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.

"Day Break" Canceled

Rather than give us the rest of the episodes in the series, ABC has opted to play reruns of "George Lopez" and "According to Jim" in the midseason slot originally designated for Taye Diggs' mini-series. DAY BREAK was only scheduled for a couple of months, and the show's official FAQ says:

Q: Will Hopper make it to tomorrow by the end of this season?
A: Yes.

Apparently, now, it's no. The show was just here to fill in for LOST while it was on hiatus. A mere 13 weeks, that's all. Then, ABC announced LOST would move to 10pm in its effort to regain lost viewers to CBS's CRIMINAL MINDS (with the incomprable Mandy Patinkin). It's a good show -- I watched regularly, and videotaped Patinkin's show to watch immediately after. Now, I'm going to have to wait until ABC posts the remaining episodes online, then watch them over my not-fast-enough web connection, which will take me about two hours to watch each 40-something-minute episode. Argh.

So MINDS overtook both the powerhouse that was LOST and the excitement that was/is DAY BREAK. It's too bad they couldn't even give us the rest of the order ... what, seven or eight more episodes? Execs must be terrified. Nothing is doing well in this slot. They're now betting on two half-hour comedies to spice things up after the New Year.

Plus, I'd found another TV girlfriend in Victoria Pratt to add to my collection (Pompeo, Paulson, and now Pratt). Funny, my crush in grade school's last name started with a "P" too.

And, not that I was watching anyway, Shatner's new SHOW ME THE MONEY has been pulled too... just after ABC last week ordered six new episodes. Talk about a %$#@-tease.