Dinner/Par-tay Part Deux

Last night I got to have dinner with my friends Ange & Gary. I've only gotten to see them a couple of times during my stay here in Philadelphia, but I'm at least grateful that I got to see them as much as I have. Gary came over and picked me up after the show, and we scurried back to their apartment in Northern Liberties for sumptuous meal prepared by the lovely Ange.

I managed to forget to haul out the digital camera to capture the experience, even though I'd brought it along for just that purpose. The damnable thing ended up in my coat pocket through dinner. I wish I would have captured their apartment for you... it's really quite nice. Not huge, but nicely organized, and featuring a really cool sleeping loft - one that's much bigger than the usual shelf-like ledge that landlords like to call a sleeping loft.

Anyway, after dinner, we piled into their car and headed over to Aaron Posner's house for a cast party. I expected it to be in full swing by the time I got there, but as it turns out, it was still a small, intimate gathering. Most of the cast had not yet arrived, so after introducing Gary and Ange around, we got down to the business of relaxing.

Here's a picture of Gary & Ange together, first of all. This photo is a little doctored, since I didn't have a picture where they both managed to get their eyes open. Gary's face comes courtesy of a photo I snapped right before this one. So if they look weird at all, it's totally my fault. Aren't they a cute couple? Ange was the wardrobe person at The City Theatre in Pittsburgh for many years, and Gary is a stand-up comedian. Now they're both biding time and saving money in Philly before making the move to New York. One of my big regrets is that I missed several opportunities to see Gary's routine when he was still in Pittsburgh, and now I'm gonna have to pay, like, $75 a ticket to see him when he's famous. Anyway, thanks for the dinner, guys!

This next one isn't the greatest picture in the world, but I had to go with what I got. This is one of my less disastrous attempts to get Kate Norris to sit still for a picture. That's her in the far left. In the foreground is a local Philadelphia actor named Matt Pfieffer, and to his right is, of course, Youssef Kerkour, my other roommate at actor housing. We're far enough along in the process that the honeymoon is over as far as the roommates goes, but I must say that I still love living with these guys. I'm going to miss them when it's all over. I wish the show could run another eight weeks, and believe me when I tell you, I don't always feel that way. In fact, I don't often feel that way. This has been a pretty rare experience. The entire cast has been universally wonderful - that rare combination of talent and kindness.

The party was cool in that it wasn't too loud - very low key. Mostly just folks wandering around, joining and leaving small group conversations. Nice music playing in the background but not distracting from what was going on.

It seems odd that we're in the last week of the show... and even weirder that I don't have anything lined up for quite a while. Just my time in New York City. This experience has been odd in that, even though we're in our last week, I'm not tired of doing this show yet. Coming to work every day has been a real joy, and the people I work with are incredibly talented. There are those rare occasions when I think some of us are too talented... actors who know how far they can push the envelope when being a little self-indulgent often do, just because they know they aren't going to get too self-indulgent, and sometimes it slips over. I heard that one night this week we added three minutes to the show on a night when we actually got less laughter. I have to admit to being a good one for that... I'm a big ol' ham at heart, I guess.

One last picture. Here's the first picture I think I've managed to snap of Ian and Karen Peakes when they were both in the same place. Ian, as you know, got rave reviews as "Picasso" in the play, and Karen is a local actress. She's the one who sold me my cool suede pimp hat - which I've yet to've snapped a photo of. I'm waiting 'til I get rid of the damn mustache and long Einstein hair. Aren't they a cute couple? They have the greatest stories about going to Scotland to get married. I was also lucky enough during the run to meet Ian's father John Peakes, who runs The BoarsHead Theater in Lansing. He gave me a great deal of grief over my desire to move to New York City... or, as he calls it, "New York Shitty." Ian claims he was kidding - I'm not so sure. Thankfully, I don't have stars in my eyes as far as the city is concerned. I don't doubt for a moment that it's a monster that will chew me a new asshole and spit me out, but the difference, for me, I think, is that I know that going in, and I'm prepared to deal with it. Peggy Sawyer, I ain't. (And if you got that reference, you get extra points).