There's No Place Like Hollywood journal page 2


JOURNAL - Page Two
 
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Clay Adkins, Jeff Griggs and David Barnathan in "Bananas"
July 6 - I arranged for a photo shoot onstage last night with full lighting and costumes. My CD design genius and photographer RICK FRIESEN took the pictures. I wanted to catch the magic look of the show and also capture the original cast while they were all still together. DUCY LEE plans to record the cast CD and I'll need these pictures! The beautiful costumes (and beautiful actors!) never looked better. I'll use these new pictures to illustrate the next few entries in this Journal. A special nod here to lighting designer FRANK McKOWN, costumer VALENTINE HOOVEN and wig master BYRON "Diva" BATISTA.

We all had a great time. The cast was laughing because in the show they have to madly jump into these clothes and for this photo shoot they had all the time in the world. (Jeff and David are laughing in the above photo because Clay is heavy!) This is a cast of nine comedians so the quips were flying fast and furious. I offered producer SHIRLEY HILLARD the use of these photos in black and white to send to the newspapers. This photo of the "Bananas" number is here to placate CLAY ADKINS who thinks the other photo of him as Carmen Miranda that they chose to make into a b&w shot makes him look like he has double chins. (The boy doesn't have an ounce of fat on his body!) I told him when you're dressed like that, who is looking at your chins? Actors!

Heidi Godt - "Special"

 July 8th - The matinee show was the last with original lead HEIDI GODT in the part of Dorothy. (She'll be back for the recording.) ANETTE SANDERS threw a pool party at her house to celebrate and send Heidi on her way. It occurred to me that this was the first time this cast gathered for an actual party. (Who's had time? We went for food together after a couple of performances) It was loud and rowdy and fun! Also there was our new Dorothy BETH MALONE. She starts next weekend. She's got a tough act to follow!

It's going to be ... interesting. SCOTT DAVIDSON is out of the show for two weekends starting next Friday and his understudy quit this week to do a TV pilot. (Well, wouldn't you?) Another actor - DAVID GOLDYN - has agreed to go on after only a week of rehearsals! Two new kids in the same weekend!
July 16th - BETH MALONE is fantastic! She slipped into the show as if she's always been there. Her Dorothy is a little "edgier" than Heidi's had been and her new interpretation works really well. And she sings "Special" beautifully! DAVID GOLDYN also did a great job filling in for Scott. I've been an understudy and had to go on with very little notice. It's a terrifying experience. It's obvious these actors are "pros".

I've had an idea for the original cast CD that watching these new singers - as well as Bryan, Gina and Anette, our other understudy/replacements - has reaffirmed for me. There are three songs that were cut from this production. (I've written a total of 40 songs for the various incarnations of this show, but let's not get into that!) I'm going to record them for the CD and use our "additional original cast" talent to sing them!

Amy Collett as Marilyn Monroe and Jeff Griggs as James Dean - "Be Careful What You Wish For"

The Ensemble in "Busby Berkeley"

 July 22 - I just had the most fun you can have sitting up! I played piano for the show for the first time. Musical Director ROBERT BRANDZEL had a schedule conflict and I filled in for him. What a hoot! I think the cast was somewhat in shock: Bob and I play very differently! But this was the feel of the songs the way I wrote them, and the actors got into it. We had the best show in weeks! Apologetically, Bob has asked if I can fill in again for one show next weekend. Twist my arm!

The company has a new publicist, FLO SELFMAN. Since "There's No Place Like Hollywood" has been extended, Flo is using next weekend as a second "press" opportunity. Our own SCOTT DAVIDSON comes back to the show as well, so spirits are high!

David Barnathan, Clay Adkins and Jeff Griggs
8/9 - The L.A. Times review finally came out today and they liked us, they really liked us. They called us a "snappy, campy parody" and "a fitting tribute to tourism and Tinseltown". (To read the whole review click here) Two odd things about this review. I was playing piano for the show that night and STEPHANIE ANDERSEN literally stopped the show as Hattie McDaniel in "Listen to Mammy" and as Mae West in "Divas". The Times review doesn't even list her name!

DAVID BARNATHAN was another victim of reviewer timing. The Times has been promising to review the show since we opened. They picked the one day David was out of the show (to shoot a movie)! He's leaving the show for three weeks in September to work in New York and we have a replacement for him (the terrific ERIC J. OLSON) and Eric went on in his place. Who says Show Business is fair? At least David got his face in The Times and they spelled his name right (as the old saying goes.) They also gave picture credit to my designer/photographer RICK FRIESEN. The Times is a class act.

Stephanie Andersen

David Barnathan & Heidi Godt

"Sci-Fi Movie" - Amy Collett, David Barnathan, Heidi Godt, Stephanie Andersen, Jeff Griggs and Anette Sanders
9/10 - It's been a while since I updated this Journal: I've been performing in Europe and writing a new show and a lot has been going on with "... Hollywood" while I was gone. The show has been extended into November (how nice to have a hit!). Our wonderful Beth Malone left the show to join a play that is Broadway Bound (yea, Beth!) and before I left, we started searching for a replacement.

TRICIA LEIGH FISHER walked in and knocked our collective socks off. She's joined the company as "Dorothy" and is terrific. Her parents just happen to be Eddie Fisher and Connie Stevens! Connie came to the show last weekend with daughter Jolie Fisher and very kindly posed for pictures for our elated publicist. The next night, she snuck back in on her own ... just because she liked the show! Tricia brings a rock 'n' roll edge to "Sci-Fi Movie" and a very contemporary feel to her character, arguably the hardest to portray in the show. She's sensational.
David Barnathan is out of the show for a few weeks and ERIC OLSON is back in as "The Agent". Eric comes to us directly from the national company of "Ragtime" where he portrayed "Houdini". Eric's character is a fast-talking slime-ball straight out of those "show biz" movies of the '30s and '40's. And, as you'd expect, he's a wonderful singer! I plan to use both Eric and Tricia on the CD singing the songs cut from the show that I want to add as bonus tracks.

Which brings me to my most exciting news: We begin recording the original cast CD early in October! As of this writing, all of the original cast is reuniting for the project plus many of the replacement and understudies! It's going to be a party!

Clay Adkins & Amy Collett
9/21 - There is an old Chinese curse that says, "May you live in interesting times".  Well, we certainly do.  The repercussions from the World Trade Center disaster are far and wide, and this show joins so many others in closing early due to a drastically reduced box office.  We close September 30th.  There will be other productions and the recording of the CD goes on!

We're donating the proceeds from this weekend to the Red Cross.  It's impossible to live anywhere in the world and not be affected by this tragedy.  I read in the paper that a woman in Paris said, "Today we are all Americans".  Indeed.

Melissa Brandzel as Greta Garbo, Heidi Godt as Dorothy, Stephanie Andersen as Mae West and Anette Sanders as Bette Davis singing "Divas"
9/28 - Last night the original cast reunited at my house to go over the schedules for recording the CD and to clean up the music here and there.  It was as much a party as a rehearsal!  Drummer DAVE LOFTI and I completed whatever  instrumental tracks we could pre-record over the weekend, so I played them all their songs and we cleaned the arrangements in preparation for Monday when we begin the vocal recording for the CD.    BRYAN SHINE and ANETTE SANDERS will be joining us doing one of the songs cut from the show.  I'm especially pleased that Anette is included since she played the parts that PATTI DIAMOND created as many times as Patti did, as in the above photo.
Sunday's performance will close the current production of this show.



Scott Davidson
 10/1 -  Well, that was emotional!  The house was packed for all three performances and we got three standing ovations.  The cast was remarkably restrained.  I expected some hi-jinks for the last show, but they were very professional about it.  Well, CLAY ADKINS did stretch out his gay director scene just a tad ... but it certainly was funny!  Producer SHIRLEY HILLARD threw a cast party after the show at which SCOTT DAVIDSON debuted his hysterical version of my song "Special" loaded with in-jokes and gags.  It was an unqualified success! 

 There are plans afoot to do the show again; I'll be sure to let everyone know.  It doesn't feel "over" yet because we start the recording tonight!  If you'd like to read about that, click over to JOURNAL PAGE THREE - THE CD.

 


 
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