It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been so busy with getting Carved in Stone up on the boards (more on that later), celebrating my birthday, and writing my monthly column for BackStage that I’m afraid the blog has taken a back seat of late. But the show is open, running and gaining momentum, the birthday is long past, I just met my most recent deadline for “Take 5,” and the holiday weekend is giving me a little extra free time (seeing my first movie today after months!), so perhaps it’s time to update the blog.
Yes, after years of pre-production and more than one false start – and despite a horrific economy -- Carved in Stone is finally playing to enthusiastic audiences at Theatre Asylum in Hollywood. We’re entering our third week of performances, and the reviews have been universally wonderful!
It’s been a ton of hard work, made harder by the fact that we don’t have Jeffrey’s theatrical expertise on tap. The process has not been without some drama. But it’s totally been worth it, and I love doing this show again, and doing it with such a talented cast!
Opening night was a melancholy experience. The show went great, and the audience could not have been more receptive. Many friends were in the house, including Christine Blake, Andrew Kelsey and T.J. Lee. But when it was all over, I felt very sad. I never consciously thought or believed that, by doing the show, Jeffrey would somehow come back to us. But his absence was strongly felt. He would have loved the terrific audiences and wonderful reviews. People keep telling me he knows, but I’m too selfish. I want to watch him watch us!
But I did have an epiphany on my birthday May 23 while rehearsing. While last year was about loss and grief, very little acting work and feeling a bit adrift in LA, Jeffrey and his show has given me a new lease on life. Doing this show this year has given me a new purpose, new opportunities, a bunch of new friends and stronger backbone than ever before. So by the time rehearsal was over, and we were celebrating with dinner at The Palm, I was feeling more grateful than I have in a long, long time.
So now I’m off to enjoy breakfast, a movie, and another performance of the show tonight, then being interviewed on stage with the cast for Skip Lowe’s cable talk show. Tomorrow, the cast and crew are celebrating a night off by coming over for a July 4th barbeque.
Thank you, Jeffrey, for everything!