HELLO GANG!

Sorry about the silence on my end, but I've really just been enjoying a break from the world. After A CATERED AFFAIR closed on Broadway I finally had the time to stay home and finish unpacking all my boxes from the move. Well, not ALL the boxes. But I've filled my walls and shelves and am really settling into life in the new house.

Of course the house is still not finished. Why would it be? I moved out January 2006 for an 18 month construction job that has lasted 31 months and counting. Oh, yeah! THIRTY-ONE MONTHS and the driveway remains unpaved, the kitchen not done and I have a three page list of items that need repair or finishing.

One day I may tell the tale, but for now I'll keep it to myself. Hmmm.

BROADWAY

Well, with my time off I've also gotten to see a couple of shows about town. My fave thusfar was HAIR. I attended the opening night in Central Park and had a wonderful time. One thing puzzled me though: The show takes place in Central Park. We were in Central Park. But the set designer surrounded the stage with a big wooden wall that blocked out our view of the park. WHY? I didn't get it. But the show may move to Broadway and when it does they will probably cover the theater's wooden walls with trees so that will make up for the other production.

Sunday I'm going to see XANADU at last. I have so many friends in the show and it will be great to watch them work it!

And before the performance I'll be over at THE NEIL SIMON THEATER celebrating HAIRSPRAY'S SIXTH ANNIVERSARY!!!! Hard to believe that it was six years ago that we opened the show. What a trip. Just thinking back, since leaving HAIRSPRAY after 2 years, I've done more than a year on Broadway in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, followed by HAIRSPRAY Las Vegas, then the San Diego try-out of A CATERED AFFAIR and the Broadway run of it. I've also built a house, adopted two cats, lost 2 dogs and 2 other cats, not to mention losing and gaining hundreds of pounds! Man, do I know how to fill six years!!!!! No wonder I'm tired.

MOVIES
Finally got to BATMAN today. Fun. Loud. Entertaining. Violent. And I don't mean to be picky but... lots of it made no sense at all. Still, I certainly felt I got my money's worth. But I wondered about Heath Ledger's performance. Sometimes I thought he was doing a Dustin Hoffman in MIDNIGHT COWBOY impersonation. In other scenes his accent was totally different. Still, it was a fascinating performance and I was riveted.

I also got to see BRIDESHEAD REVISITED which I really LOVED. Beautiful film, magnificently shot and acted. They tried hard to capture the story in total and I appreciated the effort. I recommend this for a summer's evening.

And then there was WALL-E. A delight. And the HELLO DOLLY music just made me laugh and laugh. Don't miss this one either. But I think of the three this one will not lose much on a home theater screen. The others should be movie outings.

WRITING
I've begun work on a new show. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't discuss what I'm working on until it's time to go public. But I think this one will be a BIG FAT FUN NIGHT IN THE THEATER FOR EVERYONE. After the tender solitude of A CATERED AFFAIR, I really wanted to write something that would allow the composer to let loose. This, I think, is it. More as it comes together.

SHOPPING
Not much shopping lately. I went to the ELEPHANT TRUNK FLEA MARKET two weeks ago and found some treasures. But my budget needs to be spent finishing up the house and not on frivolities. (But I am planning on going to an auction next week, so we'll see how my budget survives.)

So, kids, that's where I've been and what I've been doing. I promise to try and keep you up to date on all in the world of HARVEY. And I must get the camera out and share the summer views. So, until we meet again...

....STAY TUNED!