Chance = Change

Sometime during the rehearsal day on Saturday I went outside and walked around the amazing building we were working in...the steel roof, enormous, was created in waves of metal, that swooped and flowed and flew and undulated like the sheerest of fabrics, and the spirit of the thing was like that of a soaring bird, lifted from underneath its enormous wings by the breath of art...there was no way i was not going to touch that steel material, and so I did, and it almost soft to the touch it was so alive...visually extremely compelling, and every corner i looked at was filled with some sort of intriguing arrangement of the steel with its bolts, seams, and concrete joining together to keep the roof onto the building itself. There was never a dull or uninteresting spot in the entire construction, as I viewed it, and my walk around the building on the outside was like visiting an interesting foregin country. The story about this particular concert hall is that Gehry, used to building these things in warmer climates (like that Guggenheim in Spain) did not remember about the ice and snow that blanket this part of New York State in winter, so it becomes dangerous because once ice and snow lodge in the curvaceous roof, then melt a bit, walkers-by can get bopped on the head with sliding pieces of ice, so during the winter, they put a fenced-in area around the building so people cannot get to close to it! The smooth shiny steel surfaces are perfect sleds for whatever wishes to slide off it! Whoops....watch out for dangerous icicles!

But on that sweltering August Saturday afternoon, i was in architecture heaven and close enough to the building to hug it! So...i did.

The Sunday 3:00 pm concert was sold out, as far as we could see, and even the highest balcony seats were filled. There was a sense of expectancy in the air, and i imagine many theatre "geeks" were there to hear this rare presentation of what some consider to be a great old and forgotten show. I imagined many hidden personal video cameras filming us as we worked, so that blackmarket tapes could be traded and sold on e-bay and other places later...i would not be surprised...because of its rarity, the event did have a sense of minor importance...all we were concerned with was getting through the difficult pages ahead...some 500 of them! And to come out at the same ending point as the orchestra! We did do that.

Our orderly lines of singers walked solemnly out to assigned chairs, the audience applauded loudly...and the Overture was exciting, as it seemed to announce to us: "Here we go, there is no turning back or stopping now, you guys!!" And we were off! And, at times it seemed, the show actually lifted off the ground with possibility....my "Mother Hare" character seemed to gain the approval of the crowd early on, and my final exit after giving the apple to the town's ladies got hearty applause...i did feel good about the way the role sounded in my voice, and i created a full , extravagant character of this interesting old seeress of the town of Angels Roost....people liked my work. And it certainly did sound good all the way around.

Howard M. and Christa M. were glorious sounding, and Kate Bladwin has such charm and beauty. LAZY AFTERNOON was beautiful.

So, Pearl's Weekend and THE GOLDEN APPLE weekend,,,sort of like a small summer stock gig for both Peter and me....ANYTHING GOES and GOLDEN APPLE, too oldies but goodies...time for a relaxing Labor Day Weekend!!!

....so, Peter and I met the large bus that took us to the Bard on Saturday morning, at the corner of 96th and Broadway, at 8:45 in the morning! And we were joined at that pick-up place by fellow cast members Howard McGillan, Anne Crumb, Virginia Seidel, Ken Jennings,Mark Baker, Kate Baldwin and her lovely fiancee Graham Rowat...among others...and our bus driver Lou, who was adventure in himself, as he did not seem to know exactly how to get where we needed to go...but we had fun, even though we were an hour later than our call time...it was the longest journey to go the shortest way i have ever taken...and a trip that should have taken2 hours at the very most, ended up taking us some 3 hours and more....by the time we got to the astonishing Fisher Hall, we were rushed onto the stage, uncostumed, and set down to work with the orchestra who had been called for 11:00....soon we were into running the show at full tilt with the band in place, and us too, familiarizing ourselves with our new surroundings. and it was actually fun...to relaize what we needed to do to fill the place with our voices without amplification...proper vocal production was really all it took...and we did have a cast that knew how to properly vocally produce...no question about that... there was also a table full of fruit, bagels, creamcheeses, butter, coffee,tea,etc, in the back hall and all in all we were taken care of rather well, throughout the work day...

After that long rehearsal, we convened for a cold lunch in a rehearsal room in another part of the building, and we stayed in that room to redo the blocking that needed fixing, and that took a while. With 13 music stands all set up, that blocking consisted mainly of getting to the stand most directly in front of us when our time came to tell our part of the story...our nice director Sarah Stern did the best she knew how to do to clearly get the story out there...the orchestra was situated directly behind the full chorus, all of whom were seated directly behind the principals...there was nothing between us and the audience but those 13 music stands.

After that long re-blocking work, we all piled into the bus and we were driven back some 30 minutes to the exit off the highway where our Howard Johnson's Motel was, and by that time, we were all pretty tired...also, given Lou's track record, we were none too sure we would ever actually get to that hotel, since Lou made more wrong turns than right ones...he was nice though. A 7:30 pm bus pickup was planned for those who wanted to go into the small town of Saugerties for dinner...Peter and I pretty well knew we ouwld stay "home" and eat in the joint next to the HoJo's called Johnny G's...how bad could it be?

As it turned out, it was actually pretty damned good, and we enjoyed a wine filled and delicious dinner with pals Ann Crumb, Lucas Steel, and others...we ate and drank a few glasses of sparkling white wines, and laughed and laughed and laughed as we recalled our short but intense time together over the past week..the putting together of every theatrical project, no matter how short-lived, creates many of it's own unique tales to tell, so we sat and told a few of them to each other...and the food was surprisingly tasty and home-cooked. Peter and I were back in our room (#116) and asleep by 10:00 pm!!!! Comfortably so.

The following day would start early, and be filled with hard work before our 3:00 performance. More on that to come.

...because we performed it today in a building briloinatly conceived and built by the architect Frank Gehry...(sp?)...I will dub today's event Gehry's GOLDEN APPLE...my simply being in that building, that soaring,steel and concrete concoction of floating burnished metal panels made to look lke floating scarves, that flotation device called a building..that paean to the impossiblility of man remaining earthbound for too long...that poem in movement and metal...well, it was a highpoint for me....the Fisher Arts Center at Bard College is astonishing. I was proud to be inside it at all, much less performing in its perfect concert hall, and i do mean perfect. THE GOLDEN APPLE concert reading we did today (and rehearsed there all day yesterday was gorgeous in that space, and as I sat in the house listening to the American Symphony playing parts of the show I was not in, it felt like I was sitting right next to the prchestra itself, rather than a hundred feet away, or farther . And pure human singing voices, unamplified and unadorned, easily filled the hall. Wow.

We had fun. And the sold out audience seemed to do that same. My "Mother Hare" was quite popular, and received warm response from the folks, including one nice unexpected splash of exit applause...i was proud of how i handled my singing voice among all those great singers, and I learned a little something more about breathing" beautiful Christa Moore, who sang "Penelope", wore a backless sort of sundress, and so when she breathed deeply during glorious songs she sang like "Windflower", i could see her back lungs fill up with air and support her strong floating high notes, and her thin dancer's body was a simple conuit for the best in human sund production. She was great! And those back muscles rippling under the sheer force of her needed breath intake...i understood something about strength from watching her. And the sounds she made! Fabulous!

There were so many fabulous people in this thing...i shall have to mention them all, because they were all so dear, and talk a bit about each of them as well, and I will do so, but we just got home , hours later than we expected, and I have an early radio audition tomorrow, si I will go to bed now and write later...olay?

xxev

...gorgeous, tall, elegant, white with pretty purple faces, on slender, asian looking stems...a tall fabulous orchid arrangement sent to us from the wonderful, generous Pearl Berman, to honor the work we did with her over last weekend at the house in the Hamptons...probably one of the most beautiful flower arrangements I have ever been sent (and after as many decades in show business as I've been in, you might easily say i have received a flower or two in my day)...this arrangement of two sumptuous orchid stems, filled with blooms and more toe bloom yet, is utterly beautiful...she sent it to Peter and to me, with the dearest note.

Pearl and I spoke this morning, and after assuring her the arrangement was placed safely outside out door while we were at rehearsal, i thanked her so profusely...she was simply so happy the event at her home went so well...all of her friends and neighbors she invited were so entertained and so very happy to be a part of the thing...it really was something special. And so is Pearl....i lok forward to working more with her on the CAP 21 Benefit Committee in the Fall...we have some good ideas.
Some fun ones that will draw people in our orbit in a unique way, I think.

Today we had a "sitz-probe" with the American Symphony Orchestra and it was practically a runthrough the entire show...we did not quite get to the finale. But we did do most of THE GOLDEN APPLE and it was frankly a thrill to hear the lush music pour out over us. By the end we were all pretty exhausted, and they pick us up at 8:45 tomorrow morning, for a drive up to Bard College...we have an 11:30 full run with the Orchestra in place. and then we have a free evening in Annandale - On-The -Hudson to have dinner,etc. And back to the Hall for another run and then the concert on Sunday afternoon. Should be fine. We are in pretty good shape , for its being such a huge piece and all...the audience will get a thrill i do believe.

This is relaly a nice group of people. Each and every person performing is lovely, kind and supportive, and the whole thing has been a pleasure...today I met Leigh Beery, the lovely dear wife of Jonathan Tunick, and a soprano i have admired for a long time, and she is a gardener!! I knew this from speaking to Jonathan, but she came right up to me and we started to talk gardens!! She gave me good advice on how to keep the orchid good and healthy. She has long since retired from the show buisness, and even went to get her Master Gardener certificate at a college in Connecticutt...she and Jonathan have a house in Sharon, I think. A very nice lady, warm and gentle. i liked her right away.

Well...much more to write about, but i ust get some sleep if i am to be any good tomorrow at all.....so bye for now...

xxev

...so there Peter was studying his GOLDEN APPLE music, and we all realized we had to hurry to get ready to be at Pearl's by the 3:00 time we promised we'd be there...so we scurried about,changed clothes, tried not to let the heat and humidity melt us (the little air-conditioner was pumping away doing the best it could to cool down two big rooms) as we prepared to go to this enormous house we had heard so much about.

The three of us finally piled into Nancy's Subaru, and headed off to find Pearl's house in Quogue, which we were told was not too far from where we were staying.

As we got into the more expensive neighborhood, it was easy to tell because the size of the houses began to grow much larger and the designs of those houses became more and more wonderful as we drove on...also, you saw more sand and could catch occasional glimpses of the actual Ocean between the seaside homes...this alone was enough to raise my spirits, as i have missed seeing major water for far too long...

So we easily found Pearl's place and were immediately awed by its sheer size and loveliness, so well laid out and beautifully landscaped...we drove into the driveway, parked in a cozy little spot surrounded by service vehicles (lots of people serving the event that day!)and strode purposefully into the enormous house hoping to find our way...no problem...Pearl, all smiles and glitter, met us at the door and showed us her "theater".......well....

She'd had scenery painted for this event and there in the stage space of this huge room was a boat backdrop, meticulously hung from the ceiling, and a ship's railing she'd had built for the show! SHE HAD SCENERY BUILT!!!!! I was begninning to really appreciate Pearl, and my sense of reality at that point began to deliciously slip away, as I allowed myself to immerse into the event gloriously lying ahead of all of us! SHE HAD SCENERY....! Then, after plopping fat revised scripts into our hands (there was already a small batch of bewildered but eager looking friends of Pearl standing around staring at this pile of papers called The Script) and she then ushered us back into her enormous, enormous bedroom suite where she had set up the following: racks and racks of costumes and costume pieces for each and every character in the show...tables filled with each and every hand prop mentioned in the script, laid out neatly for each actor to find his or her own...more costumes and costume pieces piled on the kingsized, double kingsized really, bed...feathers, jewelry, gloves, fans, shoes,beads,pearls,ropes of glittery stuff with which to festoon the "angels" of Reno Sweeny...hats galore, of every size, shape and gender...straw boaters for the guys, nautical hats for the sailor characters...neatly folded piles of clothing waiting to be tried on by the poor sweaty "actors"...fake money, champagne glasses, a stuffed dog for me to carry as the pup Cheeky in the script...tables, chairs, more higball glasses,as furniture pieces to change for each scene...She had even lined up a "change crew" of local girls who were diligent in putting the right pieces on for the right scenes...amazing! It was like falling into Wonderland, an old attic of delights....

Pearl's bedroom had been transformed into a proper backstage area for all show personnel! There was even a stage "crossover" through her capacious parlor that separated the stage room from her bedroom, so entrances right and left were amply provided for! She had thought out the whole thing! Provided for all! Planned it to a perfect "t"!!! By then, my throat was dry because my mouth had been hanging open in sheer amazement for the entire time I had already been there!

more to come...

...where THE GOLDEN APPLE rehearsals are being held, until we hook up with the Symphony Orchestra on Thursday up at Riverside Church...in the background is a young kid auditioning for something with a belted and quite accurate version of Ya Gotta Have Heart! and the entire studio is abuzz with activity...who says Broadway is dead has not been down at these studios lately! Each and every room is filled with something rehearsing for the Fall season somewhere, and the confluence of talents is extraordinary...in my project alone are so many people I have worked with in the past, it's historical! And in other rooms are yet more people I have worked with, and lots that i have not...yesterday , ran into David Loud who was the original Musical Director for SPLENDORA, and now he is helping out in the Broadway-bound SWEENY TODD room, where all the actors are learning to play the show on their very own instruments...Patti Lupone is learning the tuba (!) and the two lovers play cellos, and on and on it goes...this is a take on the famed London's Donmar Warehouse's production, which recently ran there...and in another room is Randall Myler reharsing his new show about John Denver called ALMOST HEAVEN...and so on and so forth,....

But I digress: more about Pearl's Party...where did we last leave off? AH yes, the atmospheric and difficult street signs of the Hamptons...quaint but not at all useful...that being said, we did eventually find our way to The 1880 House at 2 Seafield Lane in Westhampton, and our rooms were ready and waiting for us when we got there...small but sweetly furnished, with quilts all over the damned place...we turned on the air-conditioner (such humidity I have rarely encountered) and left Peter to nap while Nancy and I went in search of lunch and silk flowers for her hat..at The Posthouse Cafe I had my first reminder of how loud and obnoxious Hamptonites can be, as the early afternoon quiet was shattered by the loud and droning voices of people with tans trying to make sure everyone knew what they bought, where they bought it and where they planned to put it in their houses...and the service at the cafe was surly and slow as well...the entire service class in the Hamptons really does not much enjoy serving its wealthier classes at all...there is an air of affront that casts a pall over the entire place...but we were nonetheless jolly...we found the flowers that were perfect for Nancy's straw hat and headed back to the B and B, where we found Peter relaxing on the bed studying his GOLDEN APPLE SCORE!.....more, later.

...and so little energy, at the end of this loooooong (seeming) rehearsal day for THE GOLDEN APPLE...or maybe it simply seems long since we produced and starred in an entire production of ANYTHING GOES over the weekend, or at least on Saturday! Kazillions of tales to tell about the wonderful, fabulous, fun, exhausting, amazing and thorooughly produced event that was PEARL BERMAN'S party at her gorgeous and glorious home in The Hamptons! I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING QUITE LIKE WHAT PETER AND I PARTICIPATED IN ON THIS PAST SATURDAY! And I adored being part of it...and if I can wrangle my story-telling into entertaining form, you will understand why, dear readers, it was such fun!

I mean unique and enlivening fun, giving so much fun and joy to all who both were in and sat int he audience, once we finally got the show open at about 7;30 or so on Saturday evening, after , well maybe 4 hours of rehearsal!

But I am ahead of myself...let me begin at the beginning, or at least one beginning, since it will be the story of Peter, Evalyn and Nancy at Pearl's Party...

At around 9:30 Saturday morning, Nancy drove in from her house in Yorktown Heights and picked Peter and me up, (Paul and Steve had kindly picked up our "children" puppies the night before and so we did not have them to worry about all weekend...there was plenty of other stuff to worry about ahead of us, we knew, so having the dogs taken care of was so helpful.. anyway, Nance picked us up and we were off on our adventure!

We made it in good time to the Hamptons, (it really is only a couple of hours away form Manhattan, and the traffic was blessedly sparse)..and the clouds were clearing and the day was promising to be swell...and soon we were seeing sand edging the roads and we knew we were near THE OCEAN!!!! The air smelled different...felt different too: deeply humid! But we were all excite....anticipating a real adventure, since we had all heard so much about Pearl's Party through the past few years!

We arrived in West Hampton, after gettting lost only several times...it seems they don't believe in readable street signs in the Hamptons...they employ small wooden frail things that look old and beach-worn and reek of the message: "If you do not already know where you are going, you do not belong here, you sad poor non-Hamptonites you!"...really...that shabby chic thing taken too far...we needed INFORMATION and those poor old signs were just too shabby chic to care to give it to us! EVER!!!!

However ,we did find our B and B finally and there it was, cunning, old and sweetly welcoming: The 1880 House at 2 Seafield Lane! Slowly we turned....

Tune in for more, soon....xxev

...poured on the City this morning, like fresh forgiveness for all the Summer's sins! I left for rehearsal in a genuine downpour and luxuriated in the feel of the soft water spraying onto me from under my white umbrella..it felt like a blessing. I caught the #104 and took a leisurely ride downtown, through a city that ,as ever when it rains, was tied up in a snarl of traffic knots belying its status as a grownup city....FOLKS: we should have this rain thing figured out by now!! But since i was in no particular hurry, (one of the sweet by-products of my new resolve to be a tourist in my own home city), I sat back in my rain-spattered seat and let the scenery roll by. I still made it to rehearsal for THE GOLDEN APPLE in good time.

James Bassi, an amazing pianist and musical director/writer type man, and I engaged in a couple more hours of wonderful learning of the score...it really is a great thing, this old show...and the exploration of a complex character like "Mother Hare" is heightened by the knowledge that the writers knew what they wanted when they wrote what they wrote (at least musically this is certanly true), and so it's like unwrapping a gift which has been carefully wrapped in glittery, intriguing paper.

I'll return later to put together some of the early scenes in the show with the other actors...that should also be interesting.

Paul and Steve are coming by later to pick up Sally and Cyrano so Peter and I will be free of worrying about them over the weekend that stretches ahead of us in the Hamptons. So while we have a couple of days in the country , so will our doggies!

I am amazed at the response pouring in to notice that I would be teaching a CAP 21 Alum Class, privately, in the Fall...it will be a class bursting with good talent.
So, the challenge ahead for me lies in making the three hours as efficient and useful as possible for all concerned. It can be an exciting thing, useful to all, so I want to be sure and shape it right. No wasted time. Sheer, intense, and insightful work. The people entrusting me with their time and money deserve that. And since it is the first time I have ever tried to shape a class (two actually) privately, I may make a mistake or two, but have taken enough and taught enough to know essentially what to do to make it valuable. It's actually kind of exciting to think about it.

It looks like if I want to make it down to Barter Theatre for a visit, I need to do it before Septmeber 13th, which is when the first Tuesday class begins. I really want to go for that visit. I still miss them all.I miss Barter Theatre every day I am not there. And that is simply the truth of the matter.

Just a few minutes ago, the GOLDEN APPLE stage manager called me on my cell to tell me they just lost a bari-tenor in the chorus and would Peter be available to step in as quickly as today? I told her i thought so...so she is calling Peter now...gee I hope it works out. What fun for us to do this together. I just had a feeling it would happen, for some reason. This sort of thing seems to be in our joint cards right now, for my darling husband and me....I just love him so. And this particular show will an extremely interesting one for him to work on...though we both do have to miss this entire weekend coming up so I wonder if that will make a difference. Well, we shall see.

well...well...well...hmmm...life sure is interesting.

And Pearl's Musicale looooooms ahead!

xxev

...and there are certain days on which I do remember this is true...like this morning,the air, cool and positively liveable, as I wafted slowly downtown on a #104 bus ...down Broadway, until I reached Lincoln Center and transferred to a #11, which goes straight down 9th Avenue...as I stood outside Lincoln Center waiting for the #11, I listened to the original cast recording of THE GOLDEN APPLE (a young Kaye Ballard made a hit playing "Helen" and singing the gorgeous "Lazy Afternoon" in a cool and seductive voice...really lovely), and I realized I was listening to an American "forgotten" masterpiece, while standing outside one of NYC's most famous musical spots: Lincoln Center, and I was studying the score and feeling so damned artistic! When I stop to consider how many musical geniuses have soaked that particular NYC neighborhood in sound and beauty...how the ghosts of so many musical icons float all over those particular streets...I remember seeing Leonard Bernstein one morning having his coffee at the Lincoln Plaza Coffee Shop just like I was, before going off to some rehearsal or other..and all the stunning theatrical experiences I have had inside those walls...ballet, symphony,theatre...and how I take utterly for granted the sheer presence of that Center in our daily life...this morning, as I waited for the #11 to take me to my GOLDEN APPLE rehearsal, I paid silent homage to Lincoln Center, and marked the simple occsasion of my being able to stand in front of it anytime I wished to .

The gathering of the GOLDEN APPLE company this morning was pleasant, though not all were present. Odd to meet John Cullum in the flesh and realize what a smallish man he actually is, though he has no doubt physically diminished with age...he is nonetheless quite goodlooking...and Howard McGillan is very handsome and charming. A large group of about 29 people, once everyone shows up. Nancy Opal,and her daughter, who is singing in the chorus...Anne Crumb...and dear old strapping David Staller, who I have not been in a room with in years and years!! A hearty group. I am at the moment released from rehearsal, and do not need to return for several hours. chorus work is being diligently focused on and my part has nothing to do with them, so, I sit in an Internet Cafe and write, which brings back memories of doing the same thing in an Internet cafe in London! Oddly small, our planet.

Saturday morning, Peter and I will be picked up by Nancy Truitt, and we shall toddle off to the Hamptons and play thater in the sand! At Pearl Berman's Ranch!!! I am actually looking forward to this weekend a lot, as a romp and a time to look pretty and party. Must get my hats lined up, as it is definitely a hat sort of event, and I fully intend to eat, drink, be merry, and give one hell of a read of the indominable "Mrs. Harcourt" in ANYTHING GOES! Again: HATS!!! I long to see the Ocean, and I believe that longing will be amply fulfilled this coming Saturday and Sunday.

I feel actually excited. And shall snuggle down on the beaches there ,as soon as I have the chance to do so.

bye for now...xxev

...or relatively speaking, since it is not 90 degrees or higher out there and the humidity level has agreed to be civil, so it is indeed a cooler- than -we- have- been- having day and that feels so good.

Peter and I had a lovely brunch out again, and he is busy writing music at the piano.

I have done loads of laundry, and am fielding calls for the several classes it looks like I'll be teaching this Fall....organizing groups, pianists, rooms,etc. I think wehave a start, at least, for the Tuesday CAP 21 Alum CLass starting September 13th, and the Pre-College Continuation Class , which will be a Wednesday night class, it seems. Paul Johnson will musical direct both classes, and Laurie Kay Harvey will assist in that area and also be part of the Alum Class, since she herself needs the workout. And so it shall be.

Tomorrow, at 10 am I start work on THE GOLDEN APPLE, and it will be interesting to see how this well-travelled group of actor/singers approaches this music, which there is ton of! Jonathan Tunick is a good teacher, I hope. We all have a lot to learn. And so we shall.

Talked to Pearl Berman this morning, concerning her weekend "theatricale" of ANYTHING GOES, at her gorgeous house by the sea...she calls it "The Ranch"..we shall receive her version of the script once we get out there on Saturday afternoon, and we get right to work with a read/sing-through of the whole shebang! Then we break up into groups and work with the pianists, and various of us who will help with direction. Should be very delightful in its own way, and I am determined to have fun. No matter how much liquor it takes to do so...no, really, just joking...i have heard from so many who have gone to her summer "do" before, that it is unique and delightful. Friends having fun together.

The summer soon will end. Fall, the school time, the time for beginnings and crisp apples, new woolens and fresh-smelling books..

my favorite.

...an odd old thing from the 1950's, but Jonathan Tunick, (Peter's favorite Broadway musical director and arranger) clearly has a passion for it, and so in working with him on it over the next 10 days, I look forward to seeing what this show is really made of...

What am I talking about? Well, I was just asked to play the role of "Mother Hare" , this sort of prophetess of the town, in this concert reading of THE GOLDEN APPLE, and I will be doing it along with John Cullum, Howard McGillan, Daniel Marcus, Anne Crumb, Cheryl Stern, and so many others I have either worked with or been near to working with in the past...Today i picked up the score and it is huge! But at least it is computerized and neat and readable, so the learning will be easy..and Peter has the CD so I am all set to get familiar with it before I start rehearsal this Thursday, which is good, because it is long and, as I said, sort of odd. Totally sung through, no dialogue spoken, and for that alone it was a bit of a pioneering piece in its day. A retelling of the Odyssey and Iliad legends...rather operatic in scope, though Tunick did not want opera singers for this concert. Rather he wanted more Broadway actor-type voices,with a sense of acting and, presumably, comedy.

So , for a few days (and a nice fee) i will be in harness again, and working like an actress...also had two voice -over auditions today and booking one of those would be oh so swell....that area of my career has been heartening since my return home.

Meanwhile, today alone, I got three calls from CAP 21 alumnae asking to be part of the Fall class i am thinking about teaching. And the Pre-College kids from the summer program are calling for their class as well, so little by little those are shaping up as real possibilities for the remainder of 2005. Good God where has the time gone?

And Peter and I will be off to the Hamptons in a couple of days, and Saturday will see us working diligently to help make Pearl Berman's party a success, with its "production" of ANYTHING GOES...I am dying of curiosity to see how it will all be put together...Peter, as the lead "Billy" can make anything happen well in short time, and I can certainly help where I am asked to help...so all in all it should be worth a good blog entry at the very least. And a good time among friends.

And I get to see the ocean! From Pearl's terrace, I am told.

Lovely.

Yes! I received word from Rick Rose at Barter that the Barter Theatre now has it's own official blog site on www.blogspot.com too! And he gave me permission to join in the blogging as a "Barterstaff" member..that made me feel so good...and so, of course, i made an entry as soon as I could! I do hope others read and write in it...so if you are interested in reading it, i think you go to www.bartertheatre.blogspot.com or something like that, or in any event, go to www.BarterTheatre.com and click on some button that is labelled "Blog"...and read and comment,etc. The real interesting thing would be if actors actually wrote about their rehearsal processes, and the tech folk wrote of unusual and fun things they do to get the various shows ready...as I said, I hope people join in the writing...

Meanwhile, Peter and I just returned from a nice long long weekend Upstate and the weather was so hot and humid, so very muggy and suffocating, we spent most of the days indoors being icily comforted by the air-conditioning...Peter has been working hard to help Paul do some remodelling, to prep the house for sale...but the best part is that Paul, Steve, Peter and I can enjoy some real family time up there together...Steve cooks the most wonderful dinners!!

Next weekend, Peter will sing the lead in ANYTHING GOES at a special party thrown each summer by our Board member Pearl Berman, and I will join in somehow...we will spend some nice time on the Hamptons and hopefull have some fun...it's always nice to spend time with our cousin Nancy, and the three of us will drive there together.

Also, I may be doing something I have been asked to do: a staged concert version of the old show THE GOLDEN APPLE...Pat McCorkle's Office simply called my agent and offered it to me...i will know more details tomorrow...as long as I do not have to miss Pearl's weekend, i'll be glad to say yes to this other thing...pays well...an adventure of sorts. A totally new show to me....oddly enough Peter has the CD and so I will give it a listen..

Meanwhile, we shall do our best to survive this awful summer city weather....my health club is closed all next week for repairs and their annual cleaning, so I don't even have that swimming pool to help relieve the heat! But, this too shall pass....unless of course we continue in the reckless way we have been careening towards global warming and ecological destruction, and then who the hell knows what future summers will be like! But, tra la...onward!

And love to all....xxev

Peter,darling Drew E. and I just came from a most sumptuous dinner at the wonderful Dinosaur Barbecue Restaurant uptown at about 130th Street, directly across fromt he huge Fairway Market I love to grocery shop at....the Dinosaur has become a neighborhood favorite and the food explains why! Fabuolously tender barbecue meats and delectable side dishes, cold beer and a terribly friendly wait staff...we really chowed down, which tasted particularly swell since i workd out rigorously at the Paris today...We ran into the delightful Stephen Schnetzer, supping with his gorgeous family...Steve played "Cass" on ANOTHER WORLD, when I played "Felicia Gallant"'s secretary "Miss Devon" and he has since done a number of readings for us of new plays down at the CAP 21 Monday Night series...I asked him this evening about his interest in reading "Charles Condomine" in the reading of BLITHE SPIRIT that I will direct in the Fall..he said he'd love to...YAY! A perfect fit, I think. And Eliza V. will read "Madame Arcati"...Steve looks as good as ever he has looked, and his sweet spirit is intact, even after raising three gorgeous kids...what a lovely guy. So happy to have seen him.

We briefly discussed our dear Linda Dano and how she is not doing so well since her dearest husband Frank died. I asked Steven to remember me to her. She was wonerful to work with on that "soap"...a truly good actress, a kind colleague. I like her so much and am sad she is so low. She loved her husband deeply. We discussed the idea of having a night of drinks with her up at the Dinosaur...catch up and raise her spirits at the same time. I would like to see her.

Peter and I went to have our runes read to day...a gift from Stephen C....a lovely reader named Adrienne Jaret threw the runes and had much to say. Frankly, the future mystifies me, and all I can do, the best I can do , is to concentrate on what is directly in front of me, and give that my fullest attention. I want to do my best to be the best wife and caring friend to Peter. I want my understanding of myself to grow proportionate to the way we make our way through life together, and not short-change either him or myself in the process. I want to continue to cultivate patience and a clam wise center to my being...I want to create value in as many moments of my ife a I can. With Peter. For Peter. For myself. Side by side.

WE had a luxury at Barter to be able to be together so much of the time. But there is so much more to learn and grow from, so much of the world to experience together and discover.

So many adventures. Like: August 20th, Pearl Berman, one of CAP 21's valued Board members, will throw her annual theater party at her lovely Quogue house, and hundreds attend. She picks one musical every summer for her guests to take part in performing, and huge amounts of food and liquor are consumed in both the rehearsal and performance process. I have not been in town since this tradtion began to include CAP 21, so I am deighted to be able to participate this summer...Peter has been asked to sing the lead of "Billy" in ANYTHING GOES (Pearly flipped over his work in the reading of GODDESS WHEEL), and I will do some character role or other, while directing her erstwhile divas in the back gardens, fueled by one or five gin and tonics...so we shall be there full power....I even found the last of the B and B's with an available suite, so Peter, Nancy T. and I can actually spend the night in the Hamptons and attend th enormous brunch Parl, dear Pearl, throws on the next day for all who participated. That should be fun too. All in all, a unique thing. And, I bet, fun.

I do have an audition tomorrow for an off-Broadway project which is actually kind of fun, called BINGO! It's important for me to audition for it, since it is the first audition sent my way in several months. And I will enjoy the audition, since there are a number of scenes to bite into and even a song, a funny one, called SWELL, to learn for just this first go-round. And , as i always say, if the part has my name on it, ...etc.etc.etc. Nice to be seen for something. Should be fun.

More soon.

xxev

DEAR READERS....

Please forgive once more my sheer laziness ...and ...well...laziness...for not writing more often lately...to say that I have been "under the weather" is actually a great and exact way of putting it...all of us here in this large and crowded city have been definitely UNDER THE WEATHER, and since the weather has been in the 90's,( the high 90's at that), and since the humidity has been practically total, it has been one hell of a heavy weather to be under....i simply wilt and wait to die when there is weather like this and I have to be out in it...humidity is my nemesis, always has been, and so combine that with the fact of my return to the gym (FINALLY!!!) and picture if you can this: me, coming home from a busy day of teaching, sweating from every possible bodily orifice, sitting stupidly in front of one of our air conditioners until the sweat has dried (or frozen) and then my changing into gym workout clothes...I then drag myself to the Paris Health Club down at 97th and West End Avenue, a walk that if it were not downhill, I probably would not bother making, and there i work out until energy has returned to me...in fact, I am at that point in my laziness where i can honestly say my body is deeply grateful for my having gotten smart enough to work it out..i feel enormously wonderful after each workout and steam and sauna....the whirlpool is a blessing, and i feel renewed, as i trudge back up the hill to home! But then. when i get home, there is nothing for me to do but collapse on the first flat surface i can reach, and there I fall into a well-deserved nap until the next thing i have to do wakes me...One day, at the Upstate House, when I first started working out again, I slept nearly one entire Saturday away, while the guys all worked in the House....I am that out of shape...oh well...better late than never...as i said, my body is grateful.

MEANWHILE....the 6 weeks of CAP 21 classes ended today, with a marvelous Pre-College Acting Class "audienced" by the proud parents of the 16 kids I have been teaching, and it was a pretty joyous morning..terrific breakthrough work from all the young actors, and a relaxed and fun atmosphere in the room...I was proud of them. And actually proud of the my teaching over these weeks. I think I did make a difference in these kids'lives. The parents were suitably impressed, and very warm with me.
My Professional Musical Scene Study Class ended on this past Friday. Another good group of slightly older actors. Good people. Hard workers. I liked them so much.

There is some talk of my continuing the classes into the Fall, at night, privately. We shall see what the response is from them all once they have gotten back to their "normal" lives...One parent has already contacted me about a private "intensive" session with here daughter in the Fall...they live out of New York and want to make a special trip of it, with the prime idea being to get their gifted kid some prep time for her college auditions. I of course said I would be glad to help. I will remain interested in this particular group for a long time to come.

Cousin Miriam was here this past weekend (we saw DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDREL one evening), and right now, our darling Drew E. is staying with us on his days off from Goodspeed and it's great to be with him.He is currently performing "Lord Brockhurst" in THE BOYFRIEND there, directed by Juie Andrews and having a great time doing it! Our Blue Guest Room is earning its keep!
We now have a portable air conditioner that helps make that room much more comfortable! We do not want our guests dying of heat stroke, now do we?

Peter is wonderful. Helping Paul a lot at the Upstate House over this period of time, and enjoying being in the country....we do love it up there. And I know that Paul appreciates Peter's excellent help. I love being married to Peter, and we are discovering so much about each other as we go through this time together. He is a remarkable partner and love.

I had hoped to get down to Abingdon once classes had ended, but since voice-over work is picking up now, after a rather moribund July, I think I must postpone my trip down until early September. I fear that if i go down, I may never come home again...but no that is not true: the adventures here are too important to both Peter and me...but I will enjoy seeing all the dear people I love there...and the plays, of course...i am so curious to see the quality of the work now that I must inevitably have a different perspective on it...I remember, during my long run in Les Miserables, Stage Management would "rotate" longtime company members out of the show for a night, so we could go sit in the audience and watch the show, in order to refresh our experience of it...always a valuable thing to do. So, I long to go to Abingdon and see theater!

Tonight we saw THE MARCH OF THE PENGUINS , a documentary about Emperor Penguins down at the South Pole...a thoroughly enchanting film! And we had a huge dinner at BubbaGump's Fish Place first...What fun! Yum! We all three felt like genuine tourists in Times Square and i liked it! What deeply amazes me is what i have begun to call THE BRANDING OF BROADWAY!!! So many theaters now have a corporation name in front of them (Nokia Theatre, Snapple Theatre,etc) and so many HUGE signs colorfully and electrically pushing their products...like a scene out of BLADERUNNER....we are now IN the future that film pictured... and it is a time of light and color and total distraction from any sort of internal contemplation or quiet experience. I think that's why MARCH OF THE PENGUINS was sort fo thrilling. All that ice. And the diligence of those amazing birds as they trudged back and forth across the ice fulfilling their biological destiny...it was calming. And somehow reassuring.

Well, enough for one catch-up blog....must get some sleep. But more soon...I promise.

Love, Evalyn