Pink Eye

Sometimes I feel like those guys on Hee Hawwho sing, "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

I've got fucking viral conjunctivitis. In other words, I've got Pink Eye! And I learned, much to my chagrin, that there are several different types of conjunctivitis, and I've got the kind that you can't treat; you just have to let it run its course. Yea me!

The review for Father Figures appeared in today's paper, so hopefully that'll mean that tons of people will see the review and come out to see us before we close tomorrow. This really was a quick turn around time... I'm not entirely sure I've done a full production of a show in two weeks since my days at Little Lake. Although I guess we have to count the five days in December that we rehearsed, so it's more like three weeks. Chris Rawson, the reviewer stayed after the show on opening night to congratulate me and tell me what a pleasure it was to see me on stage again, and to see my growth as an actor. I was, to say the least, a little taken aback! I've worked with Chris' wife Mary (in The Colonel Bird) and he's been reviewing me kindly for years, but he's never before stepped out from behind the typical critic's facade of trying not to be too effusive, or to become too terribly close to his subjects - which I've always appreciated. I guess now that I've left Pittsburgh he doesn't feel that need; or maybe I should just be grateful that he feels strongly enough about my performance that he feels he needs to tell me in person. In either case, I appreciate the kind words. I've been wondering how audiences were going to react to my character. I'm not in the least a convincing drag queen, and I've been worried that people would think of her as a joke - which is the last thing I wanted to happen. She's a really sad person who says a lot of funny things, but I want the audience to sympathize with her, not laugh at her.

Last night's audience started out as a "let's laugh at the silly drag queen" audience, which kinda depressed me. 'Course, by the end of the play, they were with me totally, I think, so that's good.

My brother Ron came to see the show last night. I was a little taken aback by that, too, and doubly sorry that I couldn't hang out with him because we were having a photo call after the show. It was very informal, with a bunch of us snapping with our own cameras. I got close to twenty shots with mine, and though I was shooting in available light with no flash, many of them turned out really well.

I actually took a lot of pretty good shots, in my humble opinion! I didn't get as many of the first act as I think I'd have liked, since my camera filled up quickly... it only supposedly holds 12 shots at highest quality and resolution levels, but for some reason I managed to squeeze 20 out. And the photo shoot for the second act is going to be before the show tomorrow.

I've got a pretty full day planned out tomorrow. I've got to do some laundry tonight and get myself packed in the morning, then go off to do the show, after which I've got to find a chance to audition for Andrew Paul, the artistic director of Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theater - he saw the show on opening night, and approached me about auditioning for She Stoops to Conquer and Brian Freil's Aristocrats. I'm guessing that the whole pulling-out-of-Seagull-to-do-Pavilion thing has been forgiven.

Here's an awful photograph of me in drag: This is the reason I'm dealing with the "lets's laugh at the funny drag queen" audiences. Look, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a funny looking woman, but I was hoping I might read more sympathetically sooner in the play. I know they're really feeling for me by the end, but I'm getting laughed at when I make my first entrance, so I'm a little disappointed.

Well, I'm off to go over to the theater, and see if I can't get in and stretch out on a sofa for a while. I need to put a cold towel on my eyes to try to bring down the swelling. Pink eye. Can you believe this shit?!?