Put a tip in the jar and pull up a chair

No, not a reference to a new schlocky "rich and hot teen" drama, but rather God's gift of air conditioning.

"And on the eighth day the Lord did show mercy and spake unto his prophets: I shall give you the bounteous gift of freon-based chilly goodness and its name shall be called 'air conditioning.' It shall cool you during the summers that I have most goodly formed, save the months of June through September when it shall be so bloody hot that your skin will feel as if it were melting off and you will cry to the heavens for my everlasting mercy, thus bestowed in this most precious gift. It shall bring tidings of great comfort which shall be to all people. And the Lord saw that the AC was good." - The book of Steve 3:15-18

 

How fast the clock seems to keenly chart

Our fleeting tenure on this stage

 

So brief a span we play our part

To bring to life the playwright’s page

 

But as the spotlight dims its glow

Ovations cry out in the dark:

 

“He who trod these sacred boards has left an everlasting mark.”

 

In memory of Richard D. Reahm

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the best (and by best I mean "not in any way good") things about living in this area are the fine individuals you encounter while walking to your car from the mall. Here's a recounting of the fun time I had just a few days ago:

Scene: a night time mall parking lot. I'm approached by a fine citizen who appears to be smoking...something.

CRAZY HIGH GUY: Hey man.

ME (avoiding eye contact and picking up the pace:) Um, hey.

CHG: I'm not high, ya know.

ME: I see.

CHG: No really, I'm not.

ME (catching a whiff of something that's definitely not cigarettes:) Oh...well, I certainly didn't think you were. Gotta get going, though.

CHG: You afraid of me or somethin'? I can help you find your car. (He pulls out a lighter and flicks it on, waving it unsteadily in my direction.)

ME: No need. I know exactly where I left it. Umm...better be careful with that.

CHG: What? You think I'm gonna set you on fire or somethin'?

ME: Well, I'd certainly prefer that you not, yes.

CHG (laughing an "I'm completely stoned out of my mind" laugh:) Heh...don't worry, I know what I'm doing. See?

ME (laughing with no sincerity whatsoever and nervously wondering why I parked so far from the entrance:) Haha. Obviously.

CHG: This must be your car, then.

ME: Pretty much.

CHG (finally moving to a safe distance:) Well, see you around, then.

ME (hopping in to the car:) Not so much, no.

(The locks click.)

Well, it's now official: the 2009 holiday season will see the return of the Parsons/Popa musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol to the PG stage, in its new revised (and infinitely more festive) form. Those of you who have heard the 2008 studio recording will have some idea of how this thing has been shaping up over the past couple of years and (***gratuitous plug***) those who haven't should head right over to the iTunes Store and download it immediately!

A brief history of this whole endeavor: in 1997 new PG artistic director Bil Pfuderer commissioned the two of us to write a new musical adaptation based on some conversations he and I had during that summer regarding lagging interest in the show from both audiences and the talent pool. It was hoped that a musical version might encourage some of the area's stronger actors to audition since they would be more than just a face in a large ensemble with a scant few lines. Ultimately this plan paid off, and we found ourselves with a hit on our hands. In fact, the box office for that first year netted the Guild $140,000...still an all-time record. We were even able to get a grant allowing us to take the cast into the studio to record the show's first CD, a rushed effort but a nice document of the final first year product.
The show remained fairly successful over the next three seasons, pulling in $110,000 in both of its last two years. Unfortunately it also fell prey to a lot of meddling influences trying to get us to change elements of it to suit their personal tastes (becoming inexplicably mired in mild controversy at times,) thwarting our efforts to refine a piece that had been written in a fast four month period. It was finally replaced due to a huge political shift at the theatre that insisted they *had* to go back to the original 1981 play version and this started a downward box office (as well creative) spiral,  so the show hasn't ever cracked the $100,000 barrier again. In recent years, it's been lucky to get anywhere close to $80,000.

Honestly, by the time the show was replaced we felt it was time for it to go anyway. We'd lost a lot of perspective and were discouraged at the forced changes (despite some great support that allowed us to have a 15-piece live orchestra the fourth and final year.) So, the piece went on the shelf. Until...

Four years later (2004 to be exact,) I hit on the notion that it seemed a shame to have two hours of material just sitting there not generating any interest for us. After talking with John (Popa, to those of you who only know him as such) and consulting with some big-name professional writer friends in NY, we started to tweak a bit here and there, removing other people's misguided ideas and fixing some lyrics and other elements. I slashed music out of the show and decided to create a leaner, more effective version that we could license while also restoring it to a more book-centric piece.

Meanwhile, my dad was diagnosed with dementia and I wanted to to do something to honor him while he was still able to appreciate it, so we combined the two ideas and were able to get funding for a full studio recording with an orchestra to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. The planning and fundraising (not to mention the rewrites) took a while, so we weren't able to begin recording until December of 2007. We then took every spare moment of time, working around my 8 show a week schedule and everyone else's crazy lives, to record a definitive document of the *new* version that was completed last summer and released during the holidays. Response was very positive from a variety of sources, and things started to really look like they'd finally gelled. Fast forward to less than a month ago when Josh and Jon called me into a meeting to discuss the idea of reviving the show at the PG in its new form and we discussed the pros and cons of the notion and even some ideas for how to bring back some of the "magic."

What's changed with the piece? A lot, actually. Most of the basic songs remain but everything has been newly arranged and orchestrated, and there are major new sections of music (but actually LESS underscore) that allow the show to flow. More importantly, Scrooge is now a singing character. It might seem strange that he didn't originally, but remember that most of the Guild's Scrooges were distinctly non-singers, so we had to write around and justify a Scrooge who could only articulate his thoughts in dialogue and asides. Most of the professional advice we received indicated it would be better (and more marketable) to have the lead sing, so we restructured the piece to make this feel natural. Other than that, I guess you'll just have to check out the show in November/December to see what we've done!

Admittedly it's daunting to start this up because there are a lot of expectations and we want the show to be a positive influence, but I remain hopeful that both the acting pool and the community will support the effort and make this year something special.

I'm sure most of you are aware of the "dueling RENT productions" situation here in Canton. While I'm not brave enough to delve into THAT little hotbed at present, I did feel one thing needed to be mentioned:
A friend of mine is in the production and drives from Akron every day to rehearse (for three months prior to the eventual July performance dates, mind you,) so obviously puts a lot of gas money into their love of the show. On top of that, this community theatre production made every cast member ante up $50 to be in the show. Yes, you read that right: they're making people PAY to be in an adequate-at-best production because the theatre can't actually afford to produce the show themselves. But that's not the issue I spoke of...no, no, here's the rub: on top of the $50 fee, each cast member had to agree to sell 20 tickets at $20 a piece.
Pretty ballsy asking everyone to pony up what amounts to $450 dollars simply because you know they're dying to be in RENT, isn't it? Now said friend had to pay $400 up front for tickets to a production that doesn't open until the end of July because the theatre imposed a pay-or-be-kicked-out deadline NOW. Disgusting, isn't it?

You too can volunteer your time and be blackmailed all in one fell swoop because the theatre's nervous about an ill-conceived project taking them under. Anyone care for their number?

While I don't often delve into politics or religion on here, I feel the need to voice my opinion on a few things:

Some of you may be familiar with self-appointed "guardians of decency and democracy" such as the American Family Association, Focus on the Family and the Christian news site Onenewsnow through their constant comments in the press and radio/web presence. My parents apparently subscribe to their mailing lists, as I somehow got added some time ago and get their charming little updates on a regular basis and figure it's better to know what these people are saying directly than un-subscribe in a huff.

Obviously, the conservatives (Christian and otherwise) feel they were dealt a low blow in this last election, and the same folks who urged liberals to at least respect their president as the leader of the country while Bush was in office are now taking the opportunity to slam Obama at every turn. I do realize this is part of the nature of partisan politics, but what irks me is the depths to which these people will stoop to paint a negative picture.

Now, the leaders of these groups realize they have millions of very gullible sheep hanging on their every word, so they send out misleading headlines, indicating Obama may be associated with various Islamic or other foreign peoples and generally trying to use the "he's not a white fundamentalist Christian so therefore he's a terrorist" rhetoric that wouldn't really even have been acceptable in the 60's. Once you get through the link to read the underlying article, you find that in many cases there's no actual evidence (or in many cases a real story.) These manipulators know that most of their reader base will merely scan the headline and pass judgment without ever going further, and those that do are most likely not informed or educated enough to see through the transparently thin hatchet job. You see, it's not enough to be a Christian, you have to become an unthinking puppet to truly be following "God's will." Funny, it sounds an awful lot like the will of some puffy, narrow-minded caucasians.

Lest you think this just involves Obama, there's a lot of presenting of data on many issues from education to movies, but rarely are the sources for these facts and figures cited, other than some fellow organizations' conclusions and the opinions of some white guys in church-appropriate three-piece suits. The impression one gets is of a terribly racist, idealistic notion that somehow America was better in the 1950's, at which point no one ever did anything wrong unless they were possessed by the devil, women and those foreign types were in their rightful place as voiceless slaves, and God favored white Republican America. Good thing we've made such progress in almost 60 years, right?

On top of that we have bloated windbags like Rush Limbaugh making statements about Obama like: "I hope he fails." Is that so? What kind of moron wants the leader of our country to fail, thus harming the well-being of not only the US, but much of the world as well? So much for these idiots claiming to be true-blooded Americans...those comments are decidedly UN-American. Sure, you can disagree with the president and the government on pretty much everything, but no one in their right mind would want to see them topple at the expense of the entire country.

By rights, we want them all to succeed...with every fiber of our being.

There's nothing more frightening to a musician than the prospect of losing one's hearing. For a while now I've had some issues with ringing in my ears, and I feared that it signaled something serious so I had a visit to a specialist.
Being male, I put up a brave front in talking with the doctor, but my inner monologue was a little more rattled. Contrast my verbal response with what I was thinking:

SPECIALIST: I've got the results of your hearing test. Being a musician, I'm sure you're a bit eager to "hear" the results as it were, ho ho.
ME (with forced bravado:) Oh...sure. Hahaha. Funny.
INNER MONOLOGUE: Stevie wanna go home real bad.

Don't you just love doctors trying to be cute? Fortunately, the ringing is basically just an unmeasurable high frequency loss as I can hear perfectly based on what they can chart. I'll just have to be careful to minimize any damage in the future...whew...

I haven't had much time for journaling recently, obviously. Aside from the show, I'm also arranging/vocal arranging/orchestrating a show that's premiering in LA this summer called Life Could Be A Dream.
Dream is a 60's jukebox musical that started life in Chicago and was originally slated for the Carousel this season, so I was working with the author on a number of revisions that ended up with me doing new arrangements for over half the show as songs were discarded and nine new ones took their place. With the closing of Carousel I feared that my work had been in vain, but the author contacted me the week after the closing to let me know about the LA production and that he intended to have me continue with the show (with both credit and a bit of money.) It was nice to have some good news for once!
So...I continue to arrange and revise. If all goes well, it will follow the path of his previous show, the current Off-Broadway hit The Marvelous Wonderettes, from LA to NY.

Cross your fingers and/or say a prayer!

Last  night was the long-awaited opening of Beauty and the Beast at the PG. The audience seemed to really enjoy the show, and for what it is it's going reasonably well, so we should have a decent run over the next four weeks.
I tend to put myself very physically into conducting (kinda like you're supposed to) and this show has a huge amount of music, which makes for a rather bleary-eyed state of mind and sore body afterward. It's all good, though.

My favorite non-show related texting quote of the week:

FRIEND: I'm now a Tony voter!!!!

ME: So hell froze over?

When two theatre legends are playing in your area it seems a must to check out the action and I caved last  night. Regardless of one's opinions of Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin in terms of technique at times, you can't deny that these performers are absolute forces of nature and legitimate stars.
The show itself was blissfully simple, just the two vocalists and an onstage piano and bass (featuring Broadway legend Paul Ford at the keys,) with a very minimal set and basic but effective lighting. The program consisted of both highlights from their respective careers and also medleys of tunes from various shows contributing to a basic "love story" arc that made for a seamless flow of moments to show the sometimes virtuosic talents of the two performers.
While I'm  not a fan of a lot of the old warhorse shows at this point (having done most of them over and over in my own career,) seeing the gems presented by masters of song interpretation was delightful, and there was plenty of Sondheim/post-1960's material to keep things lively. One of my favorite Kander and Ebb songs, "A Quiet Thing," was on the bill and was well-handled by LuPone. Similarly, hearing her rip through "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" live was something unforgettable. Patinkin was no slouch, doing his frequent multi-character takes on a number of rapidfire Sondheim tongue twisters and some multi-level ballads.
Many times arguments are raised about a performer's particular vocal quirks or technique issues, especially in the case of these two, but I think this generally misses the point: a true star is larger than life and has a certain magnetism that overshadows any mere questions of vocal production. Zero Mostel and Carol Channing are considered some of the all-time biggest Broadway personalities and yet there's no question they weren't the most adept vocalists. These days theatre schools are churning out finely honed talent, but they're lacking in that which can't be taught: personality, originality and star quality. It's like they've been run through the buffer far too many times and it's eroded any uniqueness, so we're left with a bunch of anonymously talented ensemble members.
Getting back to the event at hand, there's no doubt LuPone and Patinkin were destined for the limelight. They simply give too much of themselves onstage to not fill the auditorium and get that energy bouncing back from the audience. It was an awesome experience to share, and there was even the added benefit of meeting Mandy at the stage door to cap things off.
Just a nice evening and some great memories made. Bravo!

There's something peaceful about the rain: the way it provides a shimmering sonic backdrop and provides a feeling of everything being washed clean. I know this is a somewhat poetic view, but for some reason I've always found rainfall (and even storms) to be a source of comfort and energy.

Maybe it's the charged particles in the air and the rushing breeze that stirs and simultaneously calms my mind. The sky crackles with potent energy and sends the wind racing, carrying clouds brimming with precipitation to water the landscape. What a striking image!

Then again, perhaps it's the example of nature being totally out of our control. No matter what we might plan, a sudden shower can cause events to change at a moment's notice and we end up being humbled by the realization that the Earth (and the universe by extension) isn't something we can truly master.

On the philosophical side, storms seem an apt metaphor for life, but not just in the negative sense. There's something exhilarating about feeling carried aloft by forces beyond our control, finding ourselves unsure of when the next torrential downpour will disrupt our plans and force us to take a new path, or adjust our timing. Perhaps releasing our hold on the things which give us security will allow a realization that they're no more apt to weather the rain than we ourselves are...all just gets swept away. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.


I say: so let it rain.

Like many others I saw Star Trek this weekend and can give it an enthusiastic "thumbs up." Not only does it reinvigorate a tired, close-to-death franchise, but it stands up as a pretty exciting action movie and even has some fun character work to boot.
I share the view of a good friend of mine who felt that it both speeds along at a great pace (making it seem a very short two hours) but also ends in a way that you want to see what's coming next right away. These days I've more often felt a sense of relief when the credits started to roll after most films, so it was a welcome change.
It would be pretty difficult to give any sort of full review without spoiling it for some, so here are a few selected thoughts:
-The casting is great, and the new versions of the classic characters work on their own without seeming too (forgive the pun) "alien."
-The effects are top notch, really the first true "Class A Picture" special effects seen since 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture (although in that case, they were riding a bad script and had little OTHER than effects to pass the time.)
-The story effectively deals with the fanboy canon issue, while allowing the filmmakers to go wherever they want with the franchise from here on out.
-For once, all of the hand-to-hand combat and space battles seem like they have a sense of purpose, urgency and energy.
-Overall, the film feels like a bona fide motion picture rather than a double length television episode and doesn't stop for long-winded speeches every few minutes. Yes that's right, they cram the same basic amount of semi-philosophical content into the movie by writing actual dialogue that applies to the characters rather than tedious expository (at best) drivel.

I could go on at length, but I think you get the idea. For a severely lapsed fan like myself, it's nice to be able to geek out a bit on this new offering and feel like a kid at Christmas for a little bit. Hopefully, this bodes well for the future!

Some days I think it would be quite interesting if those thoughts that compose our running inner monologue were broadcast to the world at large. In most cases this would be fairly innocent enough, as you can see from the two versions of the following exchange:

RANDOM PERSON: Hey! How's it going?
PERSON 2: Not bad.

PERSON 1'S INNER MONOLOGUE: I suppose I should ask how she is.
PERSON 2'S IM: I wonder if he knows his fly's open?

See? Not too bad and only mildly embarrassing. Even the following would only be awkward, rather than truly negative:

P1: So, how's Bob?
P2: Oh, fine...fine.

P1'S IM: Holy crap that's some breath!
P2'S IM: Was it a bad choice to eat tuna for lunch?

Like any good idea, though, there are bound to be complications:

P1: Haven't really seen Bob around much lately.
P2: Uh, yeah, he's just been busy.

P1'S IM: Bob probably dumped her because of that tuna breath.
P2'S IM: This guy's going to get kicked in a moment.

Sometimes, things could even turn ugly:

P1: Ya know, I thought I saw Bob out with some other girl last night.
P2: Oh, that's just his sister.

P1'S IM: Yeah, I'll bet he gropes his sister like that ALL the time.
P2'S IM: AGGHHH...this heel's going to look just GRRRREAT stuck into his forehead!

To combat this all broadcast internal monologues should come equipped with funny accents, so that even the most serious of situations can be laughed off:

P1: I think they were headed to some motel.
P2: Probably just seeing her back to her room. She's visiting from out of town.

P1'S IM: Whajoo think, I emma stoopid?
P2'S IM: Imma gonna murder yew, ya bosturd!!!

P1: Don't the motels down in that area charge hourly?
P2: I wouldn't know.

P1'S IM (swearing in French:) @#$**$#@!!!.
P2'S IM (swearing in German:) $$##@@!!!!


On second thought, let's just forget the whole thing.

In looking over some old journal entries on xanga, I came across one that bears repeating:

Here's a typical phone exchange between myself and my father from back in the days when he still was able to verbally communicate. It proves that if you have to deal with a parent's dementia there can at least be humor at times.

 

(The phone rings and picks up on the other end. I hear the TV faintly going. Long silence. I wait...)


ME: Um, hello?


(I continue to wait.)

 DAD (slowly and distractedly:) Hellooo?

 

ME: Hi Dad, is Mom there?

 

DAD (only half-aware: ) Whaaaaat?

 

ME: Hi Dad, is Mom there?

 

DAD: Umm...Hidadismomthere?

 

ME: Yes, is she there? Can I talk to her?

 

(I hear Mom puttering around in the background.)

 

DAD: ...can I talk to her? Um...no...she's not here.

 

MOM (faintly, in the background:) Douglas, what are you doing? Douglas? Who's on the phone? Give me the phone. Douglas, don't hang u-

 

(click)

 

ME: sigh....

 

It seems that most people I know are experiencing some form of transition as of late. A number (like myself) are feeling the effects of the economy and losing their jobs either through downsizing or businesses closing. Some are merely changing their geographic location. Others are having kids and finding themselves reconfiguring their lives to serve in their new parental roles. Then there are those who are facing the loss of someone close to them - a spouse, child, parent, friend or neighbor - and dealing with the permanent waves of disruption this leaves.
In all cases we feel the ripples of effect pass through us and wonder what lies in store: will these changes be positive or negative? What will this mean for our moods, health or financial state? Sometimes the answers (when revealed at all) don't present the picture we'd prefer, which starts the cycle of questioning over again and tends to leave everyone feeling as if they're in some limbo state.
For my part it's meant a lot of mulling over the validity of many personal relationships, as it's become clear in recent years that many people treat me as a friend of convenience. That's not to say that there aren't acquaintances in most people's lives who exist merely on a superficial level, but when those who claim to be true "friends" act in this way it's a bit more of an issue.
Now, when confronted with this fact many vehemently deny such claims, but it's ironic that most of the worst offenders are the loudest in protest. We're all busy, obviously, but when it's clear that people have time for others and not for you until they need something only you can provide, it becomes imperative to begin to emotionally distance oneself from these leeches.
It's frequently a painful experience, but ultimately better off to remove cancerous influences from your life rather than allow them to cause further harm or depression. This self-induced transition is helping me to see where truth lies, not where sweet, manipulative words indicate it to be.

Typical rehearsal example:

I play the melody very obviously on top of the piano part as we rehearse a section.

CLUELESS ACTOR: Could you play my part?

ME: I AM playing your part. 

This is demonstrated by playing the melody with one finger for emphasis. We resume.

CA: Umm...are you SURE you're playing my part?

ME: Yes...

I again play the melody, even louder. We resume.

CA: It sounds different.

ME: Only to the deaf. Believe me, I'm playing your part.

We resume rehearsal as I bang out the melody with little-to-no accompaniment. Actor loses pitch. I sigh and contemplate death.

Thanks once again to Courtney for spurring this recent wave of blogging. It's been several days of posting without mentioning her name (and she IS the star of our presently-rehearsing show,) so there you go. Woo hoo, as it were.

Check that off the list as, well,  "done."

So, like many others I'm looking forward to the new Star Trek movie. Really. It's like being a kid again, waiting for Christmas.
Before you go branding or otherwise judging me as a trekkie, perhaps I should explain a few things: in the past few years I have actively loathed most things Trek as I feel that the writing and overall creative direction has been bland, derivative and mostly appalling. Now, I was something of a fan in my younger days because we were brought up watching the show (and subsequent movies) in its original form, and I was able to get into The Next Generation, but in the mid-nineties I got rather bored with the whole thing. If one is going to get into something geeky, it should at least be interesting, right? At its best, the show was silly but fun adventure and it seemed that it had eventually become what everyone fears sci-fi to be: full of incoherent technobabble and caught up in implausible concepts at the expense of character interaction and conflict.
So, why am I looking forward to it? Well, the biggest thing is that the trailers look awesome, and even people who normally wouldn't be caught dead watching Star Trek are getting excited about the film. Beyond that, though, it makes me nostalgic for a bit of lost childhood when we made popcorn and piled onto the couch to watch the Sunday night syndicated block of Maverick, The Wild, Wild West and Star Trek as a family. Silly stuff I know, but these recent days of loss have made me long to revisit those long-ago times.

I'm still not going to wear a costume, pore over fake technical manuals or visit conventions, though. I have SOME standards. It's entertainment, not a way of life. Although...we wear elaborate costumes and play make-believe in theatre while collecting cast albums, scripts and scores, so perhaps one shouldn't get on too much of a high horse.

Why don't we all just have fun and enjoy ourselves like those kids of yesteryear by feeling a sense of wonder about SOMETHING? Sounds like a plan to me.

With a nice run of warm weather upon us, many people turn their minds to getting out the ol' summer wardrobe. My dad has recently had his own ideas, however, presenting us with a new set of odd recurring actions. Now, it doesn't really behoove us to try and figure out why because it's always the same answer: he has dementia, dummy!
Here are a few examples:

-Some days are "wear underwear on the outside of your pants" days, which is always an interesting image.

-Other days he opts for the bundled up look of multiple t-shirts on top of one another, usually four to five of them, although my brother once caught him with nine-count-'em-nine layers of shirts. Of course, he can't really move his arms in that state, so I have no idea how he manages to get them all on.

-The best (and by  best I mean "most traumatizing") variation would be the "multiple shirts and NO pants" days. Yes, I really mean not a scrap of anything on down below. Not quite what one wishes to see in the morning, but at least he'll go put something on with a little reminder and some help.

No wonder we can't really take him out much anymore, is it? You only wish you had this kind of magic in your life!

"Ray Bolger is a glorious dancer, who can light up a stage through his seemingly easygoing magic. Not exactly a youth any more, he can make every step seem a marvel of grace, agility and humor. The only trouble last night was that he was constantly being interrupted by a musical comedy called Come Summer, which kept getting insistently in his way."
--Richard Watts, Jr., Post

"Ella Logan was written out of Kelly before it reached the Broadhurst Theatre Saturday night. Congratulations, Miss Logan."
--Howard Taubman, Times

"In fact, there is nothing much wrong with The Fig Leaves Are Falling, which last night boldly arrived at the Broadhurst Theatre, that a new book, new lyrics, new settings, new direction, new choreography and a partially new cast would not quite possibly put right. The costumes were adequate."
--Clive Barnes, Times

"Pickwick ran for eighteen months in London and I felt that it was taking up most of the eighteen months last night."
--Walter Kerr, Herald Tribune