Tuesday, August 1, 2017

MARVIN'S ROOM

It's been almost a month since I went to New York and I have to say, I think I laughed the entire time I was there.  I met my friends Wendy and Elane that I haven't seen in thirty years, and it was as if no time had passed.  My friend Beth picked me up which made things so much easier than taking a taxi, and Elane was there waiting in front of the hotel.  We screamed when we saw each other and then Wendy and I screamed again when I saw her in the hotel room.  This screaming thing had to stop, but I just didn't give a shit.   I couldn't move after the plane ride so I rested while Wendy and Elane went out to dinner with one of Wendy's friends.  Wendy knows so many people in the "biz", as she was not only a professional stage manager but also a talent agent in New York.  So, this friend was stage managing "Hamilton" that evening.  Ya, "Hamilton".  We don't mess around people.  Elane brought me back food and it was delicious.  We stayed right in Times Square and I highly recommend the Knickerbocker Hotel where you can go up on the roof at night and have drinks and hors de'oeurves.  We met our friend Barry from college who is now a talent agent in New York.  He was just how I remember him.  Very funny.  He had many stories to share.  When we got back to our room, there was a bottle of champagne waiting for us.  The "Hamilton" stage manager was also a concierge at this hotel. He was actually filling in for another stage manager that evening.  But I mean "Hamilton". Just sayin'.

The next day we had breakfast in Tribeca and then we went to see our friend's play, Marvin's Room.  It wasn't a long walk, but Elane got a wheelchair from the hotel for me.  It was great.  I had not been in Times Square in years and to me, it's like Disneyland for adults.  Wendy was annoyed with how things had  changed.  There were so many ads for things like, Subway, and Dunkin Donuts.  I mean big huge, ridiculous lit up signs.  We saw the play and we were disappointed.  I mean, thrilled that Scott's play finally got on Broadway.  But the execution wasn't as good as we hoped.  Something was missing.  One person said that the set was too big for the performance.  Wendy thought maybe the energy was low because it was a Saturday afternoon and they had a performance the night before.  Lily Taylor, Janine Garafalo, and Celia Weston are all performers that I have loved for years.  Wendy said the director should be shot.  I wouldn't go that far.  It was still fun to see our buddy Scott's play on Broadway.  

That night we met our friend Barry again along with Jon Miller for dinner.  Of course, our waitress was an actress and she caught Barry on his way to the restroom to tell him about her showcase.  She found out he was an agent from me and she also overheard us talking.  When I knew Jon in college, he was a kind, respectful man.  I got to know him a little bit that summer before I broke my back.  It was great to see him.  He read us a funny letter that Scott had written to him.  Barry told us that when Scott's brother died in Sept. 1980, Scott sat outside of his parents house and talked to his friends.  Then he wrote a play about his brother's passing at the encouragement of our dear professor, George Sherman.  Barry said everything he shared at the picnic table was in the play.  Then Barry called our friend Steve Apostolina in California.  He does a ton of voice overs and he is always writing plays.  It was great to talk to him.  He was a good friend of Scott's.  He saw Marvin's Room many times all over the country and spent a great deal of time with Scott when he got really sick.  I am embarrassed to say, I did not see Scott before he died.  I just didn't have the money to go to Chicago.  But I did talk to him.  I loved sharing the viewing of his play with my dear friends.  It was one of my most memorable vacations. I said goodbye to these two crazy women and  Wendy did her signature "goodbye" to me as I got on the taxi to take me to the airport which is to lift her shirt up and expose her breasts.  Only this time she didn't have a bra on.  Scott would have loved it.  

We love you Scotty
I laughed, I cried and I went into labor.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. Sad to read that this production of Marvin's Room isn't great. I've never seen it performed live. Hopefully someone will do the play justice in LA someday soon.

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  2. Thank YOU Kerry for reading. He wrote such a beautiful play. Yes, I hope they do it in LA soon....be well.

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  3. Aw! It's always sweet to be reminded of Scott. I'm sorry the play wasn't as good as you had hoped. I saw Scott a few days before he died. It was an awful time, and so many people I knew were dying too soon. The only comfort is that Scott's talent, voice and kindness lives on through his work and by those of us who were lucky to know and have a laugh with him.

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