Phil Nuetzel
said...
I'm on vacation as of 6 p.m. this evening. Two weeks off work, just like having 16 Saturdays in a row. Well, really 15, with one Sunday at the end! I'll spend some of that time learning my lines. Forum is so well written that after reading the scenes once or twice, it's so easy to understand the flow of the action that I can almost reconstruct what I'm supposed to say and when, and without memorizing anything. Of course, most of my lines are short, so...big deal! Well dad-gummit, I don't always feel that way, but with Forum I do, and it feels good. Don't worry, Joel, I won't get a false sense of security.
I also love the music from this show. I read an article that said Forum's score was not enthusiastically received when it first opened in, what, 1962? The show won all kinds of awards, including the Tony for best musical, but nothing for the score. That is hard to believe! The critics said (guess what!) it wasn't "hummable." The revival ten years later produced raves for the score, and the author of the article said that it was simply too sophisticated for show-going ears in 1962. Hmmm.
I just heard that Bruce Adler died today at the young age of 63. That is sad. I heard earlier that Louis Stadlen (sp?) was going to play Tevye at The Muny in a few weeks, instead of Adler, but I didn't give it much thought. Adler was a great performer. I read that his solo CD is great, especially if you want to get acquainted with Yiddish theater humor.
Has anyone else seen the [title of show] show on YouTube? They have about 13 episodes posted, 9 or 10 minutes each. It's about the process of bringing the musical "[title of show]" to Broadway. It's funny stuff. The musical itself is about writing a musical, and it just opened in early July to very mixed reviews. Check out a little of the "[tos] show" on YouTube if you haven't seen it yet.
I saw a dress rehearsal tonight for "Once Upon A Mattress" up at St. Charles Community College, Center Stage Theatre. I was in "She Loves Me" up there last summer. They will have a great show this year. They open on Tuesday, I think. Princess Winnifred, the Jester, the Minstrel, and King Sextimus are all particularly good. The orchestra sounded great, too, and the sets and costumes are excellent. They work very hard up there, and of course, they have a nice budget!
Well, that's all from Senex for now. Love, peace and a good night's sleep!
--Phil
Posted July 26, 2008 12:58 AM
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