do you remember the part in “moulin rouge” where that one guy, the great english character actor, is singing that line as things are really falling apart, and nicole kidman is walking through the theater wearing a lovely form-fitting jacket and a stylish little hat? i wish i could remember a few more of the details, but that’s how things are right now. well, there’s no french tragedy with some evil guy who’s the producer of the show about to ruin everything and nobody’s doing any fancy tango numbers and there are none of those fabulous riotously colorful can can outfits…
but things have taken a very surreal turn. tonight i was telling mary that it’s like that dream i have of being in a play and having to go onstage even though i can’t recall having rehearsed and i don’t know any of the lines.
she’s had that dream, too, but we agreed this production has gone beyond that.
last night jason, who is the director of the show and is in a few of the short plays, wasn’t at rehearsal. family crisis. we thought he’d be back tonight, but he wasn’t. ongoing family crisis. i don’t like to write details about family crises on here because it seems disrespectful or something, but let’s just say it’s a pretty big crisis and he may or may not be back for the show tomorrow night.
so tonight mac read jason’s lines, except he’s such a quick study that he was able to actually perform most of the stuff without a script. except for the one with me, the bag lady one, the one that’s my favorite. mac has the day off tomorrow, and he’s says he’s going to memorize it then.
hmm. it’s not that i don’t believe him, it’s not that i doubt his ability, but it’s all just very…odd.
troopers. the cast is filled with troopers. not actual police troopers, of course, but people who are right here trooping.
i wonder what the show will be like tomorrow night. interesting. you should come just to see how it goes. i mean, i know it’ll be funny. i just can’t imagine how my own particular sketch at the beginning of act two will go.
there’s been a lot of family crises and tragedy lately – people dying, people having health scares – the older i get, the more serious it all seems.
and that’s exactly why it’s critical and crucial and very very important to have a good time. enjoy yourself. laugh at craziness that is life, because crying about it is too depressing.
i meet too many older people who say to me, after complaining about their many ailments, “don’t get old.”
no, please, consider the alternative.
whew. come to the show, tomorrow night or saturday night, and i promise you’ll laugh.
that is all for now.
ok then,
grace in july.