.

So what I wonder if what would have happened if either actress had said they wouldn't get naked on stage?

Isn't it amazing how much kids like cartoons and dvds?  I was absolutely amazed.  Adults watch a dvd maybe once or twice.  But kids play theirs over and over.  They sure do get their money's worth (not that they pay, but you know what I mean).

And speaking of kids, I miss my two little ones who went home last week.