Program notes

At rehearsal yesterday I didn't get a chance to sketch...I created the program for the staged reading. But instead of Jeffrey Stock's calm back (music director) I had bouncy Mark Allen (composer) leading the "Hot Hot Girls" in their series of show-stopping, toe-tapping numbers. Mark would play, then leap up, jump back, watch them, chime in with a few notes on the piano to maintain key and sometimes our eyes would meet and he could see that I couldn't stop grinning, just as he was.

When the show goes to Beijing, I am sure this hip-hop quartet will be played by a well-matched young cute girl band Chinese dancer/singers, but for this staged reading there is an utterly delicious mix of women of all colors. Some of the actors had never imagined they would be singing hip-hop style songs for a Broadway style show. They're really getting into it! Hooray! When Jim and Tony came to listen they were happy. Jim has that cowboy habit of minimal facial expression but even he looked  gobsmacked.

I have never designed a playbill before. Jim loaned me an Into the Woods (older) playbill and I still had my Shakespeare in the Park Merchant of Venice (Pachino! Yes he was great!!) in my purse. I couldn't identify the blocky thick-thin font used for the heads but it was close to Poster Bodoni, so I used that. I eyeballed the thick and thin line that goes on top of heads and figured that Times Roman for the text would be just fine. I added a hint of playing cards to the title page... And, la voila, it was done. I know  volunteering to do something I am good at is always better than trying to help where I am helpless. The director's wife, Marilyn Stimac (also a producer) gave me the copy and I used Jim's script to fill in the scene and musical number list. Marilyn said it would have taken her far far longer to do it. But of course, I'm a book designer using professional layout programs (inDesign) so yes, goes faster than  adding endless spaces and paragraph returns to place things in a simpler text program. Here is the unproofed title page...

The Life

I have the best seat in the house: in the corner, half hidden by the piano, a simple metal folding chair on which I sit and smile for about 3 hours straight. "Huh?" you ask.

I'm observing the rehearsals for a staged reading of Jim's new musical, The Joker's Game. Unlike Jim, I didn't have to find the space and the actors for the reading, photocopy the scripts and score, and deliver (bottled water too) in less than a week. Not to mention write the lyrics and co write the plot in less than 2 months. I got to relax and enjoy the energy of professionals coming together to help the authors (Jim Racheff, Tony Stimac and Kemin Zhang), director (Tony Stimac), musical director (Jeffrey Stock) and composer (Mark Allen) understand what they have created when it comes alive.

Up until today the four authors had worked via Skype and had never all been in the same room!

Jim had created a 40 pound box filled with collated scripts, scores, pencils, markers and clips. On this 100 degree day he was planning to lug the box from home to subway to the rehearsal studio at 440 Studios (near the Cooper Union) but I convinced him to take a cab. There is only so much lifting a playwright of nearly venerable years should do on a hot hot day.

While they read through the script, I did freelance work on my laptop. But then, at the end, I did a watercolor sketch of the music director working with the singers. It is amazing how quickly musical actors figure out how to sing together.

This play has been translated into Chinese (Mandarin) and will be performed in Beijing. Then it may get an American production. China is in the beginning of developing their own musical theater tradition. This collaboration between Broadway and Beijing is just the start.

I love being in a room full of creative people. My only responsibility is to enjoy myself. Especially with an air-conditioned seat.

Music Director Jeffrey Stock working at rehearsal of staged reading of The Joker's Game.

The Writers: Kemin Zhang, Tony Stimic, Mark Allen, Jim Racheff, photo & sketch by Claudia Carlson