We've stumbled through our first run-throughs off book this weekend. In my case, croaked through them, since I'm getting over a cold from earlier in the week.

Judy is feeding us costumes very early in the process, since there's going to be as much scrambling about backstage as there would be for a musical. We're doing some stuff with hair and hats: Nayna has this great transition from the head-scarfed Zubaida Ula to the the bimbo Tiffany Edwards, and it's quite a glorious surprise when she shakes out this luscious mane of hair. And we're working with the set's platforms, another bonus for so early in the process. Andy likes to use the metaphor of woodworking, of finishing furniture for the creative process, that you build up layers of varnish slowly. Right now we're about at the point that we've finished all the sanding.

I had a small epiphany in my work on Stephen Johnson. He has a tic that sometimes appears, but what's more evident are the behaviors he uses to conceal the tic. I think I may be developing something similar for Harry Woods.

posted: 10:37:31 PM  

William Safire on "Wedded Words," paired word clichés. I'm planning a longer post on this phenomenon.

posted: 12:28:45 PM