Well, dear readers, I hate to be a broken record, but we had more fun at rehearsal tonight. I really can’t wait to have our full cast, but I suspect the show that’s about to open is not going to ever let us see the two actors until they open. After that, they are OURS and that’s that. The only problem is that we’re off for Thanksgiving week, although if they’re available at all, I’m hoping we can get in for a day or two – if I have five or six hours, I can block all their scenes with the exception of the big courtroom scene in act two. That would be so helpful, so I suppose we’ll try and make that happen. We lost an ensemble girl, but I saw the writing on THAT wall from rehearsal one. So, we now need one gal and one guy and that will be perfect. We’re all looking at this point. We mostly ran singing and then drilling staging – I made a couple of changes, we learned a couple of new things, and I staged one scene, a very important scene for various reasons. Not the majority of the scene, mind you, just the lead into the musical number. I hadn’t actually given a single thought about how to stage it or even transition into it. But as I did the first part, the transition, that came clear to me and it worked well. Getting out of it was something else, but as I watched them run what we’d done it just hit me instantly how to transition out of it and it was, I have to say, one of those gifts from heaven ideas because it makes everything that follows work. I love when that happens. Otherwise, I am sitting here like so much fish, finishing up symphony one of Ruth Gipps, a Brit composer I absolutely love – very much in the Vaughan Williams school but with her own voice and her melodies are just so beautiful. I think I have everything released on CD and I’ve never heard a bum piece from this woman. Symphony two is now playing – I could listen to this stuff all the time and never grow tired of it. Prior to all that, I got six hours of sleep, got up and got dressed, went and got the errand out of the way, came right back home, followed an auction that made me terribly sad – the Tony Walton collection – three days of it. Interestingly, days one and two had stuff going so cheaply it just nauseated me and there was a bunch of stuff that went unsold. Yesterday was the final day and, for me, the least interesting, and yet the idiots showed up and pushed bids higher than the high estimates and the items were nowhere near as good as the previous two days. I don’t get it, but then the whole thing was a little too ghoulish for me because I really loved Tony and our friendship over thirty years. I have many wonderful notes from him, he did the covers for Unsung Sondheim, Unsung Irving Berlin, and Twiggy’s album. He was one of a kind and certainly one of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever known. In yesterday’s auction, they had book lots and there was Twiggy’s memoir signed to him so beautifully. Interestingly, not one of my books was in any of the lots and he had most of ‘em. Anyway, I had to stop following along as it was making me sick to my stomach.
For food, I tried the Big Shack Burger at Shake Shack – it’s basically their version of a Big Mac – two patties, half a bun slice in the middle, with a secret sauce. Unlike the prefab Big Mac, this thing was messy as can be, but really tasty and fresh. All the difference in the world. I had a few onion rings with it. I had some telephonic conversations, I relaxed a bit, did a little prepwork, got the “I quit” e-mail from the ensemble member, I wrote her a very sweet response, but one could tell she was not happy and after the sweet response I chose not to respond anymore. Then I got ready and moseyed on over to the theater, got everything set up and away we went. I came home right after, ordered some clam chowder and a kid pizza from BJ’s – soup was great, kid pizza is really teeny-tiny and it’s really like eating one and a half slices. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll try to have a nice ME day whilst doing a bit of prep work for tomorrow’s rehearsal, I have to go to the mail place to ship out an item, don’t know if anything is there for me, then I’ll eat something fun, I have to have a doctor call about this new medication because I’m not understanding quite what the deal is, frankly, but mostly I want to just relax and I’ll definitely watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, we rehearse from ten to one, although if we’re on a roll, I may just continue for another hour. Would be nice to stage two or three more numbers. And of course, we’ll review and drill. Then I’ll probably go out for a nice meal, then I’ll come home, and the rest of the day is mine all mine and Sunday and Monday are also mine all mine. Then Tuesday we’re back.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, try to have a nice ME day, ship a package, do some prep work, eat, set up a doctor call, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray/streaming player? I’ll start – CD, Ruth Gipps. Blu-ray, no idea. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, so happy for the little gift of an idea from heaven.