COLLISIONWORKING IV: Spell - Creation & Influences

The next installment of my notes on the three shows I have currently up at The Brick is now up at The Brick's blog, HERE.

That is all.

Video Blitz of Stupid

Two days off from shows again. {sigh} Nice, but I'm ready to get back to work.

Monday - did nothing.

Yesterday, Brick staff meeting in the evening, but before that I got to see a great show in the Fringe: Krapp, 39 by my old friends Michael Laurence (writer/performer) and George Demas (director). George, Michael, and I were part of the same theatre tribe for several years, around 1989-1994 or so. I probably hadn't seen either of them for 12 or 13 years, though.

The show was amazing - you can read about it at the link above or elsewhere - it's gotten great reviews, except in Backstage, which didn't get it - but it's only playing one more time in the fest, and is almost certainly sold out. Hopefully, Michael and George will bring it back and do more with it or something, so if that happens, jump on it.

The show, which is about being a young artist hitting the age where he's definitely not young anymore, was funny and touching and very depressing for me, as a contemporary and friend of Michael, who knew a number of the places and times and people he was talking about - including the brilliant, wonderful, talented, drug-addicted friend from that time who didn't make it to this one.

I talked with Berit a bit last night about the show, and that tribe of people, most of whom came out of NYU/Tisch from about 1989-1992, and she pointed out how unusual it was that ALL of them are still doing theatre - it seems like none of us gave it up at all (except the actress who had to make the decision between acting and rock band fronting, who chose the latter), which is VERY unusual. It seems like at least a third of the people I've known along the way in theatre or any of the arts got frustrated and dropped out and went back to school or found a different career, but none of us from that particular group have (day jobs to support theatre not counting).

With us, it was like how David Thomas of Pere Ubu describes the rock 'n rollers from Cleveland in the early 70s - like being Communists in the 20s - if you're too young and the dream is too strong, you can never get rid of it, you just have to follow it all the way. You have no choice.

After the show I got to hang and have a drink and catch up with Michael (after he talked to Eric Bogosian, who was there - Michael's acted in a couple of his plays) across the street at The Beekman - which, having had nearly nothing to eat, went right to my head and required a visit to the nearby Ruben's Empenadas at 64 Fulton Street, which I always like to hit when in that area (my dad and stepmom had a loft in that building in the 70s and I have fond memories of Ruben's) - apparently they're all OVER the city now, but reviews seem to say the original place on Fulton is still the best, though Ruben has nothing to do with them anymore, I think. A couple of fine meat pies cleared my head and had me ready for the Brick staff meeting (where more drinking was done, so I was tipsy again soon enough).

In the days off, I've been able to enjoy myself with the perusal and collection of a number of silly things found on YouTube. Very silly. Almost sophomoric (what did Michael O'Donoghue say? "'Sophomoric' is the liberal code for 'funny."").

So here's five videos that made me laugh to the point of tears or well beyond it, behind the cut:

( David Lee Roth Flies, a Preacher Breaks Wind, the Daleks Meet Benny Hill, a Cat Eats Spaghetti, and the Large Hadron Rap )

Enjoy.