Where Did February Go?

February was a whirlwind of activity leaving me with a cold and cough. It all began on February 2 with the Drama League Gala (see the pics) at the fabled Rainbow Room. I enjoyed the evening as all I had to do was get dressed up, drink, eat, schmooze and watch the show I helped to create. The highlights were the opening, a La Cage Aux Folles Medley featuring some of the original Cagelles, Lee Roy Reems, John Weiner and others. The second highlight was the campaign number from The Will Rogers Follies featuring Keith Carradine and many of the original girls. They stagings of both of these were recreated by Cady Huffman (she appeared in both shows) and they were so much fun to watch. Chita was great as usual doing a Can Can medley that my collaborator David Krane arranged at my suggestion. All in all a very successful evening. The next day I had my first of three lectures for a wonderful Elderhostel group visiting New York and learning about theatre. The first was a lecture on post Rodgers and Hammerstein musical theatre, which I decided meant concept musicals. They enjoyed the lecture, but I am sure I could have done better if I had more time and had done the lecture before. The next one was my usual "my life in musical theatre" lecture featuring the "road to qatar" story. I killed. It was almost as if I were doing a one man show or a standup comedy act. They laughed every time I said anything. The jokes and characterization all landed the way one only dreams they will. I followed this immediately with an interview with David Krane concentrating on his dance music career and showing videos from Chicago, Annie etc. This went very well and we are going to repeat it (along with my usual Qatar thing) at the end of March. But it was exhausting. Then came the next big event of the month, An Evening with Marni Nixon at the Film Forum. This turned out to be very successful as well. I interviewed Marni, they showed great clips and even though the evening went longer than I would have expected (and I was starting to get sick...two days before I had totally lost my voice) the audience was enraptured and the head of the Film Forum was ecstatic, saying I did the best job ever hosting an event there! Marni and I signed many books (see pic) and a great time was had by all. The next day I took to my bed and the cold and cough came with a vengeance! Ah well. That same night I also had a song premiere during the David Evans concert at Lincoln Center's Bruno Walter Auditorium. The wonderful Klea Blackhurst sang "Taking the Veil" the first song from Merman's Apprentice to be heard in public. I am told (I couldn't be there because I was at the Film Forum) it went brilliantly and that it was the hit of the evening. I will see it on DVD and I am sure I will agree. Klea of course will make a wonderful Ethel Merman...how could she not?

Oh yes, inbetween all this was the York Theatre reading of The Road to Qatar! which, to my mind, was variable. Not perfectly cast and very under rehearsed, still it went well. As the author I cringed when lines that always get laughs got none...this is not fun. And now, we are faced with the idea of cutting the show down so that we can eliminate an intermission and play it all as a romp in one fell swoop. This is frightening and exciting at the same time. Losing about 20 minutes of material you love is not easy. Well...onward and up I guess.

Now it's March and things have slowed down again. I found out that Time after Time will get first a reading in August (end) and then a full fledged production at Point Park University in Pittsburgh in the winter of 2010. Rewrites!!!!!