ends and beginnings and in betweens

thanks to everyone who came out to my play! i know last night we had to turn away a lot of people because we were all filled up and i'm sorry for anyone who came all the way out and had to go find some thing else to do in times square ;)

course you could have walked up the street and caught my friend jon hill's debut on broadway in Superior Donuts. jon is an awesome actor and i am very happy for him. the reviews have been especially positive towards him--not that we pay attention to such things.

the last time jon and i worked together was in Six Degrees of Separation (yes, the one turned into a will smith film). it was such a pleasure to work opposite jon back then. i think that was a classy production, if i do say so myself. and it's nice to remember that i don't have to always play the "crazy" characters, but can sometimes pull off a little grace too-as i hopefully did with Ouisa.

it is good to remember that show today. as an actor, we collect all these lives inside of us, all these experiences. in a "regular" person i suppose this is multiple personality disorder. but, i'm an -occasionally- unabashed pretentious artist. today is one of those days.

the characters i've been, especially the ones that have really hurt, the ones that have reached in and ripped apart my gut--whether because of the way she was written, or the difficulty of bringing her to life, or the complete fun of her--they seem to live inside me somewhere still. now i'm not completely crazy or that pretentious. i don't go around hearing their voices in my head.

but every now and then, you remember something you, the character, said or did or lived--and it hits you in a whole new way, now in the present, in the "real life."

like today, reflecting on... well all of it-me, my friends, my colleagues, my freaking life. and thinking of jon reminded me of some things ouisa said and how it felt to say them and mean them...

I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation between us and everyone else on this planet. The president of the United States, a gondolier in Venice, just fill in the names. I find that extremely comforting that we're so close, but... I also find it like Chinese water torture that we're so close, because you have to find the right six people to make the connection...

and these days, maybe even more important than that famous speech...

How do we keep what happens to us? How do we fit it into life without turning it into an anecdote? With no teeth, and a punch line you'll mouth over and over for years. "Oh, that reminds me of that boy..."

sometimes i think the things i say on stage are more true than the things i say in life.
what does that say?

bad ideas, good ideas, and the baby cage

ah, judgement!

me, i judge myself a lot. too much. certainly for an "artist." even with our opening night coming off really well, i battle.

maybe i'll just blame it on society. this, after all, must be the "opinion decade" - sort of like the "me generation" all started going, yeah it's all about me so let me tell you about everything else. but hey i love my daily show just like everyone else--though i could do without perez.

LIFE has a great collection of "dumb inventions" - old photographs of some inspired creations that didn't really get off the ground. i think they are being awfully hasty calling some of these "dumb."

here the "baby cage." now i say why not? especially in the city, babies should get some time outdoors. some fresh air and stimulation.


like the cat veranda, the cage lets the baby take in all the sights in a safe environment.






i also appreciate this cigarette holder built for two, though it is easy to understand why this just won't work anymore. i mean there just isn't anywhere to sit with your beau and enjoy a smoke, while holding hands and gazing lovingly! no restaurants, no buildings or bars, now in new york they are even banning streets and -gasp- the parks! what's the point in sharing a cig holder at home? just not as fun.


when it comes to art, who can say whats a bad/good idea? there's the Thriller musical--yes MJ's "thriller" expanded for all your dancing zombie pleasures--in development now. and london's Enron is transferring to broadway--that's right "the notorious energy company and the 2001 financial scandal that engulfed it!" then there's the new york times review of daniel craig and hugh jackman's A Steady Rain that suggests "But it’s hard to avoid thinking that had they chosen to recite the alphabet in counterpoint (which might have been more fun), their joint appearance would still generate ticket sales unknown for a straight play..." hey, i bet we could make that arty and serious.

for the record i will say our play, Manhattan Fable, is a very good idea- ghosts, re-envisioned shakespeare, kisses and all.

The Marriage of Bette and Boo and a vortex of crazy

3 stars i think. the performances were spot on, handling the difficult Christopher Durang material on just the right side of serious. i've never before seen a professional durang play, let alone on broadway, on opening night! i admit that i found myself reviewing my durang monologues in my head, weighing my style of delivery to that of the cast on stage.

at the opening night party, which i was informed i could "go anywhere you want, just don't sit down" -seating was saved for the cynthia nixon type crowd- i actually met and talked to Mr Durang. how crazy is that? i - like so many other slightly wacky theatre girls growing up - was performing durang pieces since i was 15. the infamous 'dentity crisis was my bread and butter back at School of the Arts. In my older years, I have leaned more towards the crazy of Sam Shepard, though i keep a durang in my back pocket, not that anyone ever wants to hear durang at an audition. ha.

despite wanting to be a professional actress, i don't think the 15 yr old could have ever imagined meeting the king of crazy himself, let alone idly chatting about the way his works fit in today...

things we want

wow, we're on a streak here- another excellent play!

"Things We Want" directed by Ethan Hawke at the New Group gave me a shot of happiness about off broadway theatre. The script is very strong, especially the first act, though that may be the result of the fantastic acting. Peter Dinklage balances stage drunkenness with truth, while maintaining a freedom to play that keeps the whole thing fresh and exciting. i loved him in indy flic "the station agent" and yet here he plays a character completely opposite from both that and the stoic face you see him with in every picture he takes. paul dano makes me jealous. he was tragic, he was bold, and most importantly he was true. josh hamilton was creepy (in a good way) and zoe kazan was alright, though out shown by the others. was all this wonderfulness the result of the actors or ethan hawke's directing? impossible to say, which is, of course, a sign of excellent directing.

4 fingers

now i am very, very tired. but it was worth it. :)

yep. a five star night.

with the strike settled, we finally opened our show, The Farnsworth Invention, tonight. the last several days i have been running loops around broadway getting things ready. occasionally, i do not mind being gopher, as i get to go through all the most influential offices in town. i'd like to think that one day i'll be going through them for me

today was even better--going through everyone's dressing rooms, walking about on the broadway stage. the thing is-- i could do this. it is real, it is reachable! i am good enough to be cast in a broadway play. these "stars" are just people very much like me. sigh. (though hank's dressing room is sweet who needs a big, flat screen tv in a DR???)

it was a long day and my fancy evening dress sat folded in the office for many hours. then john decided i should actually attend the opening production instead of set up the dinner further. cameron and i got a room at the mariot in freaking times square (though just a "change over" room, that is, a double booked room. once we left they would remake it for someone to come in the late evening. money money makes the world go round.) still, we had the room. we laid in the super comfy beds, threw our clothes about and gawked at the view.

then i met up with john in front of the theatre. who, very much in "john"style, had me just stand there for about an hour. stand right smack dab in the middle of the sectioned of "star" area, where the photographers were trying to take pictures of famous people. i tried to edge out of the camera's eye, but i imagine im in the background of most of the uncropped shots. i mean, it was just me standing there for goodness sake. john gave me a pad of paper so i could try to look official. yeah. right.

but i was not complaining. i'm used to john's ways and my dress was pretty and my jacket was warm, so i just pretended to know exactly what was going on while drinking in the people around me.
i carried my camera all day, hidden in my bag. however i am much too cool to snap pictures. instead my artist rendering will have to do for the most exciting of the evening

yes, leaving me standing there enabled me to hang with Stephen Spielberg. mr spielberg came up then stood expectantly, sure that someone important would be talking to him, while letting his beautiful wife go ahead inside. but there was just me, ha. it didnt take too long for some one to pull him from my side for pictures. yet, i think we shared something. something to chuckle about when we are making movies together. :) uhuh.

when i finally sat, my tickets were great-even if not with spielberg or the other "names." the show was fantastic. really a delightful piece. the writing is funny and sharp. the acting, esp hank azaria and jimmi simpson was top notch. seriously, they carried the show tremendously well. the rest of the cast is also very good, clearly the work of a well honed director. plus they are all really nice in person.

afterwards i raced to the party--though with very little actual "work" needed from me. but again, standing at john's shoulder is fun as he greets people in the biz. the party was lovely, i thought. the food looked great, the bar was flowing, the lights just right. i had a couple bites of deliciousness and kept myself to only a few glasses of wine.

the only downside was perhaps that i, yet again, did not turn this into a selling opportunity and am not now aaron sorkin's best friend, spielberg's goddaughter, jimmi's confidant. in fact, i didn't really talk to them at all as i was distracted all evening, but that too has its up side. someday i will write about why i was so distracted. for better or worse.