Topic: IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING I'D HAVE BAKED A TAPE (Read 28230 times)

Jrand73 · « **Reply #210 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:20:30 PM »

Thanks MATTH. I was just about to ask FJL how Randy was in WICKED.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #211 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:21:32 PM »

One more number to do in PIPPIN - of course it's "On the Right Track" - and then teaching Pippin hisseff to walk on stilts and I will be done.

Some improvements here and there - but NO MORE NEW DANCES!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #212 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:26:27 PM »

Good Evening!

What a gorgeous night it is here in The Big Apple! It almost feels like spring.. or fall... or a cool summer evening - which it is.

I ended up meeting up with some friends from college tonight. We dined at a great Italian place near Columbus Circle called Bricco. Wood-burning oven, etc. Very good food. And the limoncello was on the house! And pretty lethal too! But oh so good!

It was great catching up with them. My friend, Don, just finished his doctorate in Choral Conducting - I think - it was a voice related concentration. And my friend, Pam, is carving out quite a nice career in the opera world for herself. In fact, the upcoming production of Strauss' Capriccio is being created/mounted for her at City Opera this fall. And it looks like I'll be going opening night now.

Afterwards we walked uptown for a bit, and stopped into Tower Records. We browsed and browsed and browsed. I did not buy anything. *My rule with Tower is to only buy it on sale or online (since everything online always seems to be on sale). Don did not buy anything. Pam, however, bought a few things. One of which was a DVD of the production of Die Fledermaus that she was in at Glyndebourne. And she bought it for me.

It truly was a wonderful evening. And I hadn't really seen either of them in years. Just lots of "Hello's" passed onto each other via other people. Hopefully, we'll see more of each other once I'm back in town - back in NYC - once I'm back from Williamstown.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #213 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:31:33 PM »

Quote from: Ron Pulliam on July 28, 2005, 07:38:16 PM

Yeah...they should all be singing Britney Spears songs!

Well...

The last time I played auditions for Annie, a bunch of those little girls did indeed sing Britney Spears songs. "Lucky" seemed to be the hit at the time. And, of course, one 8(!) year-old girl came in with "Still a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" - or whatever the real title of that song is... YIKES!

Of course, the audition that is forever burned in my memory is one of an 11-year old girl singing "Dance: Ten; Looks: Three" (a.k.a. "Tits and Ass")... Complete with the monologue and the choreography. We were all so horrified that we let her do the whole number. We just had to see how far she would take it. And she took it! It was like watching a really bad accident... in slow motion.

-And what was even more amazing was that it was her mother who had taught her the number!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #214 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:36:51 PM »

As for the popularity and hype of Wicked.... Well...

All I can say at the moment is that I've been lucky to have played "Popular" and "Defying Gravity" only one time at any of the auditions I've played ever since the book vocal selections came out. And as I've mentioned before - and as DR Matthew mentioned - it's not that we're tired of hearing any of "those" songs, we're just tired of hearing them done badly. -And, on top of all that, you have to add the fact that those singers who sing "those" songs badly, have no idea that they are doing the songs a disservice.

One of the casting agents I frequently play for will only hear Wicked songs at a callback. She figures that if a person makes it past the initial screening, then she will most likely not massacre the songs.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #215 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:40:50 PM »

OH!!...

And there was also that time when this woman walked in with "I Know the Truth" from Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. It's a belter/mix song. Well... this woman's training was in opera. She had been told to find some more contemporary stuff for her "book". She happened to come across "I Know the Truth" and noticed that it sat in a mezzo-soprano range. Well..

She started singing... and I mean Singing. And when she got to the end.. "And it ha-aunts me" she sang it quite legtimately. Very hooty. One of the few times I had to stifle a laugh.

Lesson: Just because it sits in your range on the page, doesn't mean it sits in your range in your voice.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #216 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:42:34 PM »

Quote from: Jane on July 28, 2005, 05:07:56 PM

Jose, nice new avatar.

Thank you, Jane.

*And I still owe you some macaroons... Hmmm... Do you like brownies?

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #217 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:45:30 PM »

Quote from: elmore3003 on July 28, 2005, 01:32:52 PM

DRJose, you're more than welcome. I actually spent most of my morning cleaning up all the DOTD materials: filing them, rescoring the curtain calls (!), cleaning up my desk and work area. Now I feel much more organized and orderly. I'll be at the recording office with Tom tomorrow if you want to come down to 14th Street. Tomorrow night I've got a dinner date with some friends from out of town.

OK... I have to hang out here tomorrow morning waiting for some FedEx and USPS overnight packages. One of which will be the score to the show I'll be working on up at Williamstown. I'm thinking I may head down to Ripley-Grier and grab a practice room for an hour or two just to get the notes under my fingers. And, then... We'll see...

I also want to touch base with DR Ben tomorrow too if at all possible.

OH! Ben - My friend, Don, actually wants to make a trip down to Academy tomorrow. See you there at lunch?

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #218 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:46:54 PM »

DR Jason - I hope your sleep study is going well. Sleep well.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #219 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:52:01 PM »

Oh... I have to say the one thing that does bother me about Wicked are the orchestrations. The keyboard parts in particular - since my ears tend to be drawn to such things. They just seem to come and go at times from number to number. -Sorry I'm not being more articulate. And some of the synth patches are kind of outdated... And after looking at the book, and consulting with one of the keyboard players, I found out that they are using sort of "old" technology.

However... "Wonderful" (the Wizard's Song) is in my "practice book". Some of those honky-tonk piano figures are tricky!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #220 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:55:01 PM »

Oh... And as for the long-running show that will most likely be closing in September... Well... And, who knows, maybe what I heard was wrong, but since I heard the news from people involved in the production... and I don't want to speak out of turn... Or get anyone in trouble... Or...

All I will say for right now is:

(title of show)[/u] will be (title of show).

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #221 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:58:23 PM »

...And the Altar Boyz will be going to London...

Hmm... Will they make them Episcopalian across the pond instead of Catholic?

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #222 on:** July 28, 2005, 10:59:39 PM »

Quote from: JRand54 on July 28, 2005, 10:21:32 PM

One more number to do in PIPPIN - of course it's "On the Right Track" - and then teaching Pippin hisseff to walk on stilts and I will be done.

"On the Right Track" is one of my all-time favorite dance numbers to play. Once that groove gets going... it just keeps on going!

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #223 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:03:20 PM »

DR Michael Shayne - As DR Rodzinksi mentioned previously, Brooklyn - or Bklyn if you prefer - did indeed close back in June - two weeks after the Tony's I believe - the same day as the La Cage revival.

OH!!

Btw, the dates for the Fall 2005 HHW Gathering in New York City are October 3-8, 2005 - approximately - with most of the "activities" being planned for the Wednesday and Thursday of that week.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #224 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:12:10 PM »

Quote from: Rodzinski on July 28, 2005, 08:16:42 AM

Matt H-
County Fairs are still alive and well. TPunk and I have been lucky to find different ones the last couple years. We were mesmerized by the goat judging at the Ulster County Fair upstate last year.

And we went to a fair in Pennsylvania the year before. I am hungry for funnel cake just thinking about it.

Ah, yes, State Fair Food!

Fried Cheese... On A Stick!
Corndogs... On A Stick!
Frozen Cheesecake Slices... On A Stick! (Plain or Dipped in Chocolate and/or Crushed Peanuts)
Fried Snickers... On A Stick!
Fried Mars Bars... On A Stick!

Then there are the Stick-less items:
Funnel Cakes - However, some vendors now sell those pre-made, then frozen funnel cakes which they only have to warm up in an oven... PHOOEY!!
Fried Oreos
Walkin' Tacos - Open up a snack-sized bag of Fritos, pour on some chili, cheese, onions... Add a Spork! Dinner!
Freshly-fried Potato Chips - you know, the kind that are sort of very thinly spiral cut, and come in one long "chain" from time to time.
Soft-Serve Ice Cream - Cones, Sundaes, Shakes
Strawberry Shortcakes - Made with Biscuits, Soft-Serve Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberries (of course).
Gator Bites - A bit of a Southern thing. And those come on a Stick usually too.
Nachos - in all their gooey, gloppy glory!

And to wash it all down, those 48 oz. cups of Coca-Cola!

<burp>

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #225 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:12:36 PM »

Has ANN caught up yet?

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #226 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:14:35 PM »

...I first encountered Fried Cheese On A Stick at a County Fair in Goshen, Indiana. It actually looked like they had taken a brick of cheese - like you buy in the grocery store - stuck a stick in it, then battered/coated/crumbed it, then dumped it into a vat of hot oil.

I couldn't finish it.

bk · « **Reply #227 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:15:02 PM »

Walter finally arrived, and has just left, and I must now write the notes. I have to get up VERY early to finish dealing with the annoying phone call I began today.

JoseSPiano · « **Reply #228 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:18:52 PM »

However, the bocconcini appetizer I had earlier at Bricco was quite wonderful - and I had no problem finishing it. They took small balls of smoked mozzarella cheese, wrapped them in prosciutto, then placed them in a dish, covered them with a basic tomato sauce, then placed the whole thing in their wood-burning oven. Quite dee-lish! The prosciutto crisped up a bit, the cheese was at just the right "melt", and the addition of some fresh basil leaves right after it came out of the oven provided a wonderful bright and fresh note to the proceedings.

...And then I used a piece of their sun-dried tomato focaccia to mop up the rest of the sauce in the gratin dish. Yum!

Hisaka · « **Reply #229 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:56:10 PM »

DR JOSE, I’m dying for the bocconcini dish!

bk · « **Reply #230 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:56:44 PM »

Hello, darling Hisaka

bk · « **Reply #231 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:57:17 PM »

I suppose I'll post the new notes in a couple of minutes.

Hisaka · « **Reply #232 on:** July 28, 2005, 11:58:53 PM »

I suppose I'll post a few Godzilla's photos in a couple of hours.

bk · « **Reply #233 on:** July 29, 2005, 12:04:10 AM »

It's just you and me, Hisaka, you and me.

Hisaka · « **Reply #234 on:** July 29, 2005, 12:04:22 AM »

Are you OKay, dear BK?

Hisaka · « **Reply #235 on:** July 29, 2005, 12:05:00 AM »

Yes I know.

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Author Topic: IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING I'D HAVE BAKED A TAPE (Read 28230 times)