Friday, April 28, 2006
Another Openin' Another Show
...and whereas we have been running A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE in previews for two weeks or so, and audiences havebeen deeply enjoying it, The York makes their Opening Nights special , for the Board and supporters, and it was very festive last night! Packed to the very walls....extra seats set up along the walls, in fact...a large crowd in the rather small space...and the noise of them was wonderful, even before the show started...the roar of the crowd...we loved hearing it.
And we could do no wrong last night...."Gertrude Klapper" scored more laughs than even I realized she could, and so by the time I got to "No One Ever Knows" in the Second Act, they were ripe for tears...it was thrilling. Meanwhile, each of the other characters was received with clear joy by the audience, and they too got laugh after laugh...and each song was received with such applause! It was a special performance because the more the audience fed us the more we gave them in return...actors relax and become better than they usually are when given love by an audience...so it was last night....a lot of fun too.
The party was at a local Italian dive called Luna Piena on 53rd Street and it was wall to wall people and delicious food....the wine flowed...with a champagne toast gien by the tall handsome President of the Board, who was deeply warm and complimentary to me about our show...he has been on the York Board for 27 years! And said he was asked to be on the Board because one day he called to complain about his seats! I like this man....i admire his devotion to this company.
A Cable TV personality named Barry Z was at both the show and at the party filming , and at the party he snagged me for a brief interview...he was deeply moved by "Klapper" and said the show should move to Broadway so i could win a Tony....is that not the sweetest thing to say??? He really liked the show, as did all those present, it seems...Richard Isen's West Coast family was there in full force, and they could not have been more wonderful...Richard, who composed the music for this show so long ago, is really responsible for both the CD production and in large part for this production as well....such passion, supported by his family's generosity and Richard's own savings....a dream he made come true! I am so proud for him.
And now we shall see what the New York critics say....whereas i made a pact with my self long ago not to read reviews of a show I am in, it is in the forefront of every single person's mind who is connected to the show...what will the critics say? More to the actual point: what will the NY Times say? "They" were present at the show Monday night (the night the Woodlawn Cemetery folks were there, making it a wild and wonderful show)...so they got what i would call a good performance....so now? We shall all see....I need nothing from this...reviews could not mean less to me, in practical terms, but for the writers and for The York, i hope they are good.
Both the writers and The York have believed in this show enough to make it happen. They deserve to have their faith and trust rewarded.....
Meanwhile, I have a wonderful day at home. SO much to do. Last class on Monday.
My students who have come to see AFPP have been so great!
I will miss them,
And we could do no wrong last night...."Gertrude Klapper" scored more laughs than even I realized she could, and so by the time I got to "No One Ever Knows" in the Second Act, they were ripe for tears...it was thrilling. Meanwhile, each of the other characters was received with clear joy by the audience, and they too got laugh after laugh...and each song was received with such applause! It was a special performance because the more the audience fed us the more we gave them in return...actors relax and become better than they usually are when given love by an audience...so it was last night....a lot of fun too.
The party was at a local Italian dive called Luna Piena on 53rd Street and it was wall to wall people and delicious food....the wine flowed...with a champagne toast gien by the tall handsome President of the Board, who was deeply warm and complimentary to me about our show...he has been on the York Board for 27 years! And said he was asked to be on the Board because one day he called to complain about his seats! I like this man....i admire his devotion to this company.
A Cable TV personality named Barry Z was at both the show and at the party filming , and at the party he snagged me for a brief interview...he was deeply moved by "Klapper" and said the show should move to Broadway so i could win a Tony....is that not the sweetest thing to say??? He really liked the show, as did all those present, it seems...Richard Isen's West Coast family was there in full force, and they could not have been more wonderful...Richard, who composed the music for this show so long ago, is really responsible for both the CD production and in large part for this production as well....such passion, supported by his family's generosity and Richard's own savings....a dream he made come true! I am so proud for him.
And now we shall see what the New York critics say....whereas i made a pact with my self long ago not to read reviews of a show I am in, it is in the forefront of every single person's mind who is connected to the show...what will the critics say? More to the actual point: what will the NY Times say? "They" were present at the show Monday night (the night the Woodlawn Cemetery folks were there, making it a wild and wonderful show)...so they got what i would call a good performance....so now? We shall all see....I need nothing from this...reviews could not mean less to me, in practical terms, but for the writers and for The York, i hope they are good.
Both the writers and The York have believed in this show enough to make it happen. They deserve to have their faith and trust rewarded.....
Meanwhile, I have a wonderful day at home. SO much to do. Last class on Monday.
My students who have come to see AFPP have been so great!
I will miss them,
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Sleep, that knitteth up the sleave of care....
...or something to that effect....the long and short of it? I slept until noon today! And my day off Upstate, I slept every time I got near a surface to do so...and sunned and read Buddhist literature in the sun....and slept some more...
Yesterday was one of those Wednesdays: 9:30 am class....then two shows of A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE...then a long audience talk-back afterward that I felt i had to stay for because several of my dear students stayed for it...if they had met me immediately in the Lobby like Gary (my agent) and his wife Cheryl did, I would have gotten home much earlier...but it was great to hear more of Peter Beagle's stories..he is a genuine raconteur...and his interests are many and wide...he is one of those men whose appetite for life is voracious and he wrote A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE when he was 19 years of age!!!!!! So , unconsciously, he seems to channel experience and events....he seems belwildered by this...i think it is the sign of a true artist.
Tonight we open officially, and it seems the House is so filled, they are having trouble seating eveyone...our audiences have been respectab;e amd very kindly responsive to the show. The York, and the wirters seem to have a genuine concern about the critics...not that they do not believe in our show, but rather that it remains true to this day that what is written down about the show has the power to hurt or help Box Office...and egos being as fragile as they naturally are, one never wants one's hard work and care to be criticized...especailly in a community full of peers...so, I had forgotten, since living in a place where reviews really did not have the sting that NYC ones do...I had forgotten how sensitive people can be about them...this of course angers me, since i believe that what these writers have done is so worthwhile, and what critics may have to say about it is so incidental to what actually matters...but since no reviews have come out yet, we shall have to see and we shall have to play the New York game...it is a personal creed of mine (If I can stick to it, which is hard sometimes) to not read reviews of shows i am in...until after the show closes. But word has a way of getting behind that resolve anyway..good reviews...well people cannot wait to trumpet them in your ears...and bad reviews...well..they somehow get to be known as well...so...again I say, we shall see.....
What I do know is that we have a wonderful company of talented and caring artists and I want them all (myself included) to be proud of what we have created!
Our dear pal Chase Helton from Abingdon is visiting for a few days...seeing many shows (AFPP tomorrow night) and he is sweet...brought us an armload of gifts from Disneyworld, where he has been interning for this semester. Adorable..
So, other than our opening tonight, I have a day in which to do as I please, and even if i did sleep half of it away, I still want to dive in and do stuff around home. But first? A SHOWER!!!! And more coffee.
Yesterday was one of those Wednesdays: 9:30 am class....then two shows of A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE...then a long audience talk-back afterward that I felt i had to stay for because several of my dear students stayed for it...if they had met me immediately in the Lobby like Gary (my agent) and his wife Cheryl did, I would have gotten home much earlier...but it was great to hear more of Peter Beagle's stories..he is a genuine raconteur...and his interests are many and wide...he is one of those men whose appetite for life is voracious and he wrote A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE when he was 19 years of age!!!!!! So , unconsciously, he seems to channel experience and events....he seems belwildered by this...i think it is the sign of a true artist.
Tonight we open officially, and it seems the House is so filled, they are having trouble seating eveyone...our audiences have been respectab;e amd very kindly responsive to the show. The York, and the wirters seem to have a genuine concern about the critics...not that they do not believe in our show, but rather that it remains true to this day that what is written down about the show has the power to hurt or help Box Office...and egos being as fragile as they naturally are, one never wants one's hard work and care to be criticized...especailly in a community full of peers...so, I had forgotten, since living in a place where reviews really did not have the sting that NYC ones do...I had forgotten how sensitive people can be about them...this of course angers me, since i believe that what these writers have done is so worthwhile, and what critics may have to say about it is so incidental to what actually matters...but since no reviews have come out yet, we shall have to see and we shall have to play the New York game...it is a personal creed of mine (If I can stick to it, which is hard sometimes) to not read reviews of shows i am in...until after the show closes. But word has a way of getting behind that resolve anyway..good reviews...well people cannot wait to trumpet them in your ears...and bad reviews...well..they somehow get to be known as well...so...again I say, we shall see.....
What I do know is that we have a wonderful company of talented and caring artists and I want them all (myself included) to be proud of what we have created!
Our dear pal Chase Helton from Abingdon is visiting for a few days...seeing many shows (AFPP tomorrow night) and he is sweet...brought us an armload of gifts from Disneyworld, where he has been interning for this semester. Adorable..
So, other than our opening tonight, I have a day in which to do as I please, and even if i did sleep half of it away, I still want to dive in and do stuff around home. But first? A SHOWER!!!! And more coffee.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Another Grey Day
...filled with rain , they say.
Okay, okay, so the flowers can use the water....and of course so can we. And, it's true, the world looks sort of pretty through a grey silky mist of moisture, and, pretending we are London is good for the skin....I am off to teach this early morn...slept little last night....far too little...will go the Upstate House tonight after the show and maybe I will sleep there in the silence of plants pushing up through moist soil...I am sure i will be lulled by the fragrances and textures of a well-loved place I have missed...there seems to have been no time in my life for The House lately, and i feel its absence. Even the gentlest things can cause pain sometimes, so we must all be very very gentle with our lives, mustn't we? So gentle , that knots come undone and and seemingly impossible problems get solved with relaxation, trust and sureness....sureness that love is all, no matter what.
Because love IS all, no matter what. And , no matter what, we are all, finally safe.
And loved.
Well, off I go to a day far busier than I want it to be....a commercial audition at the Telsey Office after class, then tonight's show. Oh yeah...I will sleep at the House tonight, no question about it!
Love to all on this grey day...
xx
Okay, okay, so the flowers can use the water....and of course so can we. And, it's true, the world looks sort of pretty through a grey silky mist of moisture, and, pretending we are London is good for the skin....I am off to teach this early morn...slept little last night....far too little...will go the Upstate House tonight after the show and maybe I will sleep there in the silence of plants pushing up through moist soil...I am sure i will be lulled by the fragrances and textures of a well-loved place I have missed...there seems to have been no time in my life for The House lately, and i feel its absence. Even the gentlest things can cause pain sometimes, so we must all be very very gentle with our lives, mustn't we? So gentle , that knots come undone and and seemingly impossible problems get solved with relaxation, trust and sureness....sureness that love is all, no matter what.
Because love IS all, no matter what. And , no matter what, we are all, finally safe.
And loved.
Well, off I go to a day far busier than I want it to be....a commercial audition at the Telsey Office after class, then tonight's show. Oh yeah...I will sleep at the House tonight, no question about it!
Love to all on this grey day...
xx
Sunday, April 23, 2006
A Poem
The rush of Time, moments' flow,
A river, yes, but more a flood
Of swelling, swarming instants, alive
With all we know and all we've no idea
Occurred.
It is gone before we had the chance to taste it.
We seem content
To join the tide and thereby
Waste it.
The shore of recognition sweeps behind, beyond us,
As we wave goodbye to that person
We have not spent the time to see.
It could be you.
It's probably me.
We are the same, brothers under the skin,
Each and every ,
A victim of speed.
It's breath we need.
Breath and time.
And we waste both,
Because someone, somewhere, told us
This was a fast dance.
Why don't we do a slow one next?
And sweat in each others' embrace
While we circle arms around waiting necks
And grind life to an expectant, delicious halt?
Stop it with the wave of a red flag.
A river, yes, but more a flood
Of swelling, swarming instants, alive
With all we know and all we've no idea
Occurred.
It is gone before we had the chance to taste it.
We seem content
To join the tide and thereby
Waste it.
The shore of recognition sweeps behind, beyond us,
As we wave goodbye to that person
We have not spent the time to see.
It could be you.
It's probably me.
We are the same, brothers under the skin,
Each and every ,
A victim of speed.
It's breath we need.
Breath and time.
And we waste both,
Because someone, somewhere, told us
This was a fast dance.
Why don't we do a slow one next?
And sweat in each others' embrace
While we circle arms around waiting necks
And grind life to an expectant, delicious halt?
Stop it with the wave of a red flag.
Where Have All the Springtime Flowers Gone?
They are drowning the in the recent chilly Springtime floods! It is raining and it is cold...and life is better spent snuggling in bed with a good book or husband, or at a theater doing performances than it is spent outside in the unpleasant wetness of this odd Sprintime weather!!
But first: thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes and notes....each one was such a surprise and made me feel so good. Thanks to my darling husband who bought me a lush bouquet of lilac and iris, and other lovely gifts, and to Paul for his dear generosity and Steve for his sweetness and warmth....my dear Drew E. came to the show last night and took me out to to a wonderful Korean dinner in between matinee and evening....he was part of a rather full and terrific audience last night. In fact, our audiences are gorwing and each one seems to watm to A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE in its own personal way...much of the humor has been discovered and ' re-inforced...lots of good solid laughs, and they seem to hang on each lovely note sung by Joe and Chris and Glenn.....and they are bound to shed a tear or two by the end. It has been fun playing to full houses. We all hope it continues.
Meanwhile, starting this coming week, a stream of guests will arrive: first in line: the adorable Chase Helton from Abingdon, one of the wonderfully creative teenagers we became friends with there....he has been working as an intern at Disney Orlando this Spring and is coming here for his break, specifically to see my show, and others as well of course...he will live in the Purple Room for a few days...then cousin Mr=iriam and her child Charla will be around, though I beolieve they are staying mostly in New Jersey for their visit...then Peter's beautiful parents will be here...for Mothers' Day and as usual, they are so deeply welcome. We adore having them here.
Annie K. nad Sarah C. , two of my Steinhardt students came to the show on my nrithday and not only were part of a wonderful audience that night, but brought a heaping plateful of home-made brownies to celebrate my day...the cast and crew snarfed them down quickly!!! What dear ones they are. And terrifically talented as well! So good to have them there. I do hope more of the kids come.....
Only three more Steinhardt classes, and I have each one planned out to the minute...i will miss this group, and hope to have them in future classes there. Deeply gifted group. And very very nice people as well. Steinhardt seems to breed a sense of fairness and honor in their students. Or, conversely, the program attracts that sort of youngster. Either way, it's appealing.
Nancy T., Lois R, and Jackie Y. all came to AFPP the other evening and it was so great to see them....my dear friends from the CAP 21 Board...they loved it and were so supportive, as usual....recently I had heard that Peter Van Wyck had been let go from CAP 21, and I had also heard the staff and faculty were distressed over this.....but they re-assured me that all seemed well there. I do hope it is. AFter talking to PVW himself, I do believe he is much happier and feels free to pursue what he wants for his future...he deserves good things...he is a nice man. And worked hard for that company for a long time. I wish him well. And will have tea with him soon. Good man.
Well, I had better prepare to SWIM to the 3:00 show today! It's pouring rain out there!
Bon Voyage!
But first: thank you to all who sent me birthday wishes and notes....each one was such a surprise and made me feel so good. Thanks to my darling husband who bought me a lush bouquet of lilac and iris, and other lovely gifts, and to Paul for his dear generosity and Steve for his sweetness and warmth....my dear Drew E. came to the show last night and took me out to to a wonderful Korean dinner in between matinee and evening....he was part of a rather full and terrific audience last night. In fact, our audiences are gorwing and each one seems to watm to A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE in its own personal way...much of the humor has been discovered and ' re-inforced...lots of good solid laughs, and they seem to hang on each lovely note sung by Joe and Chris and Glenn.....and they are bound to shed a tear or two by the end. It has been fun playing to full houses. We all hope it continues.
Meanwhile, starting this coming week, a stream of guests will arrive: first in line: the adorable Chase Helton from Abingdon, one of the wonderfully creative teenagers we became friends with there....he has been working as an intern at Disney Orlando this Spring and is coming here for his break, specifically to see my show, and others as well of course...he will live in the Purple Room for a few days...then cousin Mr=iriam and her child Charla will be around, though I beolieve they are staying mostly in New Jersey for their visit...then Peter's beautiful parents will be here...for Mothers' Day and as usual, they are so deeply welcome. We adore having them here.
Annie K. nad Sarah C. , two of my Steinhardt students came to the show on my nrithday and not only were part of a wonderful audience that night, but brought a heaping plateful of home-made brownies to celebrate my day...the cast and crew snarfed them down quickly!!! What dear ones they are. And terrifically talented as well! So good to have them there. I do hope more of the kids come.....
Only three more Steinhardt classes, and I have each one planned out to the minute...i will miss this group, and hope to have them in future classes there. Deeply gifted group. And very very nice people as well. Steinhardt seems to breed a sense of fairness and honor in their students. Or, conversely, the program attracts that sort of youngster. Either way, it's appealing.
Nancy T., Lois R, and Jackie Y. all came to AFPP the other evening and it was so great to see them....my dear friends from the CAP 21 Board...they loved it and were so supportive, as usual....recently I had heard that Peter Van Wyck had been let go from CAP 21, and I had also heard the staff and faculty were distressed over this.....but they re-assured me that all seemed well there. I do hope it is. AFter talking to PVW himself, I do believe he is much happier and feels free to pursue what he wants for his future...he deserves good things...he is a nice man. And worked hard for that company for a long time. I wish him well. And will have tea with him soon. Good man.
Well, I had better prepare to SWIM to the 3:00 show today! It's pouring rain out there!
Bon Voyage!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Tomorrow....some 5 decades ago...
....over 50 years,that is to say, I WAS BORN, in Atlanta, Georgia, at Crawford Long Hospital ....to Sarah Lee and Paul Hirsch Baron....a bundle of dark hair and double chins...big brown eyes and loud, resonant lungs....some things have not changed! Yes tomorrow is my birthday....and i have just come home from a good preview performance of A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE....it was a good performance. Chuck Abbott and his guy John-Charles were there, and it was lovely to see them both. These previews and performances will be filled with all sorts of old pals from the business of show....and I think our show is in as good a shape as it can be in, and we all do well in it, so we feel proud of it. There is no question that "Gertrude Klapper" is one of the finest roles for a woman my age around...there are few that are this full and real and resonant and funny and strong, with such good songs. I feel so fortunate to be able to perform her. It's rather a perfect birthday gift to myself to be able to do so! Audiences find her endearing, I think. I look forward to each performance.
Which is not something I will be able to say about MARY POPPINS, I think. That day of callback was perfectly respectable, but though they laughed at my work, and were really charming to me and warm, I left the theatre feeling like my time with them and with the show was definitely done with. Actors know these things. And though my agent has not received any official rejection yet, I will not be surprised when he does. And the truth is this: by the time I had prepped and done the audition, I felt as if I had already done the show. The role they were seeing me for is not much larger than the audition scenes I was given and so, in a sense, I felt like I had already done the show! And I began to understand that if I was offered the role, the job, I would not be all that excited about actually doing it! It is a hard thing to do, a Broadway contract, and if the role and the show itself is not deeply satisfying, like Les Miserables was in all ways, then it is a hard thing to be happy doing for too long. I asked myself if this was not simply self-justification for a possible rejection, and I answered myself: no.....I really had begun to lose interest in actually performing MARY POPPINS for any length of time. Yes, good money, but not that good, I would bet, and not as interesting as many other options open to me in the months to come. So.....though i doubt that I will be getting any sort of offer, I wonder what i would do with it if I did.
So to all my darling friends who wanted me to land that job, please forgive...but there are better things ahead, I promise. Personally to Anne J. in ABingdon: I wish you could come see A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE...and you have until May 21st to do so...you would love it, for sure.
Today, I got a manicure and pedicure to begin to celebrate my birthday and i don't remember when such a thing felt so good! And tomorrow, because we do not have rehearsal until late in the day, I plan to pamper myself even more: i will spend serious time at the gym and do a long steam and sauna! After a good workout! I can hardly wait! I have had absolutely no time to spend there at all, and I am tired of having no time to live....the time consumption on this show has been inordinate. It has worn on all of us. SO we are all glad we do not have rehearsal tomorrow. At least until later in the day.
TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I AM OLD...but happily so, and wiser than i was...and would not want to be one second of time younger! I have worked hard and therefore earned exactly where I am in both my actual life and my spiritual life. And, as I read more of Robert Thurmond's work on Tibetan Buddhism, the more i understand my actual life IS my spiritual life! If there is anything I am truly grateful for at this birthday time in my life, it's my deepening understanding of spiritual things, of the riches that Buddhism has to offer, of the dear loves I have in my life (the astonishing Peter, and the faithful Paul), and of my richer and richer acceptance of things as they are. There is no place like here, no time like NOW. To be able to know this is a true blessing, and I want to share it with all of you.
So....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF US! AND THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF YOU...ALL OF YOU!
Which is not something I will be able to say about MARY POPPINS, I think. That day of callback was perfectly respectable, but though they laughed at my work, and were really charming to me and warm, I left the theatre feeling like my time with them and with the show was definitely done with. Actors know these things. And though my agent has not received any official rejection yet, I will not be surprised when he does. And the truth is this: by the time I had prepped and done the audition, I felt as if I had already done the show. The role they were seeing me for is not much larger than the audition scenes I was given and so, in a sense, I felt like I had already done the show! And I began to understand that if I was offered the role, the job, I would not be all that excited about actually doing it! It is a hard thing to do, a Broadway contract, and if the role and the show itself is not deeply satisfying, like Les Miserables was in all ways, then it is a hard thing to be happy doing for too long. I asked myself if this was not simply self-justification for a possible rejection, and I answered myself: no.....I really had begun to lose interest in actually performing MARY POPPINS for any length of time. Yes, good money, but not that good, I would bet, and not as interesting as many other options open to me in the months to come. So.....though i doubt that I will be getting any sort of offer, I wonder what i would do with it if I did.
So to all my darling friends who wanted me to land that job, please forgive...but there are better things ahead, I promise. Personally to Anne J. in ABingdon: I wish you could come see A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE...and you have until May 21st to do so...you would love it, for sure.
Today, I got a manicure and pedicure to begin to celebrate my birthday and i don't remember when such a thing felt so good! And tomorrow, because we do not have rehearsal until late in the day, I plan to pamper myself even more: i will spend serious time at the gym and do a long steam and sauna! After a good workout! I can hardly wait! I have had absolutely no time to spend there at all, and I am tired of having no time to live....the time consumption on this show has been inordinate. It has worn on all of us. SO we are all glad we do not have rehearsal tomorrow. At least until later in the day.
TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!! I AM OLD...but happily so, and wiser than i was...and would not want to be one second of time younger! I have worked hard and therefore earned exactly where I am in both my actual life and my spiritual life. And, as I read more of Robert Thurmond's work on Tibetan Buddhism, the more i understand my actual life IS my spiritual life! If there is anything I am truly grateful for at this birthday time in my life, it's my deepening understanding of spiritual things, of the riches that Buddhism has to offer, of the dear loves I have in my life (the astonishing Peter, and the faithful Paul), and of my richer and richer acceptance of things as they are. There is no place like here, no time like NOW. To be able to know this is a true blessing, and I want to share it with all of you.
So....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF US! AND THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF YOU...ALL OF YOU!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Sunny, Gorgeous, Warmish Day Off....
....BUT......i have a day filled with callback auditions and commercial "go-sees"....unavoidable...necessary....I could not tell the lovely MARY POPPINS folks "thanks, but no thanks" when they asked me to return for final callbacks...and even when they obligingly changed my final from yesterday to today, for which I am so grateful, an actor is always going to feel the pressure of " aw gee...do I really have to go through this again?"...Inevitable....and as I tell my students, if you are lucky and work as much as your talent dictates you should work, you will face a thousand callbacks, nerve-wracking and demanding...and if you're one of the lucky ones, you will have to endure thousands of nerve-wracking rehearsal processes and opening nights....and reviews and long-runs and the next jobs..all those anxieties...and that is if you are one of the lucky ones who actually get work and are out there looking for the jobs...so, welcome to SHOW BUSINESS!!
Actually, I am not at all sure that the MARY POPPINS people changed my audition day because of my request, but for whatever reason, I am grateful to them that they did, since today is my day off from A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE and so I really can concentrate better on the MARY POPPINS tasks ahead....they sent more "sides" to learn and I have been diligently studying them, as well as oistening to the absolutely beautifully produced CD of the London cast....and reading a book of MP stories Peter bought me and watching the movie which bears slight resemblance to the show so gorgeously crafted more recently. I am so impressed with the seamless way George S. and Anthony D.'s new music fits into the story telling. And, infact, theatrically speaking, tells the story even better. The MARY POPPINS London cast album is one of those juicy huge sounds that gets us all excited about being in "the biz"....I have been floating on it for days now...
A very exciting cast recording....George S. did the dance and vocal arrangements as well ...great company numbers...none of which "my" role ("Mrs. Brill, the Housekeeper) is even in, unless she is int hem and I am not aware of that....nonetheless, i would be honored to be part of the Broadway company.
I am also old and experienced enough to know that what will be will be. If, as i teell my students, the role has my name on it, it will be mine...if it has someone's else's name on it, they will win the day and do the show...either way, I will have done my best, as I always strive to do...and I am particularly well-prepared fort hese call backs...so...let the games begin!!!
Meanwhile, back at the routine of life, A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE is previewing well...audiences are growing and audiences are quite warm and appreciative. My song in the 2nd Act, No One Ever Knows seems to warm their hearts and I get a lot of lovely comments on it after the show. Our company of 5 is working hard and well together, and despite the on-going rehearsal calls, we remain upbeat and positive, wanting to give the show every possible chance to succeed, despite the gathering ensemble weariness. True, it is not a strenuous show, no crazed dance numbers or huge physical demands, but the accumulated effect of weeks of work, tension, learning and perservering through sawdust and new stage platforms to get used to, well...of course it all takes its toll and we are feeling it. But I have not noticed any slacking on the part of any of us, and the show gets our best, each and every performance. We have had a week of previews, including the strange but routinely scheduled Monday night show. Our night off at The York is Tuesday. I hear ticket sales are going well, and since The York has decided to stop papering in ordert to stimulate more actual ticket sales, each and every ticket sold is of great value. This company deserves to thrive. It does important work. So, I am thrilled with each and every single seat filled by a paying person. Bless them.
There are varying levels of pricing, enabling students and and others who need a price break to buy as well. This is so smart.
Anyway, back to MARY POPPINS and the few hours ahead...much of my day depends on how the first foray into the room goes...I gather that the entire production team and producers will be there today....so i guess i will see Cameron M. again, after years of not seeing him....he is always cordial and warm to me..and i lok forward to it, as well as to seeing Ants and George, who are so dear...they gave us their House Seats when we went to see MP in London last year and we enjoyed aglass of wine with Anthony before the show...and adorable pair of men, those two...and so deeply gifted.
Also, I look forward to seeing Richard Eyre again...the tall, handosme and talented director of this piece. Very appealing man, and deeply engaging artist....he was so very nice to me last audition....And of course David Caddick, Musical Supervisor...intensely taletned group of theatre artists. With a lot on the line for the New York production. Such an expensive proposition to produce here. And this is a large show. But when Peter and i saw it in London , we were so moved by it. I felt so included in it. It's a show with an enormous heart. And with the new songs and more theatrical story telling , it feels even warmer,more human. I feel it will be a large hit here. For their sakes, I pray it will be.
So, will it be a part of my professional future? Who the heck knows? One way or the other, the future looks fun, so I am grateful for it all, no matter what. Stay tuned dear readers.
Actually, I am not at all sure that the MARY POPPINS people changed my audition day because of my request, but for whatever reason, I am grateful to them that they did, since today is my day off from A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE and so I really can concentrate better on the MARY POPPINS tasks ahead....they sent more "sides" to learn and I have been diligently studying them, as well as oistening to the absolutely beautifully produced CD of the London cast....and reading a book of MP stories Peter bought me and watching the movie which bears slight resemblance to the show so gorgeously crafted more recently. I am so impressed with the seamless way George S. and Anthony D.'s new music fits into the story telling. And, infact, theatrically speaking, tells the story even better. The MARY POPPINS London cast album is one of those juicy huge sounds that gets us all excited about being in "the biz"....I have been floating on it for days now...
A very exciting cast recording....George S. did the dance and vocal arrangements as well ...great company numbers...none of which "my" role ("Mrs. Brill, the Housekeeper) is even in, unless she is int hem and I am not aware of that....nonetheless, i would be honored to be part of the Broadway company.
I am also old and experienced enough to know that what will be will be. If, as i teell my students, the role has my name on it, it will be mine...if it has someone's else's name on it, they will win the day and do the show...either way, I will have done my best, as I always strive to do...and I am particularly well-prepared fort hese call backs...so...let the games begin!!!
Meanwhile, back at the routine of life, A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE is previewing well...audiences are growing and audiences are quite warm and appreciative. My song in the 2nd Act, No One Ever Knows seems to warm their hearts and I get a lot of lovely comments on it after the show. Our company of 5 is working hard and well together, and despite the on-going rehearsal calls, we remain upbeat and positive, wanting to give the show every possible chance to succeed, despite the gathering ensemble weariness. True, it is not a strenuous show, no crazed dance numbers or huge physical demands, but the accumulated effect of weeks of work, tension, learning and perservering through sawdust and new stage platforms to get used to, well...of course it all takes its toll and we are feeling it. But I have not noticed any slacking on the part of any of us, and the show gets our best, each and every performance. We have had a week of previews, including the strange but routinely scheduled Monday night show. Our night off at The York is Tuesday. I hear ticket sales are going well, and since The York has decided to stop papering in ordert to stimulate more actual ticket sales, each and every ticket sold is of great value. This company deserves to thrive. It does important work. So, I am thrilled with each and every single seat filled by a paying person. Bless them.
There are varying levels of pricing, enabling students and and others who need a price break to buy as well. This is so smart.
Anyway, back to MARY POPPINS and the few hours ahead...much of my day depends on how the first foray into the room goes...I gather that the entire production team and producers will be there today....so i guess i will see Cameron M. again, after years of not seeing him....he is always cordial and warm to me..and i lok forward to it, as well as to seeing Ants and George, who are so dear...they gave us their House Seats when we went to see MP in London last year and we enjoyed aglass of wine with Anthony before the show...and adorable pair of men, those two...and so deeply gifted.
Also, I look forward to seeing Richard Eyre again...the tall, handosme and talented director of this piece. Very appealing man, and deeply engaging artist....he was so very nice to me last audition....And of course David Caddick, Musical Supervisor...intensely taletned group of theatre artists. With a lot on the line for the New York production. Such an expensive proposition to produce here. And this is a large show. But when Peter and i saw it in London , we were so moved by it. I felt so included in it. It's a show with an enormous heart. And with the new songs and more theatrical story telling , it feels even warmer,more human. I feel it will be a large hit here. For their sakes, I pray it will be.
So, will it be a part of my professional future? Who the heck knows? One way or the other, the future looks fun, so I am grateful for it all, no matter what. Stay tuned dear readers.
Friday, April 14, 2006
WW of Pollen , Part Two
So last night's First Preview went well: i.e. we remembered all our words and nothing fell down! In fact, I even discovered a new moment or two, which is always satisfying. And the thing that most pleased me was i got certain phrases of language right that i had been getting wrong for several rehearsals...precise points of language that do make a difference in how she expresses herself,and that sort of detail is what makes character...so last night was good for that, at least for me, though I know it was rather a nerve-wracking evening for others...I felt oddly relieved...maybe because I am just so darned grateful to be able to breathe again!
Which brings me back to the pollen thing, mentioned above in the headline...because, you see, it's Springtime in New York City and that is always lovely, truly lovely...all those gorgeous blossoming trees, white and pink and lush and fabulous...bursting with life, fragrant and......deadly....for those of us with, as it happens, ALLERGIES!!!! Add to the gorgeous trees flinging their pollen around a theater full of sawdust, and other varous dusts...and you had me....STUFFED, COUGHING and pretty miserable...out of a cast of five, THREE OF THE ACTORS went to their ear-nose-and-throat doctors on the day off....I re-established contact with the office of Dr. Gwen Korovin, and after hundreds of dollars in visit fees and meds, I began to feel better....nothing wrong with the vocal chords, just lots of mucus from allergic reactions, and lots of stuff to clear up and keep flowing....I'm just happy I was able not to lose my voice through all of it...but because it has been so hard to even breathe,it has taken far too much energy to even simply breathe...it has been awful..even last night, even though I felt pretty good about the whole journey of my work through the show, I was in danger of coughing up some major dustballs at the top of Act Two...ridiculous...i have taken to carrying a bottle of water around with me in my costume bag..."Klapper" carries a large bag, of course...and lots of throat lozenges...i hate feeling so debilitated... but the voice remains strong, and I am grateful.
So, we plod on, through the mucus...and today we rehearse for four hours before our Preview #2...last nights audience was small but warm and welcoming. Several folks in the biz were already coming...Evan Pappas was there, adorable and warm as ever...Jerry Wade, co-producer of Gingold Group (they produce the Project Shaw evenings)...and few other lovely strangers remained afterward to tell us how good we were....a small group, and another small one expected this evening due to the Easter holiday, but we shall continue to do the best work we can, of course....when is it ever not so?
Which brings me back to the pollen thing, mentioned above in the headline...because, you see, it's Springtime in New York City and that is always lovely, truly lovely...all those gorgeous blossoming trees, white and pink and lush and fabulous...bursting with life, fragrant and......deadly....for those of us with, as it happens, ALLERGIES!!!! Add to the gorgeous trees flinging their pollen around a theater full of sawdust, and other varous dusts...and you had me....STUFFED, COUGHING and pretty miserable...out of a cast of five, THREE OF THE ACTORS went to their ear-nose-and-throat doctors on the day off....I re-established contact with the office of Dr. Gwen Korovin, and after hundreds of dollars in visit fees and meds, I began to feel better....nothing wrong with the vocal chords, just lots of mucus from allergic reactions, and lots of stuff to clear up and keep flowing....I'm just happy I was able not to lose my voice through all of it...but because it has been so hard to even breathe,it has taken far too much energy to even simply breathe...it has been awful..even last night, even though I felt pretty good about the whole journey of my work through the show, I was in danger of coughing up some major dustballs at the top of Act Two...ridiculous...i have taken to carrying a bottle of water around with me in my costume bag..."Klapper" carries a large bag, of course...and lots of throat lozenges...i hate feeling so debilitated... but the voice remains strong, and I am grateful.
So, we plod on, through the mucus...and today we rehearse for four hours before our Preview #2...last nights audience was small but warm and welcoming. Several folks in the biz were already coming...Evan Pappas was there, adorable and warm as ever...Jerry Wade, co-producer of Gingold Group (they produce the Project Shaw evenings)...and few other lovely strangers remained afterward to tell us how good we were....a small group, and another small one expected this evening due to the Easter holiday, but we shall continue to do the best work we can, of course....when is it ever not so?
Thursday, April 13, 2006
The Wonderful World of Pollen...
...and SAWDUST!!!! A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, this gorgeous little show, is previewing tonight for its first public New York audience, and it's in good enough shape to do so...really a charmer, this one....and it will be interesting to see how New Yorkers take to it...we are certainly enjoying it and each other..this is a loving and warm cast of folks, and so is the York Theatre crew and tech staff..really nice people...i mean really good people who do their jobs well...and the physical show looks beautiful and interesting and unusual...
Sunday, April 09, 2006
The World STINKS!
...at least this common, everyday, human world as we know it.....it is filled with Lindsey Lohan "wanna-be's", young people desirous of doing nothing with their lives except imitate others...be blond, show skin and act like idiots! We have a President who never earned the right to lead anyone anywhere, and here he is leading the supposed Free World...we have a New York City filled with common criminals, dirty ignoramuses with nothing but I-tunes between their ears...and cruelty everywhere...plus, in this building alone, one single elevator (since our other one is being replaced and updated,etc), that is monopolized by a greedy few who insist that they be able to keep it one their particular floors for as long as they wish to....getting out of this building takes forever....yes, stairs are an option, at least going down, but still...people are pigs! Selfish pigs. And not only in this building...all over....for example, yesterday, in the rain....
People on the bus? Puhleeze....barnyard animals! All they needed to do was "moo", "baa" and cluck like chickens and the picture would have been complete!
And to top it all off? The Barter sent me a copy of the Alice White Memorial film made for the Memorial Service they held for her (thank you dear Diana for sending it to us) and I sat here this morning, went through it twice on my computer, and wept so hard I now cannot breathe!
In a world that barely makes sense each day, how can one explain the taking away of a good soul, a gifted and generous spirit like Alice? She should not have died. She should not have suffered as she did. No! She should not have! Aside from being sad, I am now very angry. And sad. Both at once. It is not a pleasant state to be in....
especially during tech week...
How can a man sit in an Oval Office and dictate the deaths of thousands,...what has he done to deserve that sort of awesome power? Any man...but especially this one?
This terribly stupid and flawed one...yes, we are all terribly stupid and flawed..I know, I know....but we are not President of the United States....nor do we aspire to be...aspiration: to breathe with intent to give life....passion....sorry......there is certainly no com-passion...with passion....anywhere near where this man is sitting, daily...if there were.....well..If..in deed....the world is soooo stupid, and for some reason, I am making a direct connection today between peoples' behavior on the bus yesterday and the way this President of ours is making the world run....something common threading through human nature, scared and animal...
Undignified. Unworthy.
I have a cold.
Gotta go to rehearsal.
People on the bus? Puhleeze....barnyard animals! All they needed to do was "moo", "baa" and cluck like chickens and the picture would have been complete!
And to top it all off? The Barter sent me a copy of the Alice White Memorial film made for the Memorial Service they held for her (thank you dear Diana for sending it to us) and I sat here this morning, went through it twice on my computer, and wept so hard I now cannot breathe!
In a world that barely makes sense each day, how can one explain the taking away of a good soul, a gifted and generous spirit like Alice? She should not have died. She should not have suffered as she did. No! She should not have! Aside from being sad, I am now very angry. And sad. Both at once. It is not a pleasant state to be in....
especially during tech week...
How can a man sit in an Oval Office and dictate the deaths of thousands,...what has he done to deserve that sort of awesome power? Any man...but especially this one?
This terribly stupid and flawed one...yes, we are all terribly stupid and flawed..I know, I know....but we are not President of the United States....nor do we aspire to be...aspiration: to breathe with intent to give life....passion....sorry......there is certainly no com-passion...with passion....anywhere near where this man is sitting, daily...if there were.....well..If..in deed....the world is soooo stupid, and for some reason, I am making a direct connection today between peoples' behavior on the bus yesterday and the way this President of ours is making the world run....something common threading through human nature, scared and animal...
Undignified. Unworthy.
I have a cold.
Gotta go to rehearsal.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
BLING!
,,,in the middle of a stormy and grey cool Saturday, cold and wretched, in fact... that is today...but lately, there have sprung up all over the city these sparkly, sparkly, shiny, cheery and glittery shops that sell racks upon racks, dishes and bowls full, hooks filled to the brim with and displays ostentatious, of BLING! Fake jewels, fake diamonds,rubies, and emeralds, gold glitz, emerald and sapphire chains, earrings rusted with mounds of gems amd more gems, long long strands of semi-precious and seemingly precious stones....a treasure trove on every corner , it seems, and they all seemed to be run by Asians or Phillipino folks...some Indian or Pakistanis...and they are terribly wonderful and inviting ...and INEXPENSIVE enough to amke one feel rich enough to buy and buy and buy...sparkly reds, oranges, blues,fiery greens and chartreuses, impossibly white and violet-faceted "diamonds"...oases of abundance in an otherwise grey and needy City...these Bling shops are like minor miracles...is it possible we DO all deserve to be wealthy, or at least look it????
Today, we begin tech rehearsals for A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, and the day is as bad as I said above that it was....and we are all tired and suffering from a dusty week of rehearsal in the construction space that is the stage we play on....BUT, the show is WONDERFUL! And the York is a terrific and supportive place, full of helpful and good people. It's simply a typical tech week!
Getting here on an over-crowded bus (New Yorkers become ridiculously hysterical and awful in the rain, which drivers with their own cars do not do, because with your own car, you can at least feel dry and safe...on a public bus, it's all so...humilitating!)...New Yorkers are wretched in the rain, and they therefore try to make others feel awful too! So I was on a bus filled with pretty awful and wet people, in my efforts to simply get to the theater today! Once I arrived, there was warmth and purpose, and a light-filled dressing room...and well, like the shops full of BLING (!), an oasis! So here we are, until 11:00 tonight!!!!
So, for now: BYE!!!
Today, we begin tech rehearsals for A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE, and the day is as bad as I said above that it was....and we are all tired and suffering from a dusty week of rehearsal in the construction space that is the stage we play on....BUT, the show is WONDERFUL! And the York is a terrific and supportive place, full of helpful and good people. It's simply a typical tech week!
Getting here on an over-crowded bus (New Yorkers become ridiculously hysterical and awful in the rain, which drivers with their own cars do not do, because with your own car, you can at least feel dry and safe...on a public bus, it's all so...humilitating!)...New Yorkers are wretched in the rain, and they therefore try to make others feel awful too! So I was on a bus filled with pretty awful and wet people, in my efforts to simply get to the theater today! Once I arrived, there was warmth and purpose, and a light-filled dressing room...and well, like the shops full of BLING (!), an oasis! So here we are, until 11:00 tonight!!!!
So, for now: BYE!!!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
An Ars Nova Night...
....house packed, a cool rain drenching the City...people still showed up....because of the feature attraction, a man they all obviously love: Glenn Seven Allen, a man I am now extremely fond of, an old friend of Peter's from U. of M, they werein the same class....and Glenn and I are in A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE together...so all these individual strands drew us to join the rest of the delighted audience at Ars Nova last night and be deliciously entertained by Glenn's one-man show: TOO LEGIT....boy, was he marvelous! Deeply, legitimately wonderful. A voice from Heaven, the breadth and depth of which i got to hear more of last night and i was...well..it's gorgeous....and his sensitive willingness to go deep where the songs asked him to go? Perfect...enthralling and satisfying. Also, he was extremely funny...he sang a love song aria to a Magnolia Bakery cupcake, and it was one of the sweetest ,sexiest, funniest thing I have seen in a while...Christianne Noll joined him in the final duet from A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE...gorgeous. Directed terrifically and cleverly by Kate Guyton...afterwards, a real Michigan mafia gathering at Vintages on 8th Avenue...I sat and listened a lot! What a great and gifted crew of artists....singers, actors, writers....wonderful! I felt a trifle old, but you now what? I AM!!!!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Apres le 1st "glue-through"....
....in other words, the first time we pieced the entire show together...yesterday...on the stage, with as much of the actual platforming in place as they tech crew has been able to build....and, you know what? It went not so badly!
I mean, we have an entire week before tech rehearsals officially start, and there we were, totally (if not perfectly) " off book", doing the entire show on our feet, having just ingested a large amount of brand new blocking...and we did not run into walls, or fall of platforms, or totally screw up any scenes or songs! In fact, we were even able to do some actual growing exploration and honest scene work! And whereas we all felt like our bad habits sometimes got us through or got inthe way, on the whole we each and ever one of us pleased somewhat...especially to get it over with...the first runthrough (or as I called it "glue-through"), is always harrowing, no matter what good shape you're in....and we do happen to be in very good shape for this early in the process.
And we all like each other so very much. Christianne N. pointed out to me yesterday that it has been a long while since she has felt to creative and supported in a rehearsal process. I agreed with her. And we both credited Gabe B. as director for setting such a generous tone for us all.
Today is Glenn A.'s last performance of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, a show he has been with since its inception several years ago....so, whereas he is a bit relieved for that part of his routine to be over, he will doubtless be sad and sensitive as the matinee draws to its end...tomorrow night, we are going to see his one-man show at Ars Nova...Christianne will join him at some point to do a duet from A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE.....Peter already booked our tix, and we are excited about going.
Last night, we went to see INTO THE WOODS at Skirball Auditorium on the NYU Campus....directed by Bill Wesbrooks...several of my students were in it, and tey were great! ANd the whole thing was terrific to see! Steinhardt students get extraordinary vocal basis in their training....this is so clear when they are cast in large, difficult shows like..WOODS, and to fill a large 800-seat theater is the task. Sure, they were mic-ed, but with a 20 piece orchestra you have to be...the good thing is: tey did not sound like they were in any way amplified, so the natural voices came shining through...and there were some terrific ones! Also, I was pleased with the spirited truth of the character work. We had fun...and Peter finally got to meet Bill W.
One of my students met Peter for the first time, and she emailed me this morning to tell me that I have a very "hot" husband...she is so very right!
Bless him for being so good to me! And he is.
Tomorrow he has a callback for PHANTOM....he really is "working the room" , professionally speaking....he deserves only the best!
Back to rehearsal...(did I mention I was typing this at the York offices, on a break?)
xxev
I mean, we have an entire week before tech rehearsals officially start, and there we were, totally (if not perfectly) " off book", doing the entire show on our feet, having just ingested a large amount of brand new blocking...and we did not run into walls, or fall of platforms, or totally screw up any scenes or songs! In fact, we were even able to do some actual growing exploration and honest scene work! And whereas we all felt like our bad habits sometimes got us through or got inthe way, on the whole we each and ever one of us pleased somewhat...especially to get it over with...the first runthrough (or as I called it "glue-through"), is always harrowing, no matter what good shape you're in....and we do happen to be in very good shape for this early in the process.
And we all like each other so very much. Christianne N. pointed out to me yesterday that it has been a long while since she has felt to creative and supported in a rehearsal process. I agreed with her. And we both credited Gabe B. as director for setting such a generous tone for us all.
Today is Glenn A.'s last performance of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, a show he has been with since its inception several years ago....so, whereas he is a bit relieved for that part of his routine to be over, he will doubtless be sad and sensitive as the matinee draws to its end...tomorrow night, we are going to see his one-man show at Ars Nova...Christianne will join him at some point to do a duet from A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE.....Peter already booked our tix, and we are excited about going.
Last night, we went to see INTO THE WOODS at Skirball Auditorium on the NYU Campus....directed by Bill Wesbrooks...several of my students were in it, and tey were great! ANd the whole thing was terrific to see! Steinhardt students get extraordinary vocal basis in their training....this is so clear when they are cast in large, difficult shows like..WOODS, and to fill a large 800-seat theater is the task. Sure, they were mic-ed, but with a 20 piece orchestra you have to be...the good thing is: tey did not sound like they were in any way amplified, so the natural voices came shining through...and there were some terrific ones! Also, I was pleased with the spirited truth of the character work. We had fun...and Peter finally got to meet Bill W.
One of my students met Peter for the first time, and she emailed me this morning to tell me that I have a very "hot" husband...she is so very right!
Bless him for being so good to me! And he is.
Tomorrow he has a callback for PHANTOM....he really is "working the room" , professionally speaking....he deserves only the best!
Back to rehearsal...(did I mention I was typing this at the York offices, on a break?)
xxev
