Just up the block sits the famous Ennis House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1923 and constructed from geometric concrete blocks. This stunning, huge house has been used in dozens of movies, including Blade Runner, Black Rain with Michael Douglas, and the Vincent Price classic House On Haunted Hill.
We drove up to Griffith Park, which is just up the hill from his place, and stopped at the Observatory for a visit. The Observatory looks so nice since its extensive renovation a few years ago. Again, the air was so clear and fresh it felt like we could see forever. There were a lot of people there, mostly tourists and families with children.
After a quick bite downtown, it was time for the musical Spamalot showing at the Ahmanson Theater and Mike was going to conduct the show! I got to sit and watch from the orchestra pit next to the guitarist, two keyboard players, and the violinist. Of course I had an awesome time listening to the band and seeing most of the action on stage above me. I couldn't see everything upstage but since the dialogue is Monty Python's Holy Grail almost verbatim, it was easy to enjoy the humor. The audience loved it as well and Maestro Gribbin got some laughs during a couple bits he had with the actors. The "star" of this production is John O'Hurley who played J. Peterman, Elaine's boss on Seinfeld.
Not only did I enjoy the show immensely, it was great to see Michael conducting. He's always been one of the most talented guys I've ever met and it's been so long since we worked together, I was impressed by how precise and articulate his conducting has become. His beats were easy to follow and he gave clear cues to the band and the singers for entrances, cut-offs and dynamics. Mike told me he's conducted the show about a hundred times so far and it showed because the performers were right with him the whole time.
After the performance we went back to his place for a glass of wine and snacks with Michael's roommate, Ben Whiteley who is music director of Spamalot. Ben is a big fan of Bing Crosby and we listened to some great vintage Bing with the Andrews Sisters while sitting outside on their terrace enjoying the spectacular night sky and view of downtown Los Angeles. The moon was bright, as was Jupiter, and we got to see a fireworks show from Dodger's Stadium around midnight.
All in all, a fantastically memorable day, and one that could only happen in LA. (hey, that rhymes!)
