CHARITY UPDATE

(June 21) The show opened tonight, and I can say that I'm really pleased with the final product. For the first time in quite a while I'm working with a full pit, and while there are still just a couple of rough edges to sand off, the sound is tremendous. We tweaked the drumming for "Rhythm of Life" and that number absolutely rocks. It is a well-orchestrated score; the pit really boosts many of the numbers.

Terri Gilmore manages to make me like a character that, on the page, doesn't really appeal to me. She really commits. And I would pay cash money every night of my life to watch/hear Jodi and Carissa sing together-- absolutely ballsy and beautiful.

The dancing is tremendous-- the Rich Man's Frug is a brutal marathon and we are dripping with sweat just playing it in the pit, so I can't imagine how whupped the dancers are, but it's really exciting to see. The Big Spender girls are tremendous.

There's such a parade of characters in this show-- Tom Greene's Oscar climbing the walls, Steve Teig's smarmy-yet-likable movie star, Jen Monahan doing a strong turn as the spoiled starlet, Nick Hess's various quirky creations, Marc Holland taking total command of the stage as Big Daddy, and I can no longer imagine how a mere man could do Erma justice. The audience's surprise that she can sing, and sing well, was palpable tonight.

A lot of great performances and some really nice musical moments tonight. I'm really proud of these guys and the job they did, and I only wish I could sit back in the house to get the full audio effect.