Kitty is practicing one of her famous numbers on a plank in the garden.
I'm just a
Broadway Kitten.
Pawing off my tired feet.
Pounding Forty-Second Street
To be in a show.
Oh...
[Kitty: Officer, where is, mummm, 42nd Street? Kitty (in the Officer's voice): You are here, young lady. (Thank you so much, kind sir). Officer: You are very welcome, young Cat.] He called me Cat and not Kitten!...
Learning how to sing and dance,
Waiting for that one big chance
To be in a show. Meow…..!!!!!
Andrew: Surprise for you! [he plays an IG video clip].
Kitty: [curious] Her face is very familiar. [Her eyes go round in thought circles. Voila.]. That's the dame who pretended to be a cat on my NYCat tour!
Andrew: Actress, Kitty.
Kitty: Ac-tor! Where's the rest of the song she promised for her fine?
Andrew: I don't know, all this 'tech' stuff is beyond me.
Kitty: She only sang something good, I sang something wonderful! [grinning like the Queen of Sheba]
Andrew: Indeed you did.
Kitty: [nodding her head, kinda resolved..] You were right. Too operatic. Shouldda made it 'cat rap'.
Andrew: Um, no. Yours was very ‘KL’.
Kitty: And I sang the whole song! [triumphantly]
Andrew: [smile] You were a bit tough on Katrina the Cat! I mean, the real cat under her coat may have been scared or ill or..she is a huge animal lover!
Kitty: I didn't want us all to get ill!
Andrew: As always, you were way ahead of the pack.
Kitty: [she nods, knowingly and grateful for the compliment] I know a rat who might help us with the 'cat scan'. {{{back story dictionary}}
Andrew: Computer, Kit.
Kitty: He escaped from the 'rat sanctuary'. He's really smart. Really smart!
Andrew: Can the rat play keyboards?
Kitty: He's like Farouk, can do anything, only, meow, a bit tiger now.
Andrew: [oh dear] They were experimenting.
Kitty: [she gives that look of I shouldn't know what you are talking about but I do]
The American Ballet Theater gala live from last night stills seems to be up on their YouTube site.
And tonight (May 13) the Brooklyn Academy of Music have a virtual gala (8 p.m.)
Funny, informative 1h Stars in the House interview between Broadway's Andrè Burns and Jason Robert Brown- composer, lyricist, and playwright. Some fab streaming workshop/classes on set up by Jason's wife (Georgia Stitt) for female musicians whatever! They are one-offs so sign-up and please donate.
Not exactly 'wowed' by the Antony and Cleopatra production but (as one who has been in a West End production of this play) the clarity of the text/context is amazing. And Fiennes (the meow movie star) was very brave to 'put his neck out there' and agree to this. The Royal National Theater Live until tomorrow. A Streetcar Named Desire next on the virtual horizon!
Last few days to view the oeuvre of The Wooster Group (please donate matched $1 for $1). Speaking of Shakespeare: their Hamlet invoking the 1964 televisual ghost of the stage production is there. Utterly fascinating. Only wish that they went a bit further with the original 'bet' with Burton and Peter O'Toole and mad it an out and out comedy/tragedy. Research. Still: utterly fascinating.
Andrew and Kitty watch the opera Ariadne auf Naxos. Kitty is on the edge of the bed on her back, sometimes conducting (no chopstick) sometimes just waving her paws. Her eyes are on the screen. As the final glorious music comes to a climax Kitty leaps to Andrew and places her head on his hand. This has never happened before.
The end opera credits roll.
Kitty: Ungekatzlich:)
Andrew smiles too. They both simply watch the closing credits of this 1988 dream Met Opera cast. Andrew trying 'to keep it together' in front of Kitty.
Kitty: What beautiful magical cats!
Andrew: How can you read upside down?
Kitty: How can a cat be or be not be, cat is the question?:) Katty's your..[Andrew interrupts]
Andrew: Colleague! [with a look, don't get me into trouble Kitty] Want her number?;)
Kitty: Touche, ma chere, touche:)
Andrew: And it's Kathy. Remember your 'h's.
Kitty: MeowH.
Andrew: So, so long ago this staging.
Kitty: Many, many, many cats ago.
t'b' c" t
