January 16th, 1996
Key West
It's still record cold weather here in Chicago (-2/windchill -40), but at least last night
I stayed out with Kevin, Zulevick, and my friend Steve Cowdrey and talked about Key
West 'til 2 in the morning. It's 11:00 now and rehearsal is at noon. It's a day when
coffee is God and a cigarette is Jesus. Today I'm going to get rid of the last scene
from Citizen Gates.....the opener called Affair. I just can't watch it anymore. It's
not that I don't like it, I do......it just seems alien to me at this point. I have no idea how
we're going to do that or whether we will actually succeed, but I'm going to give it a
whirl.
This cast has been great about two very crucial elements of putting a show
up:
- Cutting a new scene that just isn't working.
- Placing a new scene in the show.
These two things have made this show process faster and less painful.
Opening
We have an opening date, and it is February 13th. Now I think we could open a week
before that but there are some scheduling problems. It does afford more time for
a better set and a better structure for the show. Right now the show is like an older
Second City revue. Unrelated scenes where the lights come up, the scene happens,
and the lights black out. Next week I will begin working on the structure of the
material so that it doesn't appear that way. I don't think I've ever been in a position
of having a whole new show of material a month before opening. That means we have
all those improv sets to come up with newer and better material. I've said it before,
if a new scene comes along that's funnier than a present one or has a needed energy/balance
for the show as a whole, I will gladly cut something and throw it in the show.....even if
it's the night before opening.
Walls
I mentioned earlier in this thing that there is a huge sightline problem for the right
side of the house in the mainstage room. We discovered that a huge part of that is
the stage left wall. It has a slight curve or arc in it that prohibited about
15 seats from seeing anything deep into the stage. On the other side of the stage is
an identical wall that gives the stage (and the room) perfect symmetry. These walls
have been there for about 30 years.
Last night they were removed.
So today I walk in to a different mainstage than has been seen in a long time. I'm hoping
that by removing these walls it will open up a lot of other possibilities for the set.
I've always thought the room looked toobalanced, and am looking forward to
Lyn and I coming up with an interesting look for the stage....one that isn't symmetrical.
(Am I spelling that word correctly?)
Lyn Pusztai is a woman I have known for about 13 years. We went to college together.
She's actually a visual artist (a great one....no, no, I mean a great one) who has an
eye like no other. See, as a show comes close to it's opening, I start to get real particular
in regards to how set, movements, colors, costumes, etc., look. And Lyn is invaluable to
me in this way. I can't even explain it...oh well.
Time
......to go, or I'll be late.
email mick
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