Monday, March 13, 2006
Today Is The FIrst Day....
....of the rest of our lives...true! BUT, it is also the FIRST DAY OF REHEARSAL for A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE at the York Theater....and it will be a music review day, at least for me, since I pretty much am acquainted with the music, having done both the show and the CD of the show....still, it will feel good to meet with Milt Granger, the MD ...I hear he is extremely wonderful at what he does, and i look forward to his instruction and in-put on this gorgeous music....also, to hear it sung by such lovely talents as Joe Kolinski., Christianne Noll. and Glen Allen....that will be a bit of a thrill....and it'll be good to see dear Joe again after such a long long time....not since Les Mis....wow...Joe K. and I were in one of my very first shows together here in New York City: HIJINKS, at the Chelsea Westside Theater, directed by Bob Kalfin, who incidentally directed the original production A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE at the Goodspeed Chester Theater....talk about circles!!
All York rehearsals are held at the theater itself over on the East Side at the Citicorp Center, where the York has rented its space for years now, from the Church that is one of the main tenants of that huge complex....The York has a nice comfortable basement residence, and has had it for years...it is a well-established presence on the NYC theater scene, and has always striven to do ambitious work within its limited budget...I have always admired what they do...their mission has always been clear and specific, to take care of American Musical Theater from both ends of its historic spectrum: the past and the future....doing revival readings of old interesting shows in their MUFTI SERIES,(I did The Girl Who Came To Supper there years ago with Nancy Anderson) and fostering productions of new works, such as the one we start today....
FANNY HILL, by Ed Dixon, just closed there last night (two weeks early, I hear, due to serious lack of audience interest), but the production was gorgeously done, with love and care, for which the York must be congratulated. The fact that they were willing to extend FH's run longer than their usual subscription run spoke well of their trust in the piece, but their partner producers failed to uphold their end of that bargain and so the show had to close early....I am not sure, but I don't think AFPP has that same arrangement with the York...our run, I believe , is much shorter. I do hope people come to it, though....it is a swell piece of thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying theater....and , as I said, gorgeous music...unique and definitively "new"...I sense good things ahead for this project.
At Barter today is the Memorial Service at the Main Stage for Alice White...tomorrow I will print here in the blog what Peter and I recorded for the service in the way of a personal reminiscence...I wish I could be down South today.
Darling Alice,I dedicate today's beginning rehearsal to you.
All York rehearsals are held at the theater itself over on the East Side at the Citicorp Center, where the York has rented its space for years now, from the Church that is one of the main tenants of that huge complex....The York has a nice comfortable basement residence, and has had it for years...it is a well-established presence on the NYC theater scene, and has always striven to do ambitious work within its limited budget...I have always admired what they do...their mission has always been clear and specific, to take care of American Musical Theater from both ends of its historic spectrum: the past and the future....doing revival readings of old interesting shows in their MUFTI SERIES,(I did The Girl Who Came To Supper there years ago with Nancy Anderson) and fostering productions of new works, such as the one we start today....
FANNY HILL, by Ed Dixon, just closed there last night (two weeks early, I hear, due to serious lack of audience interest), but the production was gorgeously done, with love and care, for which the York must be congratulated. The fact that they were willing to extend FH's run longer than their usual subscription run spoke well of their trust in the piece, but their partner producers failed to uphold their end of that bargain and so the show had to close early....I am not sure, but I don't think AFPP has that same arrangement with the York...our run, I believe , is much shorter. I do hope people come to it, though....it is a swell piece of thought-provoking and emotionally satisfying theater....and , as I said, gorgeous music...unique and definitively "new"...I sense good things ahead for this project.
At Barter today is the Memorial Service at the Main Stage for Alice White...tomorrow I will print here in the blog what Peter and I recorded for the service in the way of a personal reminiscence...I wish I could be down South today.
Darling Alice,I dedicate today's beginning rehearsal to you.
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