Kander and Ebb Killed the Cat

Once Upon a Time...

Kander collaborated with Ebb, wrote songs like, "Maybe this Time", "Mr. Cellophane", and "All That Jazz" and then decided to put a bunch of their collection into a Revue called: "The World Goes 'Round".

Well they also killed the cat.

This week has included plenty of drudgery. I don't usually refer to musical theatre as drudgery, nor do I think it's a reflection of our Director/Music Director. I just lost momentum, the desire to get out of bed at appropriate times, and the positivity needed to face 10+ hour days.

The result? A beautiful smorgasbord of music replete with tears and exhaustion. I sang my song (poorly), so poorly that my shame shone through my voice and my tears welled up in my eyeballs and then I just started crying.

Photo curtesy of Mariza.

My director says I put a lot of pressure on myself. I agree. The truth is that I don't allow myself to come to rehearsals underprepared. Dealing with my musical mistakes that day was like dealing with a newborn who cries for the first time.

How the hell do you address it?

In my case, drying my tears and returning to the rehearsal room.

The music though, is overwhelmingly beautiful. Seems like the K&E duo know exactly what they're doing, and the new arrangements they've created for the Revue keep the interest in already-loved songs. I'll just have to remember its beauty to overcome physical exhaustion and appreciate the art we're making.

Tommy's Birthday 

As you are probably aware, we celebrated Mariza and Tommy's birthday on Saturday, then went out clubbing. The evening was a complete success. Tommy made delicious Chinese food, and I took the opportunity to stuff myself with the best jasmine rice there is around here. Tommy made some delicious Chinese dishes and then forced the guests to take shots. Needless to say, everyone was dancing like crazy fools when we departed for the club.

Today Tommy is recovering from a nasty bout of the flu, and he emerged from his room to eat dinner with me for the first time all week. I was honoured! Moreover, I was able to make Tommy "mush" for dinner, and because of his illness, he couldn't taste it ("mush" = porridge, a dish Tommy usually abhors). As we were exploding party poppers and lighting  a random candle from the previous week's festivities, Tommy requests that I sing happy birthday to him.

After the song, Tommy took a moment to make a wish, and then he informed me that today was his actual birthday according to the Chinese calendar! Poor guy spent the day either in bed or with me! But we were laughing heaps, and I truly believe he was feeling better by the night's end.

We were talking about body image. Tommy asked, "when you look in the mirror, what do you want to change most?"

"My mind," I responded.

"That's the hardest thing to change." 

Yes, it is the hardest thing to change, but if I persist, the rest of my life will fall into place. It's a valuable change and the greatest challenge in life, to develop a healthy and positive self-image.