I think I would like every day of my life to start with Len Cariou reading Shakespeare! Talk about a day borrowed from Heaven. Len made the Bard proud with his reading of Prospero's famous I'll burn my book speech. Also Len has agreed to be Lear in our Shakespeare's Kings CD. Wow.
A new friend, Chuck Cooper, and his beautifully resonant basso profundo voice brought us all (well us three) to our feet with his rendition of Maya Angelou's Still I Rise. Boy, did we ever.
We had a morning of Sweeny Todds today. MIchael Ceveris introduced me to Michael Ondaatje's The Cinnamon Peeler. The performance was as sweet and as tasty as the title implies.
Frankie Faridany, or rather, the divine Frankie Faridany, read Rukeyser's Myth, I poem I urge all of you to seek out. Frankie was simply astonishing.
Nancy Anderson who is an dear old friend came and brought us to tears with Marge Piercy's To Have Without Holding. We loved her interview where she talk about how the poem was an inspiration to her years ago and how she recently picked it up again, and surprise, that was her life philosophy.
(If you're still reading, I have to interrupt myself with a little editorial comment: doesn't this sound amazing?!!! The talent coming in is lighting up Broadway!)
Daniel Davis came in with a worldly wise version of Ithaka. Perfect. But then he he mentioned he had another Cafafy prepared and I said why not give it a go? He then knocked our socks off with Waiting for the Barbarians. I was originally sold on Ithaka but when I heard Barbarian and Danny portraying the multitudes of Ancient Rome I knew that was the way to go. So Barbarians it is. And also, a special thank you to DD for being so generous with his friends and inviting them to perform on the CD.
Byron Jennings, a new friend, read one of my all time favorite Yeats poems, When You Are Old and Grey. Quite honestly, I spent days setting it to music (World premier this May 19th at Carnegie Hall) but I sadly realized when you have a performer like Byron reading so sensitively, music is unnecessary.
Carolyn MCormick brought unpparelled depth to Millay's Dirge Without Music. It was a full course meal in four stanzas. What a pleasure spending the day with the McCormick/Jennings family.
I'm a huge fan of Michele Pawk and was thrilled to meet her and work with her. She gave an incredibly raw and personal performance of Last Love by Mary Kerr, another poet new to me, but I'm so grateful I now know both Michele and Mary Kerr.
Legendary actor George S Irving commanded the studio and for one half hour we were all given a master class on how to act! What a actor! He did a beautiful poem called Elegy in a Theatrical Warehouse, a magical piece about the place where a set for a show goes to rest. And wait till you hear his interview. This alone is worth $1099. Let alone $10.99!
Reed Birney (who I will always remember from his performance in Gemini despite all the brilliant performances he's given since) did Blanding's Lines Scrawled on a Door. He told a story about how Blanding's book was his father's favorite and he had known it since childhood. His father would love his sensitive performance of this poem.
I really don't have the words to write about Paul Shoeffler rendition of the famous war poem Dulce et Decorum Est.
Suffice it to say we were all in tears.
The day finished off with another theatrical legend: Tony Walton (Honestly, can you believe the people who are participating?) Tony, set designer, costume designer, illustrator, acting teacher, director, song writer, all-around great guy, my neighbor, came and did a poem that Peter Cook gave him as a gift. The poem is called Blue Football, all about a kid who thinks he is a...blue football..and it turns out he is! Well, this is simply hysterical. Tony pulled out all the stops doing 6 different voice including the Queen of England. This is a classic. Tony is a classic.
Well, I'm about to watch the President.
But all can say is
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU VTHANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
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