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Hey David – Just checking in on the eve of the next leg of the tour. I will only be in DC…complications of life are not letting me follow the tour through the south. Anyway…if you’re at Wolf Trap and you see me, please stop me and say hello. I’ll be taking pictures….
Kat!
You had to have seen me there…
When I wasn’t running around with my camera, I was dancing in the aisles with Elyce and Kate Savett.
You should have danced with us!!!
Who knew you liked to keep such a low profile…
David –
I haven’t stopped by the board in a while so didn’t know you were planning on hitting Asbury Park. It was on my itinerary as well until it wasn’t. Surprised you decided to skip Bethlehem, PA on 6/13. It was an awesome show!
Next time you’re headed to the northeast SEND ME AN EMAIL!! I’d hate to think we missed a chance to meet up just because I didn’t have a clue…
Kat
Hey David-
There have been very few years in my life when I have not shared my home with at least one dog. I can only think of one reason not to bring another Bruuuce into your life and that’s is that he’ll miss you when you’re on the road following the original Bruuuce.
It all makes perfect sense to me and Jackie’s comment makes the most compelling argument. I say go for it!!!
Kat
David –
The time, effort and commitment that you and Si have devoted to Daily Dose Day and its worthy causes were reason enough to donate during this event.
The opportunity to hit your liquor cabinet (etc)….is sending me to shake the loose change from the bottom of my purse to see what else I can come up with.
Thanks to both of you for a job incredibly well done!
Kat
Glad to hear that your travels went well David! Thanks for the report. Are we going to get to see some pics?
We’ve been so spoiled here in the NE that so far the tour schedule leaves us feeling a little neglected. Hopefully there will be a string of northeast dates announced eventually.
I’m on board for CT, Vienna VA, and Longwood Gardens outside Philly. But it’s a LONG wait until August!
Kat
Hey Matt…
Great interview/article. It’s always fascinating to read Bruce’s words on the evolution of his music and just how the magic happens.
Thanks!
KatSo Jackie…if we spot a dancing prairie dog, would that be our mascot?
David and Si…You have certainly turned up the anticipation for DDD. Great music and company and only Bruuuce shoes required! This time I get to skip the oil change and the tire rotation.
If any additional help is needed in making the preparations, just let me know. Other than that, I’m really looking forward to the big day and hoping it’s a HUGE success!
Kat
Peace David…
Didn’t mean to shake you. The spirit lingers…
Just going “to bat” for SMP!
Little break granted.
Kat
Hey David…
Give Mary a break! Clearly she deserves a Road Warrior title. C’mon…it’s treat to get in your car, crank up the Bruce and take a road trip. Nothing fun about:
a) getting to the airport an hour before a flight (if it’s on time)
b) going through security (full body scan or the pat down)
c) praying your baggage gets on the plane
d) hoping the flight won’t be delayed or canceled and that once you board you won’t sit indefinitely on the tarmac
e) fingers crossed on making your connection
f) changing flights
g) repeat steps c and d
h) waiting for your stuff at your destination
i) then dealing with a rental car.The flight’s easy, but everything associated with it has the potential to be a NIGHTMARE! I didn’t even mention the kid who kicks your seat thoughout the flight, being stuck in the middle, or having to pay for peanuts. Plus, I’d be willing to bet it took Mary longer to go door to door than it did me (it took me 7 hours).
Oh…and she’s done it twice in the last few months! Remember, she flew to Virginia for the ALS benefit too.
Give credit where credit’s due my friend. If not a Road Warrior then perhaps a special designation for those who take on air travel out of devotion to Bruce. Hey, maybe Si needs to run another contest!
Sure did miss meeting you. By summer I’ll be ready to rotate those tires again, get the oil changed and hit the road. How ’bout you?
Kat
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can share the my thoughts about the play without just stringing together a bunch of superlatives. I want to say enough but not too much and not just babble….
I was able to stay in Virginia a few days, taking a side trip out toward Lynchburg to see friends in the middle of the week. Consequently saw the play three times. I was there on the Tuesday (1st preview night), on opening night (Friday) and again on Saturday. It did a bit of an evolution over that span of time. No big changes, just fine tuning. I enjoyed it from the start but with each performance it got better and better. I wish there was a way to zip back down there and see it one more time at the end of the run.
The first act is mostly devoted to setting the scene which is primarily done through the music. Through the songs, we meet all the personalities of the characters and get the flavor of the little town. We see Norman Rhodes (the SCKBSTD), but he maintains a mysterious distance. We hear nothing from him outside of a couple of lines of dialogue until the second act. So, his character is developed completely through the paranoia of the town folk and their reactions to his odd behavior.
The family dynamics that are at the center of the Reynolds family is raw. It’s presented in a humorous and entertaining fashion but I’ll bet the reality of it cuts a little close to the bone for a lot of us. It certainly did for me.
Some highlights…
The Holy Trinity of Home Delivery – is a hysterical introduction to three of the secondary characters. The entire audience loved this one, every night!
Jill Paice is incredible as Afton Reynolds (the main female character). Her delivery of her songs is captivating. Between her voice and her dance style she gives this character so much power. She was definitely MY favorite character in the show
The women’s songs (Who Takes Care Of Mom and Where’s The Bat) are incredibly strong.
All the teenage performers are very good. Brynn Williams (plays Jill Rogers) has a terrific voice and Riley Costello (the paper boy) has an amazing presence. I loved Paperboy…a song I couldn’t really appreciate on Levitate. I do now. Invisible is done as a duet between Brynn and Charles Franklin (Tim, the Reynolds’ teenage son). It’s fantastic.
William Parry is also wonderful as Afton’s father. He performs both Don of Don’s and Soon Enough. Soon Enough is just beautiful and Don of Don’s is woven into the story in a very clever way.
Continents Drift is performed toward the end of act one by Afton (Jill) and her husband Jim (Marcus Lovett) after a VERY awkward moment. It’s very touching and heartbreaking.
Act two is where we finally hear about Norman Rhodes from Norman and of course in the end we finally understand what he’s all about. I don’t want to say too much in case anyone reading will still have the chance to see the show. Robert Cucclioli is great as Norman…just creepy and mysterious enough. It’s clear why he has the whole town talking.
Simple Prayer, performed by the ensemble is as fun as you’d expect. I’ve loved this song since I first heard it. A reprise done in the second act has a completely different ambiance and becomes quite meaningful.
I think the cast kept the audience right where they needed to be throughout the performance. Everything is pretty light until near the end of act one. It’s just FUN but the dissonance in the family and the situation as a whole cannot be ignored. During much of act two, you could hear a pin drop.
The band is good and they do a great job with Bruce’s music. At first it’s a little weird to hear the music coming from anyone other than Bruce and the Noisemakers. You just have to get it in your head that it’s not a Bruce show. The sets are minimalist but set the scene well. Projections are used fairly extensively to compliment and intensify the performance. I thought there was always just enough going on onstage at any one time. I never felt that my attention was getting distracted by too much going on, but I felt engaged with the stage as a whole.
The story is solid. Clay Chapman did a great job of weaving the songs together in a meaningful and entertaining way. And what can I possibly say about the music? The songs that are new are every bit as good as the ones we know so well from Levitate. I have had one song or another from SCKBSTD bouncing around in my head for days now. The brand new songs stick with you. I wish I had a way to put them in rotation on my iPod so I could enjoy them again and again.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this project. It was a long road getting to Norfolk but it was worth the wait. I hope it makes it to Broadway and it gets all the attention it deserves. In the meantime, if you can get to Virginia….GO!
It was a real treat to be able to see the first preview of SCKBSTD. It’s a very good story that weaves the songs together in a very creative way. It works beautifully and it takes you by surprise to learn the context in which some of the songs are performed. Mary and Carey saw the dress rehearsal on Sunday but were careful not to drop a single hint to me as to what happens in the show. I’m glad they didn’t because it’s engrossing to watch the story unfold.
There’s a lot of emotion for the audience to relate to. The cast is very good and of course the songs are wonderful (but we knew THAT).
They’re still tweaking the show this week during previews, so it will be interesting to see what has changed when I see the show again on Friday.
Like Mary said, no audience photos were allowed. But you can see a series of pictures from the show here…
Anyone going to be in Norfolk for the show either Friday or Saturday night? I’ll be there. Elyce will be with me on Saturday. Let me know…
Re: Bruce plays the music of SCKBSTD at the VSC/Wells Theate
I have to echo David’s WOW! WOW! WOW!
Thanks so much for an amazing review. I’m sure it is much appreciated by all of us who couldn’t attend this very special event. I’ve been looking forward to Jan 18 SO much and now…I’m looking forward to it even more.
Kat
BTW – Several of us are planning to get together in Norfolk before the show on Tuesday. We’d love to have you join us if you can.
Great to see there will be a group of us there on the 18th. I don’t know the Norfolk area but we’ll figure something out. I’ll start looking around for something casual close to the venue. If anyone DOES the area, your input would be welcome. Stay tuned. Anyone else for the 18th?? Please let me know.
David Day….are you out there? You were pushing for the get together on the 22nd (Saturday). Elyce and I will be in town for that performance. Is there a plan?
Kat
If anyone wants to keep in touch via cell phone, PM me and we can exchange numbers.
Ok Everybody…
I’ll take the lead on the Tuesday night meetup. Who’s going to be there on the first night?
I want to make sure we don’t miss anyone.
Kat
Si –
I’m really sorry to hear this. I was looking forward to seeing you. I’m sure you wouldn’t have made this decision unless you felt it was absolutely necessary. You will be missed but we’ll do our best to keep you fully informed on everything that’s going on.
I’m with Mary….I hope all is ok.
Kat
Thanks for the info Bryan. I had gotten wind of the fact that he was going to be here. But, there were two dates and no specifics as to which day. I live out on Long Island so any NYC appearance is game for me. Now….I just need to see if there are still tickets.
Kat
mary wrote:Well, here I go bursting the party as I’ll be showing up for Tues, the 18th, show. The Pollack in me (and it appears Kat was also Polish the day she purchased the ticket) thought the opening was the 18thMary –
Sounds to me like we made an excellent choice on our ticket date. The party isn’t burst. It’s just getting started!
I have a ticket for Tuesday the 18th! I’ll look forward to seeing you then Si. I’d love to stick around for a second show over the weekend….time will tell…
Kat
