Opening Night

Full house last night--about 230 people. The show went well. I am exhausted today, which I find amazing, since the show only runs for an hour. My mother went into the hospital emergency yesterday afternooon, feeling weak and short of breath. They are keeping her a couple of days for observation. I'm concerned.

Bathos

My word for the day is "Bathos." Here is the definition:

Description of bathos - American Heritage® Dictionary

NOUN: 1a. An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect. b. An anticlimax.

This is how the play, Apis, ends. If you see it, you will understand. However, in the case of the play, the transition is intended.

Tech Week is OVER

Tech week is now over. And it wasn't so bad, which is an inexplicable rarity. Maybe it's because the cast isn't allowed to talk when we're on stage...We are off tomorrow night, but from Saturday on we will be rehearsing every night until we open on FRIDAY MARCH 13!!! The cast is bonding, the cast is made up of nice and talented people. And three weeks from now we will disperse--like bees moving on to start a new hive.

Meeting a Friend

This morning I met an old friend at Powell's Books, the greatest bookstore in Portland and the greatest bookstore I know. The friend was Margaret Lehman, and I hadn't seen her for probably 7 years, and then probably 20 years before that. She was a friend of mine during my last year of college and after. I was in my early 20's and she was around 40. Now I'm 53 and she's 70. We met in the coffee shop of Powell's. Her hair was white, but I still recognized her right away. Powell's was a bit hectic, so we went to another coffee place. She told me about her life, I told her about mine. There was a good deal of warmth between us. Margaret is one of a kind. As we were leaving the shop, she pointed out her car to me--a bright yellow Porsche. Good for you, Margaret, in more ways than I can say here.

APIS--Papering the House

Papering the house means giving away lots of tickets for free. Apis will play only four nights--March 13 & 14 and March 20 & 21st. Each of the cast members has a night when he or she can offer complimentary tickets to as many guests as he or she wishes. My night is Friday, March 20th. Here is information about the show:


APIS, or The Taste of Honey
Opera Beyond Words
March 13 - March 21
All Seats $10, Fri/Sat 8PM
Click here for tickets

Artistic Co-Director Jerry Mouawad stages play without words that fuses a military prison with the world of the honey bee. Rated ‘R’ for mature audiences.

Work

I worked online yesterday for eight hours rating TOEFL essays. Prior to that I had only done four hour shifts, which I learned are far more suitable for that kind of work. At 6 pm I closed my folder and logged off, after which I realized I was supposed to work until 6:30. So I logged back in and completed the final half hour. The online work is convenient but can be tortuous!

The Wrestler

Steve and I went to see The Wrestler tonight. We saw it at Cinema 21, a great old Portland theater. I am a fan of the director, Darren Aronofsky, who also did Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain. Each of his films are very different from the others, but he does have some trademark characteristics. As Sasha Krane would say, his films end with question marks rather than exclamation points. The Wrestler is no exception. I thought Mickey Rourke did an excellent job as did Marisa Tomei. I liked both of them more than ever. There is a scene with Mickey Rourke and his daughter in which he cries. Later she takes hold of his arm to show him that she will give him another chance. For me the latter moment was more moving somehow.

Bees

The director of Apis told us that the title means "bee" in Latin, and that the behavior and life cycle of bees are the foundation of the play. It all makes sense: A group of men, who inhabit a cell overseen by a single woman, escape each day and return at night with hordes of money. That's how the play was described in the audition notices. Change "men" to "drones," "single woman" to "queen bee," and "money" to"honey" and you have it. Since I'm playing a prison warden, I guess that makes me a sort of chief beekeeper. Will knowledge of this underlying schema make the play more comprehensible to audiences? I hope not!

A Quote

"It's never too late to be who you might have been." --George Eliot

I came across this quote yesterday on the desktop of Thea's computer. It's my new life philosophy!

Sunday and Monday

I had a very full Sunday yesterday. To begin with, I worked out for about an hour at the gym. Then I met Jon for coffee at Trew Brew. I secretly invited our mutual friend Rob J, who showed up as a suprise guest. Next, I went to Thea's house and did something for her on her computer while she was at her Estonian choir rehearsal. When she got home, we and her mother went to dinner at the Bombay Cricket Club over on Hawthorne St. It is a very good restaurant. I'd been craving Indian food ever since seeing Slumdog Millionaire. I suspect that Indian restauranteurs are grateful for that movie. After dinner, I headed out to my parents' house to spend the night and help them with some things this morning. My mom forgot to tell me that they both had doctors appointments today, so I am here alone at the moment. Rehearsal tonight will be four hours. I'm going to stop by Goodwill on my way home to look for intersting suits that I might wear in the show.

One Week Down

One week of rehearsals is already finished and I'm still in--looks like it's a go. Next week we will rehearse 4 hours every evening. I haven't kept a regular schedule like this for some time--It's definitely an adjustment. But one I make very willingly. Can't wait to see what's in store next week.

Trial Week Countdown

Apis Rehearsal #4 today. Trial week is nearly over. It still seems to be going well, but I'm at a point where I want to feel it more. But it will come. After rehearsal, met Steve at the Doug Fir for a little birthday commemoration. The bartender forgot to turn in my order for Spinach and Artichoke dip, so she comped it. The Doug Fir is a cool place. It is part of the Jupiter Motel, which used to be a really sleazy east Burnside motel by some other name.

For Lisa

It's 12:20 a.m. & the early hours of February 5th. I'm writing this for my sister Lisa because she wrote me that she gets mad if I don't write something every day! We've had 3 rehearsals for Apis, and I think they are going pretty well. I like the energy of the group a lot, and am happy to be participating. It's definitely a different process than I'm used--very choreographic--but I'm enjoying it. By the way, it's my birthday now, since it's after midnight. Thanks Becky for the Birthday wishes on Facebook.

Rehearsals

Tonight was the second rehearsal for Apis. So far, it has been considerably less strenuous than I anticipated--at least for me. I am playing a kind of head prison guard or warden, and my fellow guard and I have far less gymnastic roles than the group of souls who inhabit our prison. It is all very interesting, very choreographed, and I am enjoying the experience.

Trial Week

Rehearsals for APIS begin next Monday. We will be rehearsing 3 hours a day, from 6-9 pm. I should mention that the first week is considered a trial week, during which actors may choose to drop out of the production with impunity, if they feel they are unable or unwilling to continue. The director also reserves the right to remove someone from the cast if he feels the person is "not right for the show due to certain conflicts." Yikes!

Big Easy

I booked my tickets last night for a trip to New Orleans. I'm going there the last week of March in order to attend the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. This will be my first visit to the Big Easy. My friend Steve, who has been there once before, will be accompanying me. The timing is perfect. It will be just after Apis closes at Imago, and I'm sure I will be primed for a cool mint julep. By the way, our round trip tickets were only $162.00 each, so I decided to save my frequent flier miles for a more costly journey.

Movies and More

Today, I went with my brother David and his daughters to an event at their pre-school called "Doughnuts and Dudes." I was filling-in as a dude, since my brother couldn't be in two rooms at the same time. I thought perhaps the event should have been called, "Letting Children See Their Fathers Behave Awkwardly," as the other dudes looked somewhat uncomfortable, and none of them (us) interacted with one another. The kids were excited though.

Over the weekend, I saw two films: Revolutionary Road, and Slumdog Millionaire. I'm sorry to say that I didn't like Revolutionary Road at all, although I tend to like both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett. The period stuff all looked realistic enough, but I just didn't belive much else about this film, including the characters, the relationships, and the motivations. On the other hand, I loved Slumdog Millionaire, even though it's a most implausible story. Partly I think it was the movie's freshness, including fresh faces, that appealed to me.

Friends for Breakfast

I met my friends Jon and Jill for breakfast this morning at the Bijou Cafe in Portland. Both Jon and Jill used to work together there. Jill and I used to work together at the Virginia Cafe. Jon and I have been steady friends since we met more than 25 years ago. For Jill and me, there was a gap of several years where we weren't in touch. When I moved back to the U.S. I got in touch with her. She was living in Berkeley, CA & I was moving to L.A. In certain senses, it was as if the gap in time never existed and we picked up where we left off. It was great to see both Jon and Jill. Jill was in Portland to commemorate her 50th birthday. I gave her 2 Sandman pillowcases as a present.

Sandman

Getting ready to leave Astoria. I had an excellent fish and chips dinner last night at the Silver Salmon Grill over on Commercial St. Then I headed up to the Fort George Brewery to catch the Sandman show. The brewery is nice, hip, and has great beer. It was great to see Sandman's live act too. As I once wrote, his is a unique artistry. He is also an accomplished entertainer. I remember reading something about him where the writer was comparing him to Woody Guthrie. I got that same feeling seeing him in person. Got me 5 Sandman pillowcases--2 are for me and 3 are for gifts. I also enjoyed the 1st act, Woke up Wrong. Their first few songs reminded me of Greg Sage and the Wipers. They seemed pleased when I told them this, as they were familiar with the Wipers' music.

Astoria

At the Rivershore Motel in Astoria. It's a fine place! Goin' to see Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy tonight at the Fort George Brewery.