Sunday, June 26, 2005
Six Weeks
...and the teaching begins the middle of next. From June 29th through August 8th, I will have two classes to teach at CAP 21: Professional Musical Scene Study and Pre-College Acting, both of which will have 16 people in them, a fair mix of males and females,so the scene planning will go relatively easily. CAP 21's Summer Program is going full tilt and successfully, growing larger each year. I am told that there will be 80 (!) entering Freshmen in September, 2005. This is almost unbelievable.It has grown beyond anything we ever thought possible.
Meanwhile, the heat is intense and humidity high.
Peter has met and is stlll in the process of meeting more Abrams Artists agents, and there seems to be enough interest there to yield some activity later. Sooner, I hope. So does Peter. These feel like languishing days for us both.But soon my teaching will fill the days far too much and I am seeking the necessary balance while I have the time to do so, before the intense teaching schedule intrudes.
We saw BATMAN BEGINS yesterday afternoon and it was swell and fun. We sat in the cool air,eating popcorn and enjoying the dark....we have gone to the movies so rarely since we came home that i fully expected to see Abingdon when we came out of the theater, but saw Broadway and 84th Street instead. For a moment, I missed the calm and relative order of Abingdon's Main Street. But as we walked home, browsing in all the magnificent stores that line Upper Broadway, my spirits lifted.
Billy Graham, the famous and beloved minister of Christian faith, will soon be filling a local stadium with his thousands and thousands of followers and admirers. His message is love. Perhaps he will explain to the multitudes why we are killing so many people in the Middle East, and why we have managed to incur the poisonous hatred of so many around the world who feel victimized by our country's grasping and greedy way of life. Surely his message of loving your fellow man has had time to reach the ears of those among us who hate. But still homophobia, hunger, judgement and condemnation thrive, and people of all skin colors are persecuted,hurt and killed in the name of Christ everyday. So tell me, is this what Jesus had in mind?
In any event, I respect all who care, on any level, about the the spirit of man, and everyday i delve as deeply into my own spirit and purpose as I can. I simply wish we could stop killing each other. Stop hating.
Bye for now.
Meanwhile, the heat is intense and humidity high.
Peter has met and is stlll in the process of meeting more Abrams Artists agents, and there seems to be enough interest there to yield some activity later. Sooner, I hope. So does Peter. These feel like languishing days for us both.But soon my teaching will fill the days far too much and I am seeking the necessary balance while I have the time to do so, before the intense teaching schedule intrudes.
We saw BATMAN BEGINS yesterday afternoon and it was swell and fun. We sat in the cool air,eating popcorn and enjoying the dark....we have gone to the movies so rarely since we came home that i fully expected to see Abingdon when we came out of the theater, but saw Broadway and 84th Street instead. For a moment, I missed the calm and relative order of Abingdon's Main Street. But as we walked home, browsing in all the magnificent stores that line Upper Broadway, my spirits lifted.
Billy Graham, the famous and beloved minister of Christian faith, will soon be filling a local stadium with his thousands and thousands of followers and admirers. His message is love. Perhaps he will explain to the multitudes why we are killing so many people in the Middle East, and why we have managed to incur the poisonous hatred of so many around the world who feel victimized by our country's grasping and greedy way of life. Surely his message of loving your fellow man has had time to reach the ears of those among us who hate. But still homophobia, hunger, judgement and condemnation thrive, and people of all skin colors are persecuted,hurt and killed in the name of Christ everyday. So tell me, is this what Jesus had in mind?
In any event, I respect all who care, on any level, about the the spirit of man, and everyday i delve as deeply into my own spirit and purpose as I can. I simply wish we could stop killing each other. Stop hating.
Bye for now.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
A Clean Apartment....
...is one of the pure pleasures of living in NYC, because everything else around us is so dirty all the time...Steve and Paul's cleaning lady ,Letitia, has begun coming to us weekly, at least for a while, and it's amazing the difference her few hours of dusting and scrubbing, vacuuming and organizing, do for our space..it just all feels so much calmer and workable...the place seems to purr and make other contented sounds ,because someone has cared for it...Peter and I are too busy living in it...yay for Letitia....a nice woman, too.
Today at 5:00 we put together the entirety of KIKI BABY, for a small invited audience of 5 or 6 people, and the writers will get to see what the current state of the piece is. Then our work on it at this point will be done...I have enjoyed it.Peter ordered me the old novel, SING,BRAT,SING, upon which it is based , from an antique book store somewhere, and I look forward to reading it, mainly because its premise has stimulated these several artists with whom I am working and I respect their talents, so there must be an interesting fire where this particular smoke is.Thus, I will read ... also I am very curious to see what the character I am playing is like in the novel, since she is pivotal to the little girl's action in the story, yet composed of mere brushstrokes in the musical....i am now curious to know more about "Marina".
And tomorrow, I WILL SLEEP....! I want a day in bed, with the TIMES and my husband...we shall meet tomorrow night with Kate Guyton about the "company" idea Peter and she have been formulating, but it will be a leisurely business meeting over supper. There is always space down at CAP 21 for creative work, so since Kate and I are teaching there this summer, why not use some of that space to create a new company of ideas and exploration? New scripts,new music,etc...CIE...a possible name for our little venture? Isn't that French or something? CIE?
One of the traits of a Vladimir Nabakov novel, as I recall learning in college, is that characters introduced early on will often show up again, even if just to pass by in the streets of a certain scene,many chapters later in the novel...more likely, they will turn up again to play some sort of pivotal role in the story's development, but that return of the character may be small, momentary or fleeting...so like life, in which the fabric of our lives is composed of the strands of countless acquaintances, close friends,small introductions, mere noticings of a certain someone in passing....the fabric of our lives is composed of familiar threads, some obvious, some others subtle, some hardly noticed at all...that is how i felt when I happened to run into Polly Penn and Susan Blommert on the bus the other day...it fascinates me how and why we cross paths with others when we do.
Today at 5:00 we put together the entirety of KIKI BABY, for a small invited audience of 5 or 6 people, and the writers will get to see what the current state of the piece is. Then our work on it at this point will be done...I have enjoyed it.Peter ordered me the old novel, SING,BRAT,SING, upon which it is based , from an antique book store somewhere, and I look forward to reading it, mainly because its premise has stimulated these several artists with whom I am working and I respect their talents, so there must be an interesting fire where this particular smoke is.Thus, I will read ... also I am very curious to see what the character I am playing is like in the novel, since she is pivotal to the little girl's action in the story, yet composed of mere brushstrokes in the musical....i am now curious to know more about "Marina".
And tomorrow, I WILL SLEEP....! I want a day in bed, with the TIMES and my husband...we shall meet tomorrow night with Kate Guyton about the "company" idea Peter and she have been formulating, but it will be a leisurely business meeting over supper. There is always space down at CAP 21 for creative work, so since Kate and I are teaching there this summer, why not use some of that space to create a new company of ideas and exploration? New scripts,new music,etc...CIE...a possible name for our little venture? Isn't that French or something? CIE?
One of the traits of a Vladimir Nabakov novel, as I recall learning in college, is that characters introduced early on will often show up again, even if just to pass by in the streets of a certain scene,many chapters later in the novel...more likely, they will turn up again to play some sort of pivotal role in the story's development, but that return of the character may be small, momentary or fleeting...so like life, in which the fabric of our lives is composed of the strands of countless acquaintances, close friends,small introductions, mere noticings of a certain someone in passing....the fabric of our lives is composed of familiar threads, some obvious, some others subtle, some hardly noticed at all...that is how i felt when I happened to run into Polly Penn and Susan Blommert on the bus the other day...it fascinates me how and why we cross paths with others when we do.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Good Morning All....
The recent New York City stifling humid heat seems a mere memory this morning, as the sun shines brightly on a clean-washed sky-blue sparkle of a day...yesterday's rainstorm seems to have done the job that scores of City streetcleaners cannot: it has made the city seem fresh and new...and a delightful place to live. The very sight of such a morning makes me feel like diving into it, and getting things accomplished. But first, to blog:
KIKI BABY is a fascinating thing to work on, as we head for the final "read" tomorrow evening, for no one in particular.....As Lonny P. said from the start of this week, these days are for pure work on the reshaping of the piece, and the end result for this time is not a backers' audition, but rather a presentation of what we come up with throughout the week. Perhaps five or six people will be present to hear the final product of this week's work...people whose opinions the writers value in order to move ahead. That pressure being lifted, the group of talented actors and singers who have been working on it have thrown themselves totally into the creating of whatever is asked of them. It has been great to watch and be a part of such process-oriented work hours. We have one more night of work, and then some time tomorrow and we then read through the whole thing for whoever is there, sometime late in the day tomorrow. Short and sweet.
As we rev up for summer classses down at CAP 21 (they start on the 29th for me), I have begun to spend more time downtown at the studios, talking a great deal with Frank and Eliza V. Since they have been asked to write a book about the work that CAP21 has been doing with Rodgers and Hammerstein materials, both of them are highly focused , this summer, on how certain techniques developed at CAP 21 come to bear on this particular material, so we have been deep into discussions of theory and practise. I find it all so genuinely interesting, and look forward to utilizing lots of what I am discussing with them in my classes this summer. It will be an action-packed 6 weeks. And I am looking forward to it all.
Peter went into Abrams Artists(our agent Gary set up the appointment with a friend of his there) and met with one of the Vice-Presidents who, (obviously liking Peter a lot) gave his photo/res to appropriate agents in the office, and by the time Peter had been home an hour, he received several phone calls for setting up further appointments with specific departments in that agency, including Print Advertising!!! Peter makes a good impression at meetings, clearly, and people like him. The next (and constant) steps are to get our agent (s) to fill Peter's calendar with as many auditions as possible, so he can actually get some performing jobs!!!
I tend to trust these "down" times, as times in which valuable seeds are being planted, and important things are being learned, but Peter, and rightfully so, is impatient to get busy and be seen and known. Of course, I agree with him. But Gary E., our dear friend agent, does listen when Peter asks for things....at this point, it's not a question of his caring, it's a matter of whether or not he has the energies and time to accomplish what Peter needs...our agency is going through transition, and whereas an oldtime client like myself can afford to be patient, clients newer on the scene cannot be expected to have the same patience. I did not have it when I was starting out either, the patience , I mean...that has only come with age and exhaustion! In any event, all that being said, I am totally optimistic about Peter's future...and am thrilled with how he has grown and strengthened in his NYC resolve. He is in terrifc shape , on every level.
Yesteday, I had cupcakes and coffee with Chase Helton and Ryan Curry from Abingdon, both of whom were here on a show-seeing trip with their highschool class....they met me downtown at CAP 21 and we went nextdoor to the Cupcake Cafe and talked and talked and talked....what terrific young talents...delightful men. Ryan was in may shows with us all at Barter, and Chase not only was in CHRISTMAS CAROL with us, but has developed as rather a director on the local scene, by choosing and producing provocative new plays for his Drama Cub(as well as a swell MIDSUMMER'S...) that use the Barter Stage 2. These are terrific young theater artists, and they know I will do anything I can to encourage their passions...it was so wonderful to see them yesterday. They are back home in Abingdon by now, after seeing SPAMELOT last night. They are probably reading this blog right now, and if they are I say: Hi GUYS!!!
So, off into another busy day....it is so wonderfully cool , after yesterday's rain, that it will be a pleasure to walk and walk. More soon...xxev
KIKI BABY is a fascinating thing to work on, as we head for the final "read" tomorrow evening, for no one in particular.....As Lonny P. said from the start of this week, these days are for pure work on the reshaping of the piece, and the end result for this time is not a backers' audition, but rather a presentation of what we come up with throughout the week. Perhaps five or six people will be present to hear the final product of this week's work...people whose opinions the writers value in order to move ahead. That pressure being lifted, the group of talented actors and singers who have been working on it have thrown themselves totally into the creating of whatever is asked of them. It has been great to watch and be a part of such process-oriented work hours. We have one more night of work, and then some time tomorrow and we then read through the whole thing for whoever is there, sometime late in the day tomorrow. Short and sweet.
As we rev up for summer classses down at CAP 21 (they start on the 29th for me), I have begun to spend more time downtown at the studios, talking a great deal with Frank and Eliza V. Since they have been asked to write a book about the work that CAP21 has been doing with Rodgers and Hammerstein materials, both of them are highly focused , this summer, on how certain techniques developed at CAP 21 come to bear on this particular material, so we have been deep into discussions of theory and practise. I find it all so genuinely interesting, and look forward to utilizing lots of what I am discussing with them in my classes this summer. It will be an action-packed 6 weeks. And I am looking forward to it all.
Peter went into Abrams Artists(our agent Gary set up the appointment with a friend of his there) and met with one of the Vice-Presidents who, (obviously liking Peter a lot) gave his photo/res to appropriate agents in the office, and by the time Peter had been home an hour, he received several phone calls for setting up further appointments with specific departments in that agency, including Print Advertising!!! Peter makes a good impression at meetings, clearly, and people like him. The next (and constant) steps are to get our agent (s) to fill Peter's calendar with as many auditions as possible, so he can actually get some performing jobs!!!
I tend to trust these "down" times, as times in which valuable seeds are being planted, and important things are being learned, but Peter, and rightfully so, is impatient to get busy and be seen and known. Of course, I agree with him. But Gary E., our dear friend agent, does listen when Peter asks for things....at this point, it's not a question of his caring, it's a matter of whether or not he has the energies and time to accomplish what Peter needs...our agency is going through transition, and whereas an oldtime client like myself can afford to be patient, clients newer on the scene cannot be expected to have the same patience. I did not have it when I was starting out either, the patience , I mean...that has only come with age and exhaustion! In any event, all that being said, I am totally optimistic about Peter's future...and am thrilled with how he has grown and strengthened in his NYC resolve. He is in terrifc shape , on every level.
Yesteday, I had cupcakes and coffee with Chase Helton and Ryan Curry from Abingdon, both of whom were here on a show-seeing trip with their highschool class....they met me downtown at CAP 21 and we went nextdoor to the Cupcake Cafe and talked and talked and talked....what terrific young talents...delightful men. Ryan was in may shows with us all at Barter, and Chase not only was in CHRISTMAS CAROL with us, but has developed as rather a director on the local scene, by choosing and producing provocative new plays for his Drama Cub(as well as a swell MIDSUMMER'S...) that use the Barter Stage 2. These are terrific young theater artists, and they know I will do anything I can to encourage their passions...it was so wonderful to see them yesterday. They are back home in Abingdon by now, after seeing SPAMELOT last night. They are probably reading this blog right now, and if they are I say: Hi GUYS!!!
So, off into another busy day....it is so wonderfully cool , after yesterday's rain, that it will be a pleasure to walk and walk. More soon...xxev
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
KiKi Baby
...is this really interesting new musical piece I am working on, in a week-long workshop with Lonny Price, the writers Ellen Fitzhugh, Grant Sturiale, and a terrific cast, including such old pals as Adam Heller (how many men did I do Les Mis with?), his delightful wife Kerry O'Malley, Danny Gurwin (an old Michigan pal of Peter's), Bill Buell, et al....a most wonderful group...the story is based on a novel, and is a cautionary tale of what happens to a group of people (a society) when the demands of a talented, charismatic and pettish child are met above all reason or good taste...I play "Marina" a faded opera singer who mentors the child into fame...and the style of the script is rather Grand Guignol (shades of SHOCKHEADED PETER), and deeply absurdist, as the lovely music is flowing and pretty, making the entire thing all the eerier....i adore the music..i adore the story and its intention....i love the lyrics by Ellen (she wrote one of the pivotal pieces of my young time in NYC: HERRINGBONE, starring the inimitable David Rounds, now gone)so I have been a fan of hers for decades ..the entire thing is very gifted and to work on it for a week is fine with me...Broadway performers are such quick studies....it's impressive...and we are having fun.
I went to a most interesting Arts and Business Council Workshop yesterday for several hours....on BOARD ENGAGEMENT...i learned much. Frank and I had lunch afterwards and talked a lot. Today, I go to CAP 21 for a briefing from Eliza on how to teach this summer full of classes....it will be good to focus on that.
Then more KIKI BABY rehearsal tonight. We "do" it on Saturday....for whom? I don't know...maybe no one...this is definitely a work session on the piece.
Michael Jackson was acquitted of all 10 counts of child molestation and conspiracy a couple of days ago....amazing. One more large celebrity news story bites the dust..people are saying that if you want to get away with murder or child molestation, do it in California....you're sure to get off.
Peter had a very successful meeting at Abrams Artists yesterday: he met one guy (Neal?) and shortly after returning home he received calls about meeting 4 (!) other commercial agents in the office soon! I am proud of him. He really is working hard for what he wants. Of course , people will like him. He is gifted and gorgeous. Also, extremely personable in meetings. So....Abrams Artists stands to make a lot of money from engaging him...they are smart to see that, which is why they have been around for so long! Peter has been wokring out practically daily and he looks terrific, as he has been shedding poundage along with the workouts, as per our agent's suggestion. Looks absolutely yummy.
There is a jackhammer outsisde my morning window, going full tilt. What a lovely accompaniment to another sweltering day...perfect, really. Hell.
xxev
I went to a most interesting Arts and Business Council Workshop yesterday for several hours....on BOARD ENGAGEMENT...i learned much. Frank and I had lunch afterwards and talked a lot. Today, I go to CAP 21 for a briefing from Eliza on how to teach this summer full of classes....it will be good to focus on that.
Then more KIKI BABY rehearsal tonight. We "do" it on Saturday....for whom? I don't know...maybe no one...this is definitely a work session on the piece.
Michael Jackson was acquitted of all 10 counts of child molestation and conspiracy a couple of days ago....amazing. One more large celebrity news story bites the dust..people are saying that if you want to get away with murder or child molestation, do it in California....you're sure to get off.
Peter had a very successful meeting at Abrams Artists yesterday: he met one guy (Neal?) and shortly after returning home he received calls about meeting 4 (!) other commercial agents in the office soon! I am proud of him. He really is working hard for what he wants. Of course , people will like him. He is gifted and gorgeous. Also, extremely personable in meetings. So....Abrams Artists stands to make a lot of money from engaging him...they are smart to see that, which is why they have been around for so long! Peter has been wokring out practically daily and he looks terrific, as he has been shedding poundage along with the workouts, as per our agent's suggestion. Looks absolutely yummy.
There is a jackhammer outsisde my morning window, going full tilt. What a lovely accompaniment to another sweltering day...perfect, really. Hell.
xxev
Monday, June 13, 2005
Apres le deluge....
...of family, we are at calm and cool peace here at 890 West End...All the Yonka clan departed yesterday and Peter proceeded to fall deep asleep for hours on the sofa in our cool cool living room...the humid heat keeps him awake at night in our bedroom...the Yonka clan is warm and loving and fun and funny, and I now count them among my best of friends...this trip, particularly, I had the chance to speak at length with Genevieve, Pat's Mom, whom Peter lovingly calls Busia, which is Polish for Grandma...she and I sat on our bed in the night heat, and talked and talked, overhead fan going at a gentle attempt to keep us from melting...she is a genuinely strong and interesting woman who has gone through many of life's nightmare's with a generous grace and humor...to survive the suicide of a beloved son is something beyond my ability to imagine, and she is here to tell that tale, among others...I love that woman, even if she was not Peter's grandmother...All in all, as crowded as our large apartment became, it was fun and then more fun to have them all here. I am lucky to have married into such a group.
Today at 4:00, Peter and I will go see Ed Dixon's FANNY HILL in a backers' audition on Theatre Row, and I look forward to it. The last time we saw it was in a rather overblown production at Goodspeed's Theater at Chester, and though I know the cleverness and true wit of Ed's work, at that time I was dismayed at how that particular production obscured it. Today will be a better representation of this delightful show, I bet. Ed D. has such terrific writing talents, and I am sure he has gathered an impeccable cast to give it life.
After that , I must scurry over to my rehearsal for this piece I agreed to do: KIKI BABY, directed by Lonny Price. The more I read it last night, the more I liked it. And now I have to hear the score, which no doubt will enlighten me further. I look forward to that. We rehearse until 11:00! A late night for me lately. I have been such a retired slug of an actress!! But soon, classes will start and I will be too busy again...I will work to make that not so...
Tomorrow morning I have been asked to attend a workshop especially for Board Members of Non-Profit Arts Organizations...on the subject of how to create an engaged board...one that actually cares and works...from 9:30-1:00...that should actually be interesting. And then another rehearsal tomorrow night.
Our home feels so spacious after feeling so crowded with 5 guests.
Drew E. leaves for Goodspeed Opera and Julie Andrews today, and I will miss him, even though I will be watering plants and picking up his mail...he sounded so excited on his farewell phone call earlier. Actors are always having new adventures...he is about to embark on one. And Goodspeed is such a pretty place to work.
More later, dear readers. xxev
Today at 4:00, Peter and I will go see Ed Dixon's FANNY HILL in a backers' audition on Theatre Row, and I look forward to it. The last time we saw it was in a rather overblown production at Goodspeed's Theater at Chester, and though I know the cleverness and true wit of Ed's work, at that time I was dismayed at how that particular production obscured it. Today will be a better representation of this delightful show, I bet. Ed D. has such terrific writing talents, and I am sure he has gathered an impeccable cast to give it life.
After that , I must scurry over to my rehearsal for this piece I agreed to do: KIKI BABY, directed by Lonny Price. The more I read it last night, the more I liked it. And now I have to hear the score, which no doubt will enlighten me further. I look forward to that. We rehearse until 11:00! A late night for me lately. I have been such a retired slug of an actress!! But soon, classes will start and I will be too busy again...I will work to make that not so...
Tomorrow morning I have been asked to attend a workshop especially for Board Members of Non-Profit Arts Organizations...on the subject of how to create an engaged board...one that actually cares and works...from 9:30-1:00...that should actually be interesting. And then another rehearsal tomorrow night.
Our home feels so spacious after feeling so crowded with 5 guests.
Drew E. leaves for Goodspeed Opera and Julie Andrews today, and I will miss him, even though I will be watering plants and picking up his mail...he sounded so excited on his farewell phone call earlier. Actors are always having new adventures...he is about to embark on one. And Goodspeed is such a pretty place to work.
More later, dear readers. xxev
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Summer In The City!
I've failed to mention the latest weather....one tends to forget painful things, like childbirth I am told, and this weather lately has been painful...the sort of weather it's wise to stay inside in front of the air conditioner during...hot, hot, hot and humid, humid, too damned humid...the mornings have contained a few fresh breezes, but by late morning, it has become a moist bath of steamy hell...my favorite image: it's like walking through someone's nose! Vile and dispiriting. I do not work well in humid heat. Unless I am by a pool of water with a cold drink in my hand...it need not be alchoholic. Especially as I may pour it on myself in a moment of heated pique....you get the idea....NYC is having a terrible early summer heatwave...the city cooks and boils in it. I love my living room air conditioner. I mean, really, I love it.
En famille, we went down to the Ground Zero site yesterday, and it was an emotional experience for all. Since the very day of 9-11, neither Peter nor I have ever goone down there. So, this was our first view of even the site that the attacks occured, and I was mostly amazed at how small the site itself is...how contained. Of course, the World Trade Center was enormously tall, in fact, the two tallest points on the cityscape...so the planes zeroed specifically in on those two peaks, not even expecting the buildings to fall at all....and when they did fall, they fell, I gather, rather straight down, containing the destruction within the footprint of the Towers themselves...of course there was peripheral damage to other buildings, but the site itself seems so small,especially now that it is cleaned up and organized into recontruction plots....so...i dunno...so contained within the cage of other tall buildings...so specific...I was amazed. And I cried. I kept hearing screams in my head, and images of smoke and people flying out of buildings...it was all sunny and calm down there yesterday, but i was awash in sensory images that were quite noisy. It now seems impossible such a thing ever occurred. Life is like that.
We lunched at a swell Chinese place in 2 World Financial Center, and snooped around the Winter Garden under the indoor palm trees. I love this family I have married into. Such a game and interested family.Interested in life!
I got a call yesterday from Jeff Passero, an LA Casting Agent, who is assisting his pal Lonny Price in casting a reading of a new musical....Ruth Henshel (sp.?)dropped out for some reason and they needed me (or someone like me)right away...i have total availability next week, and so I said yes...i will receive the script from LA sometime this weekend....I love dear Lonny (we did RAGS together, went through that particular hell) and have not worked with him since...so this will be fun. I wonder if the show is good. We shall see. I hope it is worth coming out of my semi-retired state for...
And out into the heat of the city.....
The SOUTH PACIFIC at Carnegie Hall got a terrific review from the Times, even mentioning the lovely male chorus, and how great they sounded and looked in their black t-shirts! This one small event seems to have been popular with all who saw it. Peter seems glad.
Me too.
En famille, we went down to the Ground Zero site yesterday, and it was an emotional experience for all. Since the very day of 9-11, neither Peter nor I have ever goone down there. So, this was our first view of even the site that the attacks occured, and I was mostly amazed at how small the site itself is...how contained. Of course, the World Trade Center was enormously tall, in fact, the two tallest points on the cityscape...so the planes zeroed specifically in on those two peaks, not even expecting the buildings to fall at all....and when they did fall, they fell, I gather, rather straight down, containing the destruction within the footprint of the Towers themselves...of course there was peripheral damage to other buildings, but the site itself seems so small,especially now that it is cleaned up and organized into recontruction plots....so...i dunno...so contained within the cage of other tall buildings...so specific...I was amazed. And I cried. I kept hearing screams in my head, and images of smoke and people flying out of buildings...it was all sunny and calm down there yesterday, but i was awash in sensory images that were quite noisy. It now seems impossible such a thing ever occurred. Life is like that.
We lunched at a swell Chinese place in 2 World Financial Center, and snooped around the Winter Garden under the indoor palm trees. I love this family I have married into. Such a game and interested family.Interested in life!
I got a call yesterday from Jeff Passero, an LA Casting Agent, who is assisting his pal Lonny Price in casting a reading of a new musical....Ruth Henshel (sp.?)dropped out for some reason and they needed me (or someone like me)right away...i have total availability next week, and so I said yes...i will receive the script from LA sometime this weekend....I love dear Lonny (we did RAGS together, went through that particular hell) and have not worked with him since...so this will be fun. I wonder if the show is good. We shall see. I hope it is worth coming out of my semi-retired state for...
And out into the heat of the city.....
The SOUTH PACIFIC at Carnegie Hall got a terrific review from the Times, even mentioning the lovely male chorus, and how great they sounded and looked in their black t-shirts! This one small event seems to have been popular with all who saw it. Peter seems glad.
Me too.
Friday, June 10, 2005
SOUTH PACIFIC continued...
Yeah...it was pretty great, and Peter said the performance last night with the paying audience, was packed to the walls of that great Hall, and that they loved it. Reviews have been good on this special evening, and Peter had a good time doing it.
As you can tell from my blog of yesterday, I was very moved by the event, and came away with a deep admiration for Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jason Danieli, and that lovely Reba...I was also once more reminded of how tasteful and appropriate my husband is in everything he performs : no matter how supporting the part, he makes it count and he does it in a way that is true and resonant.
The performance was, I once again hasten to state, supported by the most lush of orchestral sounds, as there must have been at least 40 (Peter told me 45) musicians, all of whom gifted and expressive. And the lighting was very pretty, as scenes changed. So the thing was magnificent to see and to hear.
But the thing that got to me most was how much I have missed hearing and performing with voices like the ones I heard yesterday morning. I remember vividly what it felt like to stand stage left in BIG RIVER and listen to the dear (departed now) Ron Richardson sing FREE AT LAST...the song, and that voice made tears involuntarily stream down my face, and before I went back onstage I always had to repair my makeup!! Good, large, true and luscious voices must be used in the true singing of any great musical. To cast inferior voices is an art crime of the highest order. I had lost sight of that truth.
AND, how careful one must be in the cutting and reshaping of any classical musical, if one plans to direct and produce it. I now realize what a disservice we may do to a show if we do not trust the power inherent in it's original shape and in how the orchestations, as originally written, aid and serve the dramatic development of the story. But if you do not not have the orchestra,or the voices, and do not trust the book, you can make severe mistakes in the story-telling. I see that now.
Sure, one can "make do", but after seeing and hearing the SOUTH PACIFIC, I asked myself "WHY?"...a lesson learned. Really,what are we in this art form for if not to do our best with the best? Even to aspire to the sort of work Brian Stokes Mitchell produces means that one must work harder to produce the best, no matter how futile that struggle may seem to be at times... because one experience of sitting in the presence of such a gift is more important that I had remembered. All the rest is just trying.
I will do a reading of a new musical next week for Lonny Price. More on that later.
For now...love.
As you can tell from my blog of yesterday, I was very moved by the event, and came away with a deep admiration for Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jason Danieli, and that lovely Reba...I was also once more reminded of how tasteful and appropriate my husband is in everything he performs : no matter how supporting the part, he makes it count and he does it in a way that is true and resonant.
The performance was, I once again hasten to state, supported by the most lush of orchestral sounds, as there must have been at least 40 (Peter told me 45) musicians, all of whom gifted and expressive. And the lighting was very pretty, as scenes changed. So the thing was magnificent to see and to hear.
But the thing that got to me most was how much I have missed hearing and performing with voices like the ones I heard yesterday morning. I remember vividly what it felt like to stand stage left in BIG RIVER and listen to the dear (departed now) Ron Richardson sing FREE AT LAST...the song, and that voice made tears involuntarily stream down my face, and before I went back onstage I always had to repair my makeup!! Good, large, true and luscious voices must be used in the true singing of any great musical. To cast inferior voices is an art crime of the highest order. I had lost sight of that truth.
AND, how careful one must be in the cutting and reshaping of any classical musical, if one plans to direct and produce it. I now realize what a disservice we may do to a show if we do not trust the power inherent in it's original shape and in how the orchestations, as originally written, aid and serve the dramatic development of the story. But if you do not not have the orchestra,or the voices, and do not trust the book, you can make severe mistakes in the story-telling. I see that now.
Sure, one can "make do", but after seeing and hearing the SOUTH PACIFIC, I asked myself "WHY?"...a lesson learned. Really,what are we in this art form for if not to do our best with the best? Even to aspire to the sort of work Brian Stokes Mitchell produces means that one must work harder to produce the best, no matter how futile that struggle may seem to be at times... because one experience of sitting in the presence of such a gift is more important that I had remembered. All the rest is just trying.
I will do a reading of a new musical next week for Lonny Price. More on that later.
For now...love.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Almost Heaven, South Pacific....
..and one of the most wonderful casts of people who could possibly perform this lovely musical in this day and age: the charming and natural Reba MacEntire as "Nellie"....so perfectly simple and true...an "Emil" performed by Brian Stokes Mitchell so wonderfully, that I cannot imagine a better portrayal anywhere at any time....his voice was astonishingly full and lush in the famous Hall, and he acted the role with such sweetness and genuine sorrow, that the tragedy of the man filled the entire full rendition of THIS NEARLY WAS MINE so brilliantly that the audience stood at the end...."stopped the show" took on a whole new meaning...he stopped the show while moving the story ahead better than I ever thought possible for this particular script...it was a great moment...OH! SORRY!
I am gushing on and on about the dress rehearsal I saw this morning of SOUTH PACIFIC at Carnegie Hall that Peter is in...tonight's audience will have paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars for the privilege of sitting and experiencing what we did this morning, and I am most grateful for the chance to have seen it for the price of a free ticket....GREAT PERFORMANCES is filming it for airing in 2006, so they shot this morning's full-house rehearsal, and will shoot the performance tonight as well.They are in for quite a special thing.
I have much to say about what I saw today...not the least of which has to do with how wonderful Peter looked up there, gorgeous in his black tux and black tank tee shirt underneath...very sexy...but more to the point, his presence and the acting he managed to fill the chorus moments with made me realize the difference between what is commonly referred to as "schmacting" and the real thing....he is such a true talent. Even in a chorus of 40 men, he is genuinely unique. I was proud. He looked and was terrific....anyway....more on all this later...especially about the book and the original orchestrations that were realized by the most wonderful orchestra...wow! A real gifted string section, and a truly fine full orchestral sound...I had forgotten what that is like, and I ashamed to say...well.there is much to say and I will say it in the next blog entry...for now....time to be with the Yonkas, all of whom came and were able to see the dress rehearsal this morning too....talk about happiness....pure unadulterated joy....I am so glad they came to see it, and could get in!!!!
So now, I must go be with family...more tomorrow,...xxev
I am gushing on and on about the dress rehearsal I saw this morning of SOUTH PACIFIC at Carnegie Hall that Peter is in...tonight's audience will have paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars for the privilege of sitting and experiencing what we did this morning, and I am most grateful for the chance to have seen it for the price of a free ticket....GREAT PERFORMANCES is filming it for airing in 2006, so they shot this morning's full-house rehearsal, and will shoot the performance tonight as well.They are in for quite a special thing.
I have much to say about what I saw today...not the least of which has to do with how wonderful Peter looked up there, gorgeous in his black tux and black tank tee shirt underneath...very sexy...but more to the point, his presence and the acting he managed to fill the chorus moments with made me realize the difference between what is commonly referred to as "schmacting" and the real thing....he is such a true talent. Even in a chorus of 40 men, he is genuinely unique. I was proud. He looked and was terrific....anyway....more on all this later...especially about the book and the original orchestrations that were realized by the most wonderful orchestra...wow! A real gifted string section, and a truly fine full orchestral sound...I had forgotten what that is like, and I ashamed to say...well.there is much to say and I will say it in the next blog entry...for now....time to be with the Yonkas, all of whom came and were able to see the dress rehearsal this morning too....talk about happiness....pure unadulterated joy....I am so glad they came to see it, and could get in!!!!
So now, I must go be with family...more tomorrow,...xxev
Monday, June 06, 2005
My 2 Cents...
...about the 2005 Tony Awards...well, at least I can continue with my acting career...Vicky Clark was dear in her acceptance speech,acknowledging her 10-year old son as her inspiration..I do wish her co-star Kelly O'Hara had won instead of the obviously fun and talented Sarah Ramirez for SPAMELOT, only because I loved Kelly in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA so dearly ....and the art it takes to do what she did....on the other hand, who am I to say what art is? Really..Though, I am reasonably sure that Matthew Morrison's job is more subtle and more difficult than the guy's who won Best Supporting for SPELLING BEE...(I cannot remember his name)...and so I do wish Matt Morrison had been more clearly recognized...well, at least Adam Guettel's genius was rewarded, and today I will listen to his PIAZZA music all day...SPAMELOT's winning Best Musical is a blatant bone to the road producers who stand to make a deal of money off of its tour, but it is, I am told, a charming evening...and I do want to see it...but in terms of BEST? Not even in the same class as PIAZZA, and yet "art" being democratic, class has nothing to do with it, nor should it.
I had not meant to be mean when I said I would quite acting if Christina Applegate won for CHARITY... I am sure she is a delight, and so she appeared in her number last evening...but, really, now come on...where was the grit and worn-edged weariness of the sort of "Charity Hope Valentine" that was so brilliantly created by Gwen Verdon? Which is not to say Verdon was the definitive, but at least she embodied the genuine plight of a woman so down on her luck and hope, that when she finally burst forth with I'M A BRASS BAND, you wept with joy at her salvation...Christina Applegate looks as if she has never suffered a day in her life, her stage accident leg injury notwithstanding. I mean, why would "Oscar" leave such a doll? And all the Big Spender girls looked so gorgeous...so young and desirable...where was the seediness? The neediness? The tackiness...the hopelessness...? So, my sincere apologies to Ms. Applegate.
Watching the Tony Awards in our comfortable living room last night, Peter and I realized it was the first time we have seen them in NYC in so long! I was actually interested in them again...last year, I think I was upstairs reading all evening...being in Abingdon was being sooooooo far away from them...the vibe to watch and care was proportionately weaker...but last night? It was fun again.We even watched it by phone with Drew E., calling each other on the phone during commercials and commenting on peoples' fashion sense and talents...so very NYC! And fun! Drew had taken us to a most wonderful dinner earlier at MaMa Mexico's and we did drink many margueritas!! Yummy and ole!Thank you Drew...he leaves for Goodspeed next monday..I shall pick up his mail and water his plants...with love.
Peter is at SOUTH PACIFIC all day today...what fun for him. I shall be a good wife and shop and clean and prepare the place for our gathering this evening: Elyzabeth Wilder (in from L.A.), Kate Guyton and us...we will read Elyzabeth's new play out loud, the one that will be produced later in the summer at Alabama Shakespeare. But it is mainly a social evening. We have not seen EW in a long time, and catching up is essential. And so we shall.
Much to do...great day to all...xxev
I had not meant to be mean when I said I would quite acting if Christina Applegate won for CHARITY... I am sure she is a delight, and so she appeared in her number last evening...but, really, now come on...where was the grit and worn-edged weariness of the sort of "Charity Hope Valentine" that was so brilliantly created by Gwen Verdon? Which is not to say Verdon was the definitive, but at least she embodied the genuine plight of a woman so down on her luck and hope, that when she finally burst forth with I'M A BRASS BAND, you wept with joy at her salvation...Christina Applegate looks as if she has never suffered a day in her life, her stage accident leg injury notwithstanding. I mean, why would "Oscar" leave such a doll? And all the Big Spender girls looked so gorgeous...so young and desirable...where was the seediness? The neediness? The tackiness...the hopelessness...? So, my sincere apologies to Ms. Applegate.
Watching the Tony Awards in our comfortable living room last night, Peter and I realized it was the first time we have seen them in NYC in so long! I was actually interested in them again...last year, I think I was upstairs reading all evening...being in Abingdon was being sooooooo far away from them...the vibe to watch and care was proportionately weaker...but last night? It was fun again.We even watched it by phone with Drew E., calling each other on the phone during commercials and commenting on peoples' fashion sense and talents...so very NYC! And fun! Drew had taken us to a most wonderful dinner earlier at MaMa Mexico's and we did drink many margueritas!! Yummy and ole!Thank you Drew...he leaves for Goodspeed next monday..I shall pick up his mail and water his plants...with love.
Peter is at SOUTH PACIFIC all day today...what fun for him. I shall be a good wife and shop and clean and prepare the place for our gathering this evening: Elyzabeth Wilder (in from L.A.), Kate Guyton and us...we will read Elyzabeth's new play out loud, the one that will be produced later in the summer at Alabama Shakespeare. But it is mainly a social evening. We have not seen EW in a long time, and catching up is essential. And so we shall.
Much to do...great day to all...xxev
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Charles Busch and the movies...
....are two words I would not have anticipated writing in the same sentence anytime soon, but, as art and career would have it, here I am typing them...becuase i did have the most wonderful time in an audition rom with Charles Busch yesterday, trying on the role of "Betty" in the movie he wrote called A VERY IMPORTANT PERSON, casting by Carol Hanzel, who it was also good to see again after these years away. I had such a terrific time in the room, and could so easily play that role of the housekeeper, if I am in the way of the physical type he wants...that being said, since it was clear he and his coleagues enjoyed me very much, and my take on the role as well, having had such a good collaborative time in the audition was quite enough for me to feel better that I have felt about my work in a while...I am also cognizant that it takes so little to really make me feel creative again, and it does not necessarily come in the form of an actual job offer...all it takes is some sort of creative engagement in something I admire, even if only for a short time...like that hourlong audition process....even reading the script in prep for it made me feel good, because the script is good...and working even for a short time with a man like Charles B.
I went up on the elevator with the yummy Roberta Maxwell (who I have known since my days as a journeyman at The Guthrie Theater), and we had fun catching up on life and chatting away...in the waiting room were two more devine character actressess: Mary Stout and Joyce Rheeling, and I have seen neither of them in years, so that was really fun...we talked and talked, and I decided we need to put together an evening about middle-aged character women....Ed D. could write an opening song called "Character", as only he could write it, and off we would go! What an engaging evening in the theater that could be....even if just told the stories of the 4 of us who were sitting in that room yesterday....and I might add: any of these women could play the role of "Betty" wonderfully....I woul dbe swell, but then so would they be...so with this point of view on the work, where is my real passion in relationship to it? I do not have the needs I used to have to get that job....or any acting job...I have other things I want to do...this remains a true thing, ever since my return from Barter.
Have been hearing from Perry Morgan (Barter Musical Director who is currently earning his MFA at Naropa University), and i do miss his adorable silliness..also hearing from his talented wife Jo Hall, who works no matter where she is...a British actress of range and depth...I do hope our paths cross again soon with those two...and more thatn almost anything, I envy Perry's time at Naropa, a Buddhist University....how amazing that must be.
Tony Awards Sunday night....all the usual suspects...SPAMELOT will win, no matter how brilliant THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, and if Christina Applegate beats Vicky Clark I will officially quite show business...that being said, I am sure Applegate is swell in SWEET CHARITY and adorable....and I wish her the best....but Victoria CLark is miraculous in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA....yes,miraculous...a rare and what I would call an "inhabited" performance...this character she plays comes home to roost inside her, and we see the world and hear the music through her eyes and ears...I rarely experience that in the theater, so when i do I am grateful ...BRAVO to them all...awards are silly...apples and oranges...and as a publicity gimmick? Well, why not? Broadway is so ridiculously expensive to produce, let them get business any way they can, short of something illegal, and whereas the Tony's are often boring, that has yet to be deemed against the law.
We spend this weekend in the City. Yay.
I went up on the elevator with the yummy Roberta Maxwell (who I have known since my days as a journeyman at The Guthrie Theater), and we had fun catching up on life and chatting away...in the waiting room were two more devine character actressess: Mary Stout and Joyce Rheeling, and I have seen neither of them in years, so that was really fun...we talked and talked, and I decided we need to put together an evening about middle-aged character women....Ed D. could write an opening song called "Character", as only he could write it, and off we would go! What an engaging evening in the theater that could be....even if just told the stories of the 4 of us who were sitting in that room yesterday....and I might add: any of these women could play the role of "Betty" wonderfully....I woul dbe swell, but then so would they be...so with this point of view on the work, where is my real passion in relationship to it? I do not have the needs I used to have to get that job....or any acting job...I have other things I want to do...this remains a true thing, ever since my return from Barter.
Have been hearing from Perry Morgan (Barter Musical Director who is currently earning his MFA at Naropa University), and i do miss his adorable silliness..also hearing from his talented wife Jo Hall, who works no matter where she is...a British actress of range and depth...I do hope our paths cross again soon with those two...and more thatn almost anything, I envy Perry's time at Naropa, a Buddhist University....how amazing that must be.
Tony Awards Sunday night....all the usual suspects...SPAMELOT will win, no matter how brilliant THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, and if Christina Applegate beats Vicky Clark I will officially quite show business...that being said, I am sure Applegate is swell in SWEET CHARITY and adorable....and I wish her the best....but Victoria CLark is miraculous in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA....yes,miraculous...a rare and what I would call an "inhabited" performance...this character she plays comes home to roost inside her, and we see the world and hear the music through her eyes and ears...I rarely experience that in the theater, so when i do I am grateful ...BRAVO to them all...awards are silly...apples and oranges...and as a publicity gimmick? Well, why not? Broadway is so ridiculously expensive to produce, let them get business any way they can, short of something illegal, and whereas the Tony's are often boring, that has yet to be deemed against the law.
We spend this weekend in the City. Yay.
