Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Grateful For The Feast

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Late afternoon sun. I spent the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry and other chores, all the while playing  Ravel’s Bolero over and over again at very high volume. Don was out and about, so I didn’t have to worry about making him crazy. The recording (from 1980) that I found at the record shop was – is – really spectacular with the ending the best I’ve ever heard it done.

Sometimes I forget how great music and a sunny day can change my mood for the better. Yesterday was one of those days.

But today is rainy and gray and it looks like it will stay that way.

I just realized that I have no idea where my script for Anastasia  is. It’s here, I know it is, but I moved it from the floor right by my desk to some other place, which, at the moment, is unknown. Since rehearsals start on Thursday, I have to find it, pronto.

I’m so looking forward to working on Anastasia  again. It’s such a beautiful musical. Most of the original cast will return and it will be lovely to see everyone again. And it’s Broadway, for goodness sake, which makes me very happy. While I’ve worked in NYC a lot, the majority of productions I’ve worked on have been what is considered off-Broadway. I worked on a Broadway musical well over 12 years ago which starred Michael Crawford and was big and bold and a more than a bit misguided. It had a short run.

Anastasia, on the other hand, already has fans all over the world and it has a beautiful book, written by Terrence McNally, lyrics and music by Ahrens and Flaherty (who wrote the music for the animated movie and also wrote the musical Ragtime,) and a talented cast directed by Darko.

Looking at the rehearsal schedule and the days I will have to be there, I realized that the week I’m staying in NYC for dress rehearsals and previews will be the same week that Don leaves for California.

It’s all happening fairly quickly. Anastasia, Don leaving for California and Escape to Margaritaville, and then Heartbreak House at Hartford Stage.

And sometime in the midst of all of that, I have to find time to clean up the garden and plant seeds.

Feast or famine. I’m grateful for the feast.

A must read (at least for yours truly): from John Pavlovitz – his latest post.

Happy Tuesday.

Working, Not Working, Marching

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I’m still doing a little bit of clean up as I sort through all of the paperwork and receipts and lists that I brought back from Hartford. I must say it’s very nice to be back at my desk here in the studio/office – a space, by the way, that is getting cozier by the minute. I really love it up here.

My body is still on theater time, so I’m not getting as rested as I’d like. It takes me a couple of hours to get to sleep and then I wake up early – when Don wakes up. But that will all even out in a few days. Harder to deal with – but also inevitable when you freelance – is waking up and realizing there is no job to go to. Transitions are a part of this life and I have to remind myself to be patient as I navigate re-entrance to my life in the country.

I start work on Anastasia, the Broadway edition, in a few weeks. I’m still waiting for a contract, but that should be taken care of this week. After that, I start work on Heartbreak House  by Shaw, back at Hartford Stage. It’s a blessing, having work for the first 5 months of the year. Believe me, that’s a rarity. And Don leaves at the end of March or beginning of April for LaJolla to start work on Escape to Margaritaville.  The Hill-Sparks household is gainfully employed for the first half of 2017.

So many of my friends and family and readers marched on Saturday. I am so proud of all of you! I think we’ll be talking about this march for a long time; the power of the people, the rebuke to that man’s agenda, the peaceful and non-violent assembly of millions all over the globe. Our voice is stronger than ever and now we have to keep that momentum going.

I am particularly proud of this activist:

There he is. Handsome devil, don’t you think?

One of his pictures from Saturday. A sea of pink hats, men, women, children with the dome of the Capitol in the distance. Oh, these photos inspire me! We looked through all of them last night.

My sister is making me a Pussy Hat. Because you know I’ll be marching somewhere soon.

I’m trying to persuade a certain someone to do a guest post. What do you think? Shall we band together and talk him into it?

Happy Monday.

 

Opening Night

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I’m getting started very slowly today as we didn’t get home until 1 am from the Opening Night of Anastasia. It was a long day – driving there took almost twice as long as usual because of the Memorial Day weekend, I suspect. I almost gave up, thinking we should just head back home. But oh! I am so glad we kept going.

I cannot tell you enough how glorious this musical is. Opening Night was one of the most magical nights I’ve even been a part of, and I’ve been in theater for, ahem, many years. I am sitting here, this morning, in my blogging chair, remembering bits and pieces of the night, snatches of songs, magical moments onstage, the roar of the crowd at the end of certain musical numbers, the cheers and foot stomping and bravos that filled the theater. Don was completely enthralled. He couldn’t stop talking about it and said it’s the best show he’s seen in years.

I love the cast, a group of super talented actor/singer/dancers with big hearts and a wonderful, positive attitude. I love Darko, of course – his brilliance is a given. The music and lyrics, the libretto, the choreography, the music direction, the costumes, the set design, the lighting, the projections – are superb. I grew up acting in musicals. They are my first love. And what I love about the musical theater are the lush, gorgeous songs of the greats: Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Frank Loesser, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Jule Styne, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin….what I don’t like is the Pop sound in a lot of recent musicals. I avoid them like the plague. Musical Theater should be larger-than-life, it should take you to a different place, a place where the feelings and emotions in a moment are so big, so momentous, that the character just has to sing.

Anastasia  does that. Oh, how wonderful it is to witness something like this.

We spent some time at the party afterwards and then, about 11 pm, headed home. Not much sleep, but so worth it. It’s headed to Broadway sometime in 2017.

5-28 clematis

Before we left for Hartford, I noticed the clematis was blooming!

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As is the Lamium.

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With these 90 degree temperatures, I suspect a lot of blooms are going to pop open. Staying inside with the A/C on today. Don has a gig tonight, poor guy, so he’s trying to sleep in.

Happy Saturday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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