A New Leaf?

Perhaps I'm going to turn my life around, right? I mean, like, May is totally the month for sunny happy thingers, right? So, um, maybe I'll just start writing every day again, or, maybe I won't because it would be like too much to handle. Way to rough.

Anyway, had a nice exchange with a celeb today at work. She was just lovely. And, I sent off another banana bread to my real favorite celeb -- she's been asking for it, so.

And what's with my mother? She sent me an email that started with OMG. No, Mom, don't get all sorority on me.

Norma's Back at Last

Some days, a person just feels complete, you know? For me, it was today. And lately, I guess, in general. I think it's this city. There's something electric about it that I can't escape, and I don't think I really want to. It's so wonderful.

Today, Millie and I went to see the matinee of the Durang/Melnick musical ADRIFT IN MACAO at Primary Stages at 59E59. I saw the production back in its Philly tryout and enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed it a lot more there, even though here my seats were significantly better, and cheaper. Either way, it is still so fun, and Michelle Ragusa is a dynamo: there's no stopping her, and it's so exciting to see such a fabulous performer onstage.

Anyway, my point. I was reading the program, thinking "oh, Alan Campbell is in this." (He's the original Joe from SUNSET BLVD on Broadway.) Literally thirty seconds after I mentioned it to Millie, I turned to see who was walking up the aisle to sit in the pair of empty seats next to me, and it was none other than Glenn Close. GLENN CLOSE. Next to me. Immediately in the seat beside me. Her knee was touching mine.

Some backstory and facts:

1. the first CD I ever purchased was the American premiere recording of SUNSET starring Glenn Close and Alan Campbell. Today, I sat next to her and we both watched his performance.

2. As a kid, I loved the circus. In college, I got to play the lead in BARNUM which starred Glenn Close and Jim Dale. Today, I sat next to her.

3. A few weeks ago, I made banana bread for a Tony winner. Today, I sat next to one.

4. Years ago, I saw Betty Buckley perform a concert from the fourth row. She replaced Glenn Close in SUNSET.

5. Alan Campbell and Lauren Kennedy made their Broadway debuts in SUNSET. Now they're married.

6. Elaine Page was a replacement Norma in SUNSET. Now, she's a replacement Chaperone in London's DROWSY. I saw Page perform SWEENEY with the NYC Opera (in 2003?). I sat next to the original Norma today. I made banana bread for the original Chaperone a couple weeks ago.

7. AND, if I'm not mistaken, I saw STUDIO 60's Sarah Paulson at work yesterday. Those lips are unmistakable.

8. This is too much. New York is grand.

I'm So Glad I Came

ONE: I saw the Encores! production of FOLLIES Thursday night at City Center (apparently Steve and Hal were both in the house that night as well, albeit in closer seats than my second-to-last-row-humdinger). Brantley is spot on in his review. It was epic, magnificent, and gorgeous. Musically astounding, emotionally wretching, personally inspiring ... it didn't stop for the whole two-and-a-half-hours. And, throw in the dream team of Vicki Clark, Donna Murphy, and Casey Nicholaw, there's no turning back: we're in whole-hog, and happily rolling around in the mud.

It was something to it there and listen to these extraordinary voices sing these delicious songs and receive enormous amounts of applause. I was sure the entire show was going to stop a few times, notably after "In Buddy's Eyes," "Losing My Mind," "Could I Leave You?," and "The Story of Lucy and Jessie." No surprise here, those were the four solos by Ms Clark and Ms Murphy.

TWO: I met a certain actress last night, backstage at a certain broadway show and presented her with a certain baked good. It was brilliant. And she was just delightful, and beautiful, and so kind.

SHE LIKES CAKE!

[photo: DRAMA DESK AWARDS, MAY 06]

I had just turned on my computer and was pondering what to write about tonight when I noticed I had just missed a phone call and had a voice mail message. Now, I can't go into a lot of specifics here, because that would mean divulging myself or my friends' names. So, my friend called with two messages. One of them was fantastic, but I will save it for another dry day in blog land. The second was from her roommate, who sometimes works in a certain capacity at a certain Broadway show. The roommate said, simply: "Beth Leavel told me today that she likes cake." HOLLER!

Earlier this summer, I professed my love for this woman and thought, hey, maybe I should send her a banana bread that I cooked since I am pretty darn good at baking banana bread (no nuts, "cuz men don't like nuts" <---anyone? name that musical). Well, we decided that if I did send the bread, Beth would probably have thrown it away because, hey, could have been a scary stalker, right? So, we left it at that and ate it ourselves. I had forgotten about that proposed idea and moved on in my life, until tonight.

I came home from the theatre, seeing a production of Greenberg's THREE DAYS OF RAIN, to this amazing note on my voice mail. I should start practicing baking cake. I wonder what kind of cake she likes? Chocolate? Vanilla? Ice-cream? And frosting... cream cheese? Strawberry? The kind with those little flecks of sugar in it? And, just as vital, what should I write on the cake when I do have it delivered to her dressing room?

My grandmother used to work in a bakery. She is one of the foremost cake decorators I know. She's great. To this day, damn, she makes a good cake. I'll have to talk with her about it and get her ideas for what I should send to this amazing lady. I can only hope that this lady doesn't get freaked out by a cake. By my love for her. Maybe I should avoid the word love all together. Maybe it should be something like, "YOU ROCK." Or, "HERE'S A CAKE YOU CAN HAVE. AND EAT, TOO." I'll work on some other ideas.

WOO HOO. The excitement is in the air.