New Year’s Day—
everything is in blossom!
I feel about average.
–Issa, translated by Robert Haas
photo of almond blossoms taken by Michael Favor, from wikicommons
The musical year here:
Twenty Days to Find a Wife enjoyed a successful run at History Theatre, and was named one of the top five dramas of 2009 by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Fidgety Fairy Tales had productions throughout Minnesota and in Guam, and we took the cast to Washington D.C. to perform for the conference of the National Association of Families for Children’s Mental Health.
Beaverdance had a very good run at Bedlam Theatre over the holiday season. The cast was amazingly fearless and funny, and I now know I can write a musical in three weeks.
We revived and expanded In Dreams Begin Responsibilities for a showing at Nautilus Music Theater. It is now a piano trio piece with challenging choreography and we are talking about revisiting it in 2010.
I worked with a number of wonderful collaborators: Laurie Flanigan, Matt Jenson, Corrie Zoll, Dan Pinkerton and Nancy Nair; and many fabulous singers, actors, directors and dancers.
Today, the last day of the year, I finished writing the last song for a cycle on the poems of Charles Baudelaire which will be performed in January and February by tenor Brad Bradshaw.
I got my daughter off to college and she is happy there. I’ve been playing piano in churches and dance studios and parties and concerts. Tonight it’s cold outside and it is warm in the house and there are candles burning. Happy New Year!
