Good morning, all! I am nearly packed for my trip to Amherst, home of Miss Emily Dickinson, and I hope I have a great time with my friend Joseph Rubin. Bruce Pomahac wanted to come along but he had other plans. The reason for my trip is that I had been thinking about going to look at the Samuel French collection for some time and, when I heard that Joseph was renting a car and driving up, I invited myself along. I met Joseph through Bruce Pomahac, who had befriended Joseph and his mother when he was still a high school student in Canton, OH. Joseph is now a grad student in theatre production at NYU and he's currently working on an edition of the original 1902-1903 WIZARD OF OZ. I am acting as adviser and music editor for him and encouraging his research into early American musical theatre and restoration. Someone has to take over when I'm gone, and I could not ask for two better heirs than Joseph and Joshie.
I have my scores for OZ all packed up since I have things to talk to Joseph about and we've got plenty of other things to dish: the new MLLE MODISTE recording, the Feb 1 Victor Herbert concert, how his NAUGHTY MARIETTA concert went in Flordia, etc. I'm sorry his girlfriend isn't coming along because I haven't yet met her and I would like to thank her for giving me her ticket to the NY Pops concert for the Mercer birthday concert.
So, God willing, I'll be posting again on Tuesday, unless the hotel in Amherst has a computer service.
