the surreal life
Last night was opening. We had a loud, raucous audience who grokked the show far more than we’d expected them to. Nothing went wrong - except a light cue - and nobody went up on lines. We made the show our own, and as always it was pretty fucking glorious. I have FOUR COMPS that can only be used tonight that are going to waste … call me. I will give them to you.
At the party, I got into an in-depth conversation with a cast member about the occult (which is dealt with a great deal in the show). He was telling me about a particularly memorable ghosty encounter, and a group of us was discussing how our acceptance of that kind of phenomenon - or even that kind of conversation - has drastically increased as we’ve gotten older. Once the story is pretty much finished, he stops mid-sentence and begins examining my face intently. After a moment, he says,
“I would love to hear what you have to say… you’re different. There is so much going on in your head - you are incredibly bright, but you don’t just give it to people. It oozes out. “
He thinks for another moment, and then says,
“You’re not like other pretty young female actors. You’re not in this for the fame of it. You’re not in this to get laid. You’re in it for yourself, and eventually I am going to figure out why.”
The sudden intensity and clarity with which this all came out of his mouth startled me. It reminded me of one of those moments in a movie where the young heroine is visiting a gypsy fortune teller. The reading is progressing normally, and suddenly the gypsy’s head snaps toward the girl, and her eyes bore a hole in the girl’s face. Suddenly, she sees the future - suddenly, things become clear. A few moments later, when he stood up to go talk to someone else, I was a bit shaken. Another cast member who had been present for this conversation turned to me, and whispered
“I wouldn’t have modified that statement at all. I don’t care that you’re pretty or female or even an actor. You are more grounded and centered than anyone your age I have ever met. He may be tipsy, but you know he’s right.”
I don’t know WHAT I know. This show has brought the surreal synchronicities that always exist in my life right up to the glaring forefront, and my perception of them has altered the way I look at everthing. I was talking to another cast member last night when I realized that he reminded me of Mitch. This morning, Mitch calls … just to check in. This actor had told me that he really appreciated my “razor-sharp wit”, and that he would be interested in having me join his improv group. Mitch is the reason I started doing improv in the first place, almost eleven years ago. Maybe everything is connected … or maybe I’m just drawing lines to connect dots that aren’t even on the same plane.
In any case, I have not laughed so much with a cast in my life. This script might not be your particular cup of tea, but it’s a good damn show. Come and see if YOU can figure it out… because we certainly can’t, and we’ve been working with the script for months. It’s a weird and wild time in my life right now, and once I move in with the Karaoke Twins (tm) I’m sure it will only get stranger. Upper Queen Anne, here I come. You’re not going to know what fucking hit you.
