Category: music

OK, so I don’t often let people know when my birthday is, because, though I don’t mind celebrating my birthday, I feel uncomfortable getting mobbed by well-wishers and being sung at, but thanks to facebook more people have found out when it is. I had to go to rehearsal on my birthday, and I was about two feet away from the back door at the end of the night, when I heard the rest of the cast start into ‘Happy Birthday’. No one could see me, so I quickened my steps and snuck out before anyone could catch me.

The following night I had tickets to Broadway by Request with Betty Buckley at the Hip. The ‘by Request’ part means that as you go in, you have the option of filling out a form requesting her to sing a song from her Broadway or recording career. I went with Regan, and on our way in, we saw MB, who was ushering. About halfway through the concert, Seth Rudetsky, who was acting as her emcee, accompanist, and foil, pulled out a request form (she’d been reading them all up till then). He called MB’s name and then read out her request: “It was my friend Karen’s birthday yesterday. Would you sing to her?” So, Betty Buckley sang me happy birthday in an auditorium full of strangers (at least I didn’t have to stand up!!!).

It was a fabulous concert, though. 🙂

I spent part of the weekend finishing my Hallowe’en costume. I had wanted to go as Tigger, to co-ordinate with MB’s Pooh, but, although I was able to find a pattern that would work to make the costume, I couldn’t find fabric in the right colours that wouldn’t kill me from heat exhaustion. So, I had to find something else instead. I went with a Regency period dress – I’m going to be Lizzie Bennet. 🙂

I found a fabulous dark purple cotton fabric with sort of roses (or some other flower) in lilac all over it. All I have left is to tack down the seam between the bodice and the skirt, wash it (it’s stiff and itchy from the sizing they put on the fabric) and iron it! I’ll post a pic from the Masquerade Ball next week. I think I want to change the sash a little bit too – it’s a little too wide for my taste right now, and I think I might also sew it onto the front of the dress so that it just has to be tied at the back. I just had another thought for it… maybe I’ll do some gathers on it to narrow it, rather than cutting it down. I’ll have to see how that looks.

It was a very busy weekend, quite apart from sewing. I went to a Barrage concert on Friday night with Eileen. This is the group I got to see at Disneyland with Pabis. He was mesmerized by them, and is going to be horribly jealous when he finds out I got to see them again. I think I’ll get him one of their DVDs for Christmas. On Saturday I went to look at houses during the day, and ushered for and watched Amadeus in the evening. Good Gad that show was long – three, frickin’ hours!!! It didn’t help that I kept wanting the guy playing Salieri to turn into F. Murray Abraham (not his fault, he did a decent job… but he’s no F. Murray Abraham). 🙂

I’m considering auditioning for the Christmas show tonight. It’ll be the first time I’ve acted in one of the Christmas shows (though I stage-managed last year’s). I’ve heard conflicting accounts of what it’s like to work with that particular director, which is why I’m only “considering” right now… but I probably will, because I don’t expect to do any of the other shows until the spring musical, Nunsense. The director for Steel Magnolias asked me to audition for that, but it’s right before the musical, and I hate overlapping shows.