Dear All,
Today was the last big recording day marathon.
In the last two weeks we've recorded over 60 poems! Not bad, huh?
Here's today:
We started with a new friend, Diedra O'Connell. Reed Birney roped almost the whole cast of his play at Playwrights Horizons to be part of this project. Thanks so much, Reed. Deidra read a beautiful poem by Jim Harrison, Barking. Only about 15 lines, but what a poem and what a performance. I guess size doesn't matter. (Have I used that line already? I've forgotten.)
Another new friend, Chandler Williams came in doing when of my favorite poets, Frank O'Hara. Try as I might, I couldn't get any interest in recording O'Hara's Fire Island, a poem I dearly love. But Chandler read my other favorite by FO'H, The Harbour Master. Chandler brought such warmth and passion to the reading I know O'Hara would be happy. Beautiful. Thank you Frankie for introducing us.
Next a dear old friend, Cynthia Nixon, came by to perform. I've known Cynthia since we both were 16 or 17. And while the world knows her as Miranda, she will always be Lydie Breeze to me, a play I wrote the music for that Louis Malle directed. One of my favorite experiences. And I also remember Cynthia as Juliet. Anyway, Cynthia offered us two poems and we got to chose. Hard choice. First was the famous Mending Wall by Robert Frost. I always thought that poem was hard to get into, but Cynthia opened the verbal door as wide as possible and I understood and enjoyed the poem more than I ever had. And then she did a Vespers by AA Milnes. So sweet. I don't know which to pick! But I love problems like that!
Another great friend, Douglas Sills did a Paul Monette poem. I had a lovely conversation with Judith Light about her relationship with Monette and I was thrilled that Douglas picked that poem. He gave a very, very moving interview about how he knew the person the poem was dedicated to.
Douglas gave a herculean performance. It's a rather long poem about writing poetry and what it means to be a poet, but Douglas made every word count in such a magnificent way. I was honored to have him in.
The last person of the day was Carole Shelley. She's not on e-mail, so I can gush a bit and she won't get embarrassed. I love her. I've always loved her. She knocks me off my feet. There. I've said it. What a classy lady; what an actress. She wanted to read a poem by Shelley for obvious reason. So I, in my exuberance, suggested my favorite Shelley, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge. She loves the poem as well, But gently pointed out it was Wordsworth not Shelley. Mr. Poetry-Mavin Producer was put RIGHT in his place! No matter. We recorded that poem. I've set this poem to music. I now wish I heard Carole's performance before I set it because she revealed nuances of the poem that I never heard. But at least, she can share the right way to perform it with the world!
Well, now that the marathons are over, I will concentrate on the Web Site, the bios, the liner notes, etc. etc.
Once we have the site up, I'll be asking all of you to submit to us a jpeg picture and a 100 Word Bio. Start thinking about that now and I'll tell you where to send it and when we need it.
I'll still send notes when I have info I want to share.
Especially about the drop party. (That's the record term for opening night party!)
It's been an honor to work with you all.
Thanks to my old friends and my new ones.
This has been the most wonderful project I have ever worked on.
Gratias.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
99-100 February 9, 2010
We're just filling in now with the last few and talk about filling in!
Today started with the amazing Maria Tucci who came to us via Chandler Williams! THANKS! Maria did such a sensitive and delicate reading of Yeats's A Prayer for My Daughter. TUrns out (via the interivew) Maria used to recite that to her ouwn daughter. Not surprising that she gave such an honest performance. I'm also please to say Yeats, one of my all time favorites is now the second most represented poet on the CD. After the Bard.
And speaking of the Bard. The one and only...the elegant...the gorgeous...here she is boys, here she is world... Christine Baranksi came in and did the famous Helena speech from Midsummer Night's Dream. I have to admit I rather suggested this to her out of a selfish reason: her performance as Helena in the park was the greatest Helena I had ever seen. I was thrilled when she told me it was one of her happiest experiences. The perfermance today exceeded all expectations. In fact we have three completely different versions of Helena on tape. Brilliant. And the interview. She talked all about her classical training and the roles she played. I can't wait for people across America who only know her from lighter roles, see this interview. Fantastic.
The day closed (it was short, as a mentioned, just fitting people in) with my dear friend Florence Henderson. I wrote Florence's one woman show for her and I also am the MD when she performs so I know FH really well. We tried to pick the poem together, the perfect poem for her, but it was my pal Alex in San Francisco who came up with the great choice: Longellow's The Day is Done. It turns out, Greg and Mike Brady performed that poem on THE BRADY BUNCH!!! In a school show, with comical results. I honestly don't remember that episode, but Florence's performance was anything but comical. It was a deep, heartfelt, honest reading of a gorgeous poem. A great way to end the day.
One more day in NYC, one day in LA and then we are in the can. (Oh, and Patti in Chicago!)
Press release is done. Onwards
Today started with the amazing Maria Tucci who came to us via Chandler Williams! THANKS! Maria did such a sensitive and delicate reading of Yeats's A Prayer for My Daughter. TUrns out (via the interivew) Maria used to recite that to her ouwn daughter. Not surprising that she gave such an honest performance. I'm also please to say Yeats, one of my all time favorites is now the second most represented poet on the CD. After the Bard.
And speaking of the Bard. The one and only...the elegant...the gorgeous...here she is boys, here she is world... Christine Baranksi came in and did the famous Helena speech from Midsummer Night's Dream. I have to admit I rather suggested this to her out of a selfish reason: her performance as Helena in the park was the greatest Helena I had ever seen. I was thrilled when she told me it was one of her happiest experiences. The perfermance today exceeded all expectations. In fact we have three completely different versions of Helena on tape. Brilliant. And the interview. She talked all about her classical training and the roles she played. I can't wait for people across America who only know her from lighter roles, see this interview. Fantastic.
The day closed (it was short, as a mentioned, just fitting people in) with my dear friend Florence Henderson. I wrote Florence's one woman show for her and I also am the MD when she performs so I know FH really well. We tried to pick the poem together, the perfect poem for her, but it was my pal Alex in San Francisco who came up with the great choice: Longellow's The Day is Done. It turns out, Greg and Mike Brady performed that poem on THE BRADY BUNCH!!! In a school show, with comical results. I honestly don't remember that episode, but Florence's performance was anything but comical. It was a deep, heartfelt, honest reading of a gorgeous poem. A great way to end the day.
One more day in NYC, one day in LA and then we are in the can. (Oh, and Patti in Chicago!)
Press release is done. Onwards
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, Jan, 28 Poetry Blog
Here's to another great start:
Two of my oldest friends and most favorite performers began the day: Jeff McCarthy and Michael Rupert.
Jeff did a Billy Collins poem, Conversions. One of the most interesting things about this experience is seeing how many actors love contemporary poetry. Billy Collins has been the most requested poet but I only thought I could use one. So Jeff got it! And what a beautiful, sensitive performance. Jeff brought out all the complexities and subtleties in this seemingly simple poem.
Michael came in and NAILED Ginsberg's Supermarket in California. I've known Michael since I was a rehearsal pianist for Pippin. This was a spectacular performance. When I asked him about his connection to Ginsberg, he said he was writing a piece about San Francisco during the beat period and he had been reading and listening to Ginsberg. If the new piece is anything like the reading we're in for a treat.
Next came Lynn Sherr who has had a distinguished career as a newscaster. Lynn couldn't decide on her poem until this morning but she chose well! Now we have an Adrianne Rich poem about Suffragettes called Heroines. I'm so glad she performed this. We have lots of women in love poems, women hurting poems, women thinking poems, but this is a great political diatribe, and yet still deeply emotional. Another great performance.
Ed Dixon, our co-producer, who contacted so many of you, finally got a chance to perform. His version of Frost's Bearer of Evil Tidings was spot on. He handled the verse and the rhythms so beautifully I know Robert F would be proud. And I loved his interview when he talked about Frost being the first poet he ever knew. Many thanks to Ed for introducing you to GPR Records and this CD. We couldn't have done it without Ed!!
The gorgeous, brilliant and legendary Dana Ivey was next with one of my favorite poems, Invictus. Honestly, I knew this would be sensational but I had no idea HOW sensational it would be. Her performance was masterful. She did it 4 times, each one better than then next! How will we chose which take to use? Maybe we'll just use all four. And Dana also was so kind with her friends. She introduced us to so many people. Who introduced us to more. And now we're almost at 100! GRATIAS.
Amanda Green came next. I've know Amanda for a long time. Since I was 16! I was thrilled she picked Lewis Carroll's You Are Old Father Williams. I'm so glad that's on the CD. Amanda had us in stitches. A truly hysterical and at the same time, a whole original reading. A little side note: we had just finished the interview and had stopped rolling tape when Amanda casually mentioned her father used to recite this to her when she was young. I screamed at Richard, "ROLL THE TAPE AGAIN!" and asked Amanda to tell that story on tape. At the end, I asked her to imitate how her father sounded reading that poem. And she did. And it was wonderful!
Linda Balgord, a new friend but a great friend of Ed's, read after our lunch. She took a suggestion of mine and read one of my favorites, Mark Strand's Eating Poetry. It turns out it was the perfect choice with a perfect performance. Wait till you hear her read, "Ink drips from my lips/I have been eating poetry. Delicious.
Another old dear friend, Chip Zien brought in Longfellow's Mezzo Cammin. This is a devastating poem that I always thought was sad and depressing. But no. Chip made me discover it was actually life affirming and beautifully contemplative. I loved it.
Another husband and wife team closed the day: Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker. I'd never met Rebecca before although of course I've seen her on stage many times. We both we kind of surprised we had never met. But no matter. Now we have. Over poetry. Danny read first and he performed Hayden's Those Winter's Nights. I suggested this poem to Danny and he said, "That's amazing. Someone gave me that poem and I had it framed and in my dressing room for two years at Drowsy Chaperone. Talk about synergy. Well, of course, Danny was brilliant as always. The perfect dad reads the perfect poem about fatherhood.
Rebecca seemed a bit nervous at first before she read with Rosetti's Remember. I don't know why because even her sound check was amazing! She read it with such an inner beauty that our studio started glowing. It was a glorious way to end a glorious day and an amazing week.
Thank you all for everything.
And welcome Cynthia Nixon to our group.
I will do you proud with the mixing, mastering, and marketing.
We had our press agent, Keith Sherman, come afterwards and he is overflowing with ideas. We also had Max Horowitz there who is in charge of getting radio play for the CD. Both guys are confident this CD will get lots of attention.
Next blog on Monday!
Two of my oldest friends and most favorite performers began the day: Jeff McCarthy and Michael Rupert.
Jeff did a Billy Collins poem, Conversions. One of the most interesting things about this experience is seeing how many actors love contemporary poetry. Billy Collins has been the most requested poet but I only thought I could use one. So Jeff got it! And what a beautiful, sensitive performance. Jeff brought out all the complexities and subtleties in this seemingly simple poem.
Michael came in and NAILED Ginsberg's Supermarket in California. I've known Michael since I was a rehearsal pianist for Pippin. This was a spectacular performance. When I asked him about his connection to Ginsberg, he said he was writing a piece about San Francisco during the beat period and he had been reading and listening to Ginsberg. If the new piece is anything like the reading we're in for a treat.
Next came Lynn Sherr who has had a distinguished career as a newscaster. Lynn couldn't decide on her poem until this morning but she chose well! Now we have an Adrianne Rich poem about Suffragettes called Heroines. I'm so glad she performed this. We have lots of women in love poems, women hurting poems, women thinking poems, but this is a great political diatribe, and yet still deeply emotional. Another great performance.
Ed Dixon, our co-producer, who contacted so many of you, finally got a chance to perform. His version of Frost's Bearer of Evil Tidings was spot on. He handled the verse and the rhythms so beautifully I know Robert F would be proud. And I loved his interview when he talked about Frost being the first poet he ever knew. Many thanks to Ed for introducing you to GPR Records and this CD. We couldn't have done it without Ed!!
The gorgeous, brilliant and legendary Dana Ivey was next with one of my favorite poems, Invictus. Honestly, I knew this would be sensational but I had no idea HOW sensational it would be. Her performance was masterful. She did it 4 times, each one better than then next! How will we chose which take to use? Maybe we'll just use all four. And Dana also was so kind with her friends. She introduced us to so many people. Who introduced us to more. And now we're almost at 100! GRATIAS.
Amanda Green came next. I've know Amanda for a long time. Since I was 16! I was thrilled she picked Lewis Carroll's You Are Old Father Williams. I'm so glad that's on the CD. Amanda had us in stitches. A truly hysterical and at the same time, a whole original reading. A little side note: we had just finished the interview and had stopped rolling tape when Amanda casually mentioned her father used to recite this to her when she was young. I screamed at Richard, "ROLL THE TAPE AGAIN!" and asked Amanda to tell that story on tape. At the end, I asked her to imitate how her father sounded reading that poem. And she did. And it was wonderful!
Linda Balgord, a new friend but a great friend of Ed's, read after our lunch. She took a suggestion of mine and read one of my favorites, Mark Strand's Eating Poetry. It turns out it was the perfect choice with a perfect performance. Wait till you hear her read, "Ink drips from my lips/I have been eating poetry. Delicious.
Another old dear friend, Chip Zien brought in Longfellow's Mezzo Cammin. This is a devastating poem that I always thought was sad and depressing. But no. Chip made me discover it was actually life affirming and beautifully contemplative. I loved it.
Another husband and wife team closed the day: Danny Burstein and Rebecca Luker. I'd never met Rebecca before although of course I've seen her on stage many times. We both we kind of surprised we had never met. But no matter. Now we have. Over poetry. Danny read first and he performed Hayden's Those Winter's Nights. I suggested this poem to Danny and he said, "That's amazing. Someone gave me that poem and I had it framed and in my dressing room for two years at Drowsy Chaperone. Talk about synergy. Well, of course, Danny was brilliant as always. The perfect dad reads the perfect poem about fatherhood.
Rebecca seemed a bit nervous at first before she read with Rosetti's Remember. I don't know why because even her sound check was amazing! She read it with such an inner beauty that our studio started glowing. It was a glorious way to end a glorious day and an amazing week.
Thank you all for everything.
And welcome Cynthia Nixon to our group.
I will do you proud with the mixing, mastering, and marketing.
We had our press agent, Keith Sherman, come afterwards and he is overflowing with ideas. We also had Max Horowitz there who is in charge of getting radio play for the CD. Both guys are confident this CD will get lots of attention.
Next blog on Monday!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday Poetry Blog Jan 27, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
January 26 Poetry Blog
Too many have told me how much you like my updates. So here comes another.
I'm back in NYC and had a full day of recording. In fact by the end of next week we'll have recording almost 90 Performers. I have a lot of energy, as you know, but this is almost a record! What a great record. And a great record.
Please welcome our new artists: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kathleen Turner, Judith Light, Peter Friedman, Reed Birney, Heidi Schreck, Deidra O'Connell, Bobbie Steggert. We're just about at 100. Thanks to everyone for their friends and friends of friends!
Here's today's blog:
We started with Keith McDermott who did the terrifying Yeats poem: The Second Coming. He also did one of my favorite Bishop's: Art of Losing. Both were definitive. I've known Keith for a long time when he was primarily an actor. Now a successful novelist, it was a real thrill to hear him perform again. He also gave me a book of poems by Poets who died from AIDS. We will start working on that as an album.
Next came Penny Fuller, not only a great actress but my next door neighbor. After dishing our horrible new lobby (yuk!) Penny really nailed Lawrence's Terra Icognita. This is an amazing poem and Penny treated it as if she were a soloist in a great concerto. It was pure music.
Cady Huffman, who has sadly just had shoulder surgery, introduced me to a new contemporary poet, Taylor Mali. She read A Dog Called Bodhidsagttva. It was real tour de force. Wait till you hear Cady's magnificent performance! Wait till you hear this poem!
Guy Paul, who is a new friend, did an amazing job on TO MY COY MISTRESS. I'm so glad to have met Guy. He can REALLY do verse. He breathed new life into this poem. He made it sound as if it were written yesterday.
Kate Mulgrew, another new friend, read one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson. We both decided to narrow down Dickinson's poems to our favorite few and surprise, we both landed on BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. I know Emily would have been proud of Kate. Her sultry voice and twinkle in her eye made one of my favorite poems into my favorite!
My third new friend of the day was Peter Freidman. Peter introduced me to another new poem, PSALM CONCERNING THE CASTLE, by Denise Lavertov. What a delight. I can't imagine anyone doing this poem better than Peter. What a voice.
Lastly, another old friend, Brent Barrett read my favorite Sonnet, WHEN, IN DISGRACE WITH FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES. It was a beautiful way to close the day. Brent really captured the pathos and sense of the sublime in this beautiful Sonnet. His performance was deeply moving.
So, more tomorrow. (And I heard the Times was coming to watch us record! Exciting!)
Here's the current list.
THANK YOU ALL!
G
1. *Jason Alexander (Robinson: Richard Cory)
2. Caroline Aaron
3. ****Glen Seven Allen (Shakespeare: Sonnet 131)
4. *Nancy Anderson (Piercy: To Have Without Holding)
5. *Linda Balgord (Strand: Eating Poetry)
6. Christine Baranski
7. ****James Barbour (Kipling: If)
8. ****Brent Barrett (Shakespeare: Sonnet 29 When In Distress)
9. Bryan Batt
10. John Behlmann (Shakespeare: Orlando)
11. *Reed Birney (Blanding: Vagadon’s House)
12. **** Charles Busch (Browning: My Last Duchess)
13. *Danny Burstein
14. *Ann Hampton Calloway (Rilke)
15. ****Alan Campbell (Lux: A Little Tooth)
16. ****Douglas Carpenter (Whitman: To What You Said)
17. *Len Cariou (Shakespeare: Ye Elves from Tempest)
18. ****Donna Lynne Champlin (Cadell: The Job Interview)
19. ****Philip Casnoof (Thomas: Fern Hill)
20. *Michael Cerveris (Ondaatje)
21. *Chuck Cooper (Angelous: Still I Rise)
22. ****Donald Corren (Poe: Annabel Lee)
23. ****Veanne Cox (Milton: Paradise Lost)
24. Tyne Daly
25. *Daniel Davis (Cavafy: Ithaka)
26. ****Paige Davis (Field: New Yorker)
27. *Ed Dixon (co Producer) R.L.Frost: Bearer of Evil Tidings
28. ****Mike Doyle (S.L. Johnson) Lovers on a Park Bench
29. Christine Ebersole
30. *Francesca Faridany (Rukeyser: Myth)
31. *Barbara Feldon (Atwood: I Would Like to Watch You Sleeping)
32. *Laruen Flanigan (Weinstein)
33. ****Peter Friedman (Levertov: Psalm Concerning the Castle)
34. ****Penny Fuller (Lawrence: Terra Incognita
35. ****David Garrison (Frost: Road Less Traveled)
36. ****Joanna Gleason (Neruda: Sonnet XVII)
37. *Amanda Green
38. ****Roxanne Hart (Moore: Poetry)
39. Florence Henderson
40. *George S. Irving (Fearing: Elegy in a Theatrical Warehouse)
41. *Dana Ivey (Henley: Invictus)
42. *Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Whitman: Captain! My Captain!)
43. *Beth Howland (Parker: Sympton Recital)
44. *Cady Huffman (Taylor Mali: A Dog Named Bodhidsattva)
45. *Gregory Jbara (Shakespeare Bottom’s Dream)
46. *Byron Jennings (Yeats: When You Are Old and Grey)
47. ****Judy Kaye (cummings: I thank God for this…)
48. ****Lauren Kennedy (Stevens: The House was Quiet…)
49. *Charles Kimbrough (Bishop: The Fish)
50. Marc Kudisch (Frost: Fire and Ice)
51. ****Claire Lautier (Donne: A Valediction…)
52. *Patti LuPone (Oliver: Wild Geese)
53. Judith Light
54. *Rebecaa Luker
55. *Ramona Mallory
56. *Donna McKechnie (Oliver: The Journey)
57. *Jeff McCarthy (Collins: Conversion)
58. *Carolyn McCormick (Millay: Dirge Without Music)
59. ****Roberta Maxwell (Stevie Smith: Not Waving But Drowning)
60. ****Kate Mulgrew (Dickinson: I would not stop for Death)
61. ****Tom McGowan (Lawrence: Afternoon in School)
62. **** McDermott (Bishop: Art of Losing, Yeats:Second Coming
63. ****Michael Minarek (Ammons: Beautiful Woman)
64. ****Julia Murney (Angelous: Ailey, Baldwin…)
65. Greg Naughton
66. *Deidra O’Connell (Harrison or Sharon Olds)
67. Kelli O’Hara
68. ****Nancy Opel (Clampitt: The Sun Underfoot Among…)
69. ****Daniel Okulitch (Hoaglund: Self Improvement)
70. *Michelle Pawk (Karr: Last Love)
71. ****Patrick Page (Shakespeare: Our Revels)
72. *Peter Paige (Anne Sexton)
73. ****Guy Paul (Marvell: To His Coy Mistress)
74. ****Dean Pitchford (Parker: Song of a Hopeful Heart)
75. Alice Playten
76. Roger Rees
77. ****John Rubenstein (Coleridge: Ancient Mariner)
78. *Michael Rupert Ginsberg: A Supermarket in CA)
79. ****Chris Sarandon (Tennyson: Ulysses)
80. Heidi Schreck (Ashbury: What is Poetry)
81. *Lynn Sherr
82. *Paul Schoeffler (Owens: Dulce et Decorum Est)
83. *Matthew Schechter (Silverstein)
84. ****Emily Skinner (Millay: Love is not All)
85. Douglas Sills (Monette: You Probably Won’t be Needing)
86. *Carole Shelley (Wordsworth: Composed Upon Westminster)
87. *Lewis J. Stadlen (Kipling: Gunga Din)
88. *Bobby Steggart
89. *Richard Thomas (Hopkins: Spring and Fall)
90. Kathleen Turner
91. *Tony Walton (Cook: Blue Football)
92. *Brenda Wehle
93. Chandler Williams (O’Hara: To the Harbor Master)
94. ****JoBeth Williams (Keats: When I have fears)
95. Tony Yasbeck
96. ****Geraint Wyn Davies (Thomas: In My Craft or Sullen…)
97. ****Michael York (Kipling: Tommy)
98. *Chip Zien
99. Catherine Zeta-Jones
--
I'm back in NYC and had a full day of recording. In fact by the end of next week we'll have recording almost 90 Performers. I have a lot of energy, as you know, but this is almost a record! What a great record. And a great record.
Please welcome our new artists: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kathleen Turner, Judith Light, Peter Friedman, Reed Birney, Heidi Schreck, Deidra O'Connell, Bobbie Steggert. We're just about at 100. Thanks to everyone for their friends and friends of friends!
Here's today's blog:
We started with Keith McDermott who did the terrifying Yeats poem: The Second Coming. He also did one of my favorite Bishop's: Art of Losing. Both were definitive. I've known Keith for a long time when he was primarily an actor. Now a successful novelist, it was a real thrill to hear him perform again. He also gave me a book of poems by Poets who died from AIDS. We will start working on that as an album.
Next came Penny Fuller, not only a great actress but my next door neighbor. After dishing our horrible new lobby (yuk!) Penny really nailed Lawrence's Terra Icognita. This is an amazing poem and Penny treated it as if she were a soloist in a great concerto. It was pure music.
Cady Huffman, who has sadly just had shoulder surgery, introduced me to a new contemporary poet, Taylor Mali. She read A Dog Called Bodhidsagttva. It was real tour de force. Wait till you hear Cady's magnificent performance! Wait till you hear this poem!
Guy Paul, who is a new friend, did an amazing job on TO MY COY MISTRESS. I'm so glad to have met Guy. He can REALLY do verse. He breathed new life into this poem. He made it sound as if it were written yesterday.
Kate Mulgrew, another new friend, read one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson. We both decided to narrow down Dickinson's poems to our favorite few and surprise, we both landed on BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH. I know Emily would have been proud of Kate. Her sultry voice and twinkle in her eye made one of my favorite poems into my favorite!
My third new friend of the day was Peter Freidman. Peter introduced me to another new poem, PSALM CONCERNING THE CASTLE, by Denise Lavertov. What a delight. I can't imagine anyone doing this poem better than Peter. What a voice.
Lastly, another old friend, Brent Barrett read my favorite Sonnet, WHEN, IN DISGRACE WITH FORTUNE AND MEN'S EYES. It was a beautiful way to close the day. Brent really captured the pathos and sense of the sublime in this beautiful Sonnet. His performance was deeply moving.
So, more tomorrow. (And I heard the Times was coming to watch us record! Exciting!)
Here's the current list.
THANK YOU ALL!
G
1. *Jason Alexander (Robinson: Richard Cory)
2. Caroline Aaron
3. ****Glen Seven Allen (Shakespeare: Sonnet 131)
4. *Nancy Anderson (Piercy: To Have Without Holding)
5. *Linda Balgord (Strand: Eating Poetry)
6. Christine Baranski
7. ****James Barbour (Kipling: If)
8. ****Brent Barrett (Shakespeare: Sonnet 29 When In Distress)
9. Bryan Batt
10. John Behlmann (Shakespeare: Orlando)
11. *Reed Birney (Blanding: Vagadon’s House)
12. **** Charles Busch (Browning: My Last Duchess)
13. *Danny Burstein
14. *Ann Hampton Calloway (Rilke)
15. ****Alan Campbell (Lux: A Little Tooth)
16. ****Douglas Carpenter (Whitman: To What You Said)
17. *Len Cariou (Shakespeare: Ye Elves from Tempest)
18. ****Donna Lynne Champlin (Cadell: The Job Interview)
19. ****Philip Casnoof (Thomas: Fern Hill)
20. *Michael Cerveris (Ondaatje)
21. *Chuck Cooper (Angelous: Still I Rise)
22. ****Donald Corren (Poe: Annabel Lee)
23. ****Veanne Cox (Milton: Paradise Lost)
24. Tyne Daly
25. *Daniel Davis (Cavafy: Ithaka)
26. ****Paige Davis (Field: New Yorker)
27. *Ed Dixon (co Producer) R.L.Frost: Bearer of Evil Tidings
28. ****Mike Doyle (S.L. Johnson) Lovers on a Park Bench
29. Christine Ebersole
30. *Francesca Faridany (Rukeyser: Myth)
31. *Barbara Feldon (Atwood: I Would Like to Watch You Sleeping)
32. *Laruen Flanigan (Weinstein)
33. ****Peter Friedman (Levertov: Psalm Concerning the Castle)
34. ****Penny Fuller (Lawrence: Terra Incognita
35. ****David Garrison (Frost: Road Less Traveled)
36. ****Joanna Gleason (Neruda: Sonnet XVII)
37. *Amanda Green
38. ****Roxanne Hart (Moore: Poetry)
39. Florence Henderson
40. *George S. Irving (Fearing: Elegy in a Theatrical Warehouse)
41. *Dana Ivey (Henley: Invictus)
42. *Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (Whitman: Captain! My Captain!)
43. *Beth Howland (Parker: Sympton Recital)
44. *Cady Huffman (Taylor Mali: A Dog Named Bodhidsattva)
45. *Gregory Jbara (Shakespeare Bottom’s Dream)
46. *Byron Jennings (Yeats: When You Are Old and Grey)
47. ****Judy Kaye (cummings: I thank God for this…)
48. ****Lauren Kennedy (Stevens: The House was Quiet…)
49. *Charles Kimbrough (Bishop: The Fish)
50. Marc Kudisch (Frost: Fire and Ice)
51. ****Claire Lautier (Donne: A Valediction…)
52. *Patti LuPone (Oliver: Wild Geese)
53. Judith Light
54. *Rebecaa Luker
55. *Ramona Mallory
56. *Donna McKechnie (Oliver: The Journey)
57. *Jeff McCarthy (Collins: Conversion)
58. *Carolyn McCormick (Millay: Dirge Without Music)
59. ****Roberta Maxwell (Stevie Smith: Not Waving But Drowning)
60. ****Kate Mulgrew (Dickinson: I would not stop for Death)
61. ****Tom McGowan (Lawrence: Afternoon in School)
62. **** McDermott (Bishop: Art of Losing, Yeats:Second Coming
63. ****Michael Minarek (Ammons: Beautiful Woman)
64. ****Julia Murney (Angelous: Ailey, Baldwin…)
65. Greg Naughton
66. *Deidra O’Connell (Harrison or Sharon Olds)
67. Kelli O’Hara
68. ****Nancy Opel (Clampitt: The Sun Underfoot Among…)
69. ****Daniel Okulitch (Hoaglund: Self Improvement)
70. *Michelle Pawk (Karr: Last Love)
71. ****Patrick Page (Shakespeare: Our Revels)
72. *Peter Paige (Anne Sexton)
73. ****Guy Paul (Marvell: To His Coy Mistress)
74. ****Dean Pitchford (Parker: Song of a Hopeful Heart)
75. Alice Playten
76. Roger Rees
77. ****John Rubenstein (Coleridge: Ancient Mariner)
78. *Michael Rupert Ginsberg: A Supermarket in CA)
79. ****Chris Sarandon (Tennyson: Ulysses)
80. Heidi Schreck (Ashbury: What is Poetry)
81. *Lynn Sherr
82. *Paul Schoeffler (Owens: Dulce et Decorum Est)
83. *Matthew Schechter (Silverstein)
84. ****Emily Skinner (Millay: Love is not All)
85. Douglas Sills (Monette: You Probably Won’t be Needing)
86. *Carole Shelley (Wordsworth: Composed Upon Westminster)
87. *Lewis J. Stadlen (Kipling: Gunga Din)
88. *Bobby Steggart
89. *Richard Thomas (Hopkins: Spring and Fall)
90. Kathleen Turner
91. *Tony Walton (Cook: Blue Football)
92. *Brenda Wehle
93. Chandler Williams (O’Hara: To the Harbor Master)
94. ****JoBeth Williams (Keats: When I have fears)
95. Tony Yasbeck
96. ****Geraint Wyn Davies (Thomas: In My Craft or Sullen…)
97. ****Michael York (Kipling: Tommy)
98. *Chip Zien
99. Catherine Zeta-Jones
--
Thursday, January 7, 2010
ANOTHER SHOW....ANOTHER RAVE!
Cabaret review: Lovely lady Florence Henderson
David Wiegand, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010
If you grew up wishing Florence Henderson was your mom, your older sister or even your kid sister, here's a lovely lady, as the song goes, who tells you her story over 90 minutes at the Rrazz Room through Sunday, and it's one you really don't want to miss.
In life and in art, Florence Henderson is a survivor who grew up in rural Kentucky and Indiana, headed for New York like some real-life Judy Garland character, caught one break and then another, and has packed a career full of starring roles on Broadway, national tours in parts made famous by others, a TV show that made her a pop culture goddess for all time, gigs guest-hosting talk shows, filling a Hollywood Square, selling cooking oil and denture cleaner on TV, divorcing one husband, burying the second, raising four kids and, at 75, she's still here.
Henderson doesn't actually sing all that much at the Rrazz Room, but when she does interrupt her captivating autobiographical patter, she offers up the most unlikely bunch of tunes you've never heard at a cabaret: "You Are My Sunshine," "My Dad," "Moonshine Lullaby," and, I kid you not, "My Old Kentucky Home." (Too bad Stephen Foster isn't collecting royalties these days.)
There are a few standards, such as "Where or When," "Me and My Baby" and "A Wonderful Guy," but those seeking the usual catalog of Gershwin and Porter are advised to apply elsewhere.
In truth, Henderson, svelte and terminally perky in a white pantsuit accented with sequins, sings only about a dozen numbers over the course of her 90-minute show, and a couple of those songs are novelty numbers cleverly meant to concede the fact that she may not be a spring chicken, she may or may not have had work done, she really, really likes men, regardless of her squeaky-clean TV image, and so what?
Ably backed by pianist Glen Roven, three backup singers and a cellist and a multi-instrumentalist, Henderson deceives the audience as only a superb performer can: Within minutes, you'll think she's in your living room, chatting over cocktails.
Recalling how her mother would take her down to the general store and prompt her to sing for the customers in order to get free food, Henderson leaves the stage with an old battered hat in hand to collect money from the audience (worry not - the money will go to the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation at the end of her all-too-brief week).
When she gets to the inevitable "Brady Bunch" segment, she not only leads a sing-along of the show's theme song but even takes questions from the audience.
By the end of the show, the only question you'll want to ask is, do you really have to go?
Florence Henderson: "All the Lives of Me ... A Musical Journey." Through Sun. The Rrazz Room, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., S.F. $40-$47.50. 8 p.m. today-Sat., 7 p.m. Sun. (415) 468-3399. www.therrazzroom.com.
David Wiegand, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010
If you grew up wishing Florence Henderson was your mom, your older sister or even your kid sister, here's a lovely lady, as the song goes, who tells you her story over 90 minutes at the Rrazz Room through Sunday, and it's one you really don't want to miss.
In life and in art, Florence Henderson is a survivor who grew up in rural Kentucky and Indiana, headed for New York like some real-life Judy Garland character, caught one break and then another, and has packed a career full of starring roles on Broadway, national tours in parts made famous by others, a TV show that made her a pop culture goddess for all time, gigs guest-hosting talk shows, filling a Hollywood Square, selling cooking oil and denture cleaner on TV, divorcing one husband, burying the second, raising four kids and, at 75, she's still here.
Henderson doesn't actually sing all that much at the Rrazz Room, but when she does interrupt her captivating autobiographical patter, she offers up the most unlikely bunch of tunes you've never heard at a cabaret: "You Are My Sunshine," "My Dad," "Moonshine Lullaby," and, I kid you not, "My Old Kentucky Home." (Too bad Stephen Foster isn't collecting royalties these days.)
There are a few standards, such as "Where or When," "Me and My Baby" and "A Wonderful Guy," but those seeking the usual catalog of Gershwin and Porter are advised to apply elsewhere.
In truth, Henderson, svelte and terminally perky in a white pantsuit accented with sequins, sings only about a dozen numbers over the course of her 90-minute show, and a couple of those songs are novelty numbers cleverly meant to concede the fact that she may not be a spring chicken, she may or may not have had work done, she really, really likes men, regardless of her squeaky-clean TV image, and so what?
Ably backed by pianist Glen Roven, three backup singers and a cellist and a multi-instrumentalist, Henderson deceives the audience as only a superb performer can: Within minutes, you'll think she's in your living room, chatting over cocktails.
Recalling how her mother would take her down to the general store and prompt her to sing for the customers in order to get free food, Henderson leaves the stage with an old battered hat in hand to collect money from the audience (worry not - the money will go to the Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation at the end of her all-too-brief week).
When she gets to the inevitable "Brady Bunch" segment, she not only leads a sing-along of the show's theme song but even takes questions from the audience.
By the end of the show, the only question you'll want to ask is, do you really have to go?
Florence Henderson: "All the Lives of Me ... A Musical Journey." Through Sun. The Rrazz Room, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., S.F. $40-$47.50. 8 p.m. today-Sat., 7 p.m. Sun. (415) 468-3399. www.therrazzroom.com.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Liner Notes for Poetic License
GR Liner notes
Why a poetry album? Easy answer: I love poetry. I love reading it. I love memorizing it. I love hearing great actors recite it. As the poet Mark Strand wrote, “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth/There is no happiness like mine/ I have been eating poetry.”
In the past, when I was full from the eating, I have had the audacity to set poetry to music. But, on this CD, the only music you will find is the music of the poems. Poetry unadorned. Because in truth, great poetry needs nothing but a great actor, a voice as eloquent and expressive as the poem itself, to lift the poem off the page and into the heart.
I have never done a project which has elicited so much enthusiasm. From the actors arriving at the studio who thanked me for inviting them to participate--are you kidding, I’d say, thank you!-- to the engineers who would say, “I never got this stuff, but these guys make it so beautiful.—this album has been a joy from beginning to end, a true labor of love. And whenever the production process made me hungry, I always knew I could find something delicious to eat in the studio. Mmmm. Yeats? That hits the spot.
Why a poetry album? Easy answer: I love poetry. I love reading it. I love memorizing it. I love hearing great actors recite it. As the poet Mark Strand wrote, “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth/There is no happiness like mine/ I have been eating poetry.”
In the past, when I was full from the eating, I have had the audacity to set poetry to music. But, on this CD, the only music you will find is the music of the poems. Poetry unadorned. Because in truth, great poetry needs nothing but a great actor, a voice as eloquent and expressive as the poem itself, to lift the poem off the page and into the heart.
I have never done a project which has elicited so much enthusiasm. From the actors arriving at the studio who thanked me for inviting them to participate--are you kidding, I’d say, thank you!-- to the engineers who would say, “I never got this stuff, but these guys make it so beautiful.—this album has been a joy from beginning to end, a true labor of love. And whenever the production process made me hungry, I always knew I could find something delicious to eat in the studio. Mmmm. Yeats? That hits the spot.
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