Bull!

My mom and dad came to New York City for a few days, to come and see my show.

You remember, I got a show going on? (Check it out soon, it's in the final week!)

They were only here for a few days, so we tried to pack in a lot. My mom was feeling better after X number of surgeries on her back...I could here it in her voice when I talked to her on the phone, she had her energy back. And it was nice to see, after a few years of having terrible pain.

We tried to get in the Statue of Liberty...and it was a PERFECT day to do it...of course, everyone else thought the same thing, so there was an hour and a half wait to get to the Statue. So, we did the next best thing...We went to Staten Island.

It's a free trip.

Over there...well, we didn't see much. Is THERE much on Staten Island? We did see...what they called a museum...but was really an abandoned lighthouse factory. The buildings were falling apart...which was sort of heartbreaking...they must have been so beautiful once.

Staten Island done.

Next. The Bull on Wall Street. That's the picture. We sort of had to fight to get it taken...French Tourists were putting their kids on the Bull's head, as Japanese Tourists were getting their pictures taking with the Bull's balls. A metaphor? If so, it's bigger than me.

Lunch, nap. Then dinner with my Uncle and Aunt.

Next day...Central Park. Another perfect day. At least we didn't have to wait in line to get in.

Flowers, trees, castles, ponds, musicians and hotdogs. Awesome.

Then, they saw the show and packed up and went back home...soon, they are going to Sweden for two weeks, while I continue to slave away here in New York...

(I have to apologize for this blog...there wasn't much meat to it. Just a laundry list of stuff that happened. It wasn't very good. You know it, I know it. Let's just move forward and hope that the next blog is better.)

Enterprise sucks.

Enterprise. The car rental. Sucks.

I was going to rent a car from them here in Harrisonburg, VA to drive back to Reagan National airport...they were going to charge me a drop fee. Of a dollar a mile. About a 150 bucks.

Was this on the internet? No.

Did we rent the car? No.

There's a Hertz in town.

So, I'm in Virginia

So, the wife and I are in Harrisonburg, VA. She's here to do some work, you know, the kind that pays you money. She's going to be one of the voices on Rosetta Stone's new Hindi computer program. Me...well, I'm tagging along for a few days, getting out of the hustle of New York...I traded it for the hustle of Harrisonburg, VA.

Except. There's no hustle. No hustle at all. And no bustle either.

It's sorta nice. There's not much to do...except shop. Eat. Walk around...where people say hello to you. And smile. Well, I think it's smiling, it's what I remember smiling to look like. I'm pretty sure it's smiling.

One of the things we did when we got here was drive over to Monticello, the home of one Thomas Jefferson. That guy. You know...writer, scientist, President, all around smart guy...when did we stop electing those types?

It was a beautiful drive over...winding through some small mountains, great views.

Monticello is...not what I expected. I thought it would be bigger. Well, the estate itself is big. But the house...is smaller than what I thought. The rooms aren't that big and they open up into each other, few hallways, it's room, room, room. Gorgeous, luscious rooms with views and light, but still...they aren't the mansions that we see today.

Still. Just to imagine that Jefferson and who knows who else walked these rooms, sat in that chair, died in that bed...Jefferson...who wrote the Declaration of Independence. This was truly a Founding Father...someone who really thought about Government, Freedom, what is is to be an American.

Perhaps we have exalted these Founding Father too much...but I don't know...as this election season keeps going on and on and on...and both parties look like idiots because they seem only in it for themselves and not the larger ideals, I keep thinking about the start of my country. The men (and women) not only fought a war, but, more importantly, thought. They had the intellectual rigor to ask the big questions, to debate the answers, to really try and make something that would last. It's lasting...but if we keep leaving the idiots in charge...

Also:
I don't know if any of you have been watching the John Adams mini-series on HBO, I haven't, but I caught the last episode here in the hotel. Now, SPOILER ALERT, when Adams and Jefferson DIE...bet you didn't know they died...they use Monticello. Clearly. It was so strange for me to see...the actor playing Jefferson, walking around the office and library...the same one the day before where I wasn't allowed to touch things. It was kinda cool.

And a bit of trivia. John Adams and Jefferson died the same day, the 4th of July on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Reviews...

Alright. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Actually, most have been pretty good, but I'll put them all up...

Variety
NYTheatre.com
TheatreMania.com
Backstage
Broadwayworld.com

Onward...

A quick one before I run off...!

Opening night went very well...Lots of people responding very well. I'm very excited.
There are reviews out there. Some good. And some not so good.
I'll post them later tonight.
And as a bit of final information: it's really challenging to sit next to someone who clearly isn't liking your play.

Oh, well.

Open Night!

Well. It's here. Opening night. Weeks of rehearsal, preceded by months of prep, preceded by years of writing and developing...

And it's all come to tonight...Opening Night.

I wish I could say that I'm nervous...and probably if you caught me at a still moment, I admit the truth, but I feel like I have all of these things I need to do before tonight, and tonight is just HOURS away.

Gifts, emails, scripts to read, a shower to take, food to eat, meetings to run to.

The biggest problem for me isn't being nervous...it's being nervous, sitting in the audience. I don't know what to do. Yes, the obvious answer is to watch the show, but, well, I've seen it, so I keep listening and watching the audience. Wondering what THEY are thinking.

Thoughts that went through my head during preview:

Is that guy with the tilting head sleeping?
That woman who keeps whispering, does she hate my show?
Is that old guy asleep or dead?
Is that the reviewer? Or is THAT the reviewer?
Why didn't they laugh at the cold hands line, I always laugh at the cold hands line...
Is it cold in here or am I dying?

So, for me it's tough sitting in the audience. I'm nervous, and when I'm nervous, I get chatty. And no one likes a guy whose chatty during a show.

But this is the truth: It's a good show, it's a really really good show. I'm very proud of everyone who has worked on the show, I'm proud of MY work on the show. I hope it's hard to get a ticket it's so popular.

And speaking of tickets, you can go to Ticket Central to buy them online.
Go to Alchemy's Website for more information...
Or mine...

The show opens tonight, I'll post some reviews when I can...hope you can make it...you have until May 4th to do it!

Umbrella...the previews...

Last night, I saw the final dress run of my show Umbrella...It went great. The show looks great, the direction is great, the actors are great. (That's Christa Kimlicko Jones in the photo, she plays Helen.)

I'm really proud of this show, I hope you can all come and see it.

Tonight's the night...tonight we start previews...we have a LOT of shows this weekend, it makes things tight, and I'm hoping we have big crowds.

And it's weired being the writer, after the last few bits of rehearsal today, to clean up some tech issues, I don't really have anything to do. Except tell people to buy tickets ( go to Alchemy Theatre's website, use the code AHLS for a discount!) and tell all of their friends to see the show.

I may wander the street of New York, try to pick fights with tourists...it IS that season again, and I wouldn't want a tourist to leave New York City with the idea that New Yorkers are friendly...don't they know the proper way of walking is quickly and NOT stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to take a picture of a building...a BUILDING???

Or I could see a movie. But there's nothing this boy wants to see until the summer (really, have you seen the previews for Iron Man? Or the new Indiana Jones Movie?)

I could watch the show...nah. That's impossible. There won't be an empty seat in the theater.

Hm...I'll have to give some more thought to this...

I'm Getting Rid of My Bundle of Kent...

So...as long time readers of this blog might remember...I have a syndrome. But to catch up those long time readers...I'll explain...so you don't have to read again.

I have what's called WPW Syndrome. Basically, the heart has an electrical system that regulates the beating of the heart. I have an extra one...and according to Wikipedia (i know, i know) it's called the Bundle of Kent. This Bundle sometimes takes over, throws the whole shebang out of whack and the heart starts beating rapidly. Very rapidly. Basically, no speed control.

I had another little incident a few weeks ago...it lasted a little bit to long, alright, it lasted 8 hours. 8 hours of a racing heart I think will get to any one. And some where in the back of my head a thought popped in...hey, maybe I should go back to my heart doctor get this Bundle of Kent zapped.

And so. I have. Well. Not the zapping part. Not yet. That's in about a month.

Basically, I'll be sedated, thank you, and they will insert a catheter into my femoral artery...that be in the leg for those keeping score, and send little wires up to my heart. While I'm sedated, thank you very much, these wires will poke around and the Kind Doctor will start my arrhythmia...in order to find my Bundle of Kent.

And once located...zap. And I'm cured. All while I'm sedated, thank very very much.

It's an over night stay at the LOVELY Mid-town hospital of Mt. Sinai.

Anyway...I'll let you all in on a little secret...even though I'm showing a bit of bravado...I'm a wee bit nervous.

More info as it comes...