Another opening...another show...

In Philly, Boston, or Dublin, Eire...

With a full Irish breakfast in me, I feel MUCH better! Toward the end of yesterday, it was rather like being in a waking dream: on 30-plus hours or so without any meaningful sleep, all of us had a thousand-yard stare, laughed hysterically at the slightest provocation, and began to lose cognitive function. You know, when you're walking and the sidewalk seems to be moving a bit, or you look at a word and think: "wait...I know that word...what does an "E" look like?"

So we were there by mid-afternoon yesterday, when I showed up at the Teachers Club for our tech. From the front, the Teachers Club looks rather like any beautiful old Georgian building. When you get in, you go down a flight of stairs with MIND YOUR HEAD signs on the rather low ceiling, and into a small, lovely black box theatre. We waited in the hall for the South African company ahead of us to finish up their tech, and exchanged greetings as they left and we moved in.

There were sandwiches and other snacks waiting for us, and we caught up with each others' days as we ate. The group on the earlier flight had gotten to the hotel far too early to check in, and spent the morning wandering until it was time to tech the other two shows, which are at the Cobalt Club. I was told that there'd be a runthrough of those shows around 6, and Ryan Hilliard and Greg Homison (the director and half the cast of "Emily Breathes") came along with us to see if they could help before they had to head back. Ryan told the story of How He Got the Prayer Bench, which I have asked him to blog for us. (It involves Presbyterians and 30 euros).

Along with Paul Adams (Artistic Director) and Derek Jamison (Associate Artistic Director), we were also lucky enough to have Steven McElroy with us. Steven directed my own 'Rock the Line," for which he will always have a special place in my heart, and he's along as Brett's partner. Some vacation, huh Steve?

In the theatre, Mark Finley (my director) quickly placed the (minimal) set, and the actors went backstage to run lines. (It's a nice big dressing room).

As we (well, I mean the tech staff, it's not like I know anything about lightboards) waited for some news about the lights, Steven went up to the booth and said: this doesn't look too hard to figure out. And between Steven, Derek and Mark (Paul went to the other runthrough), they managed to do the light cues. Midway through, a lovely fellow named Graham from the festival turned up, and said that the board was kind of wonky and we'd done exactly the right thing. Though he's going to "have a word with" the fellow who usually runs the board this morning, and see if there is any way to program the cues, or we'll just have to set 'em up and run 'em ourselves ("our" being the royal we, of course).

Also in there, Naiorse (pardon my spelling) the TD turned up, and though she was in great pain from falling over a box she was carrying, she asked what we needed, and Graham had just come by, and she had found us a mic and stand at the Outhouse (a bar) which I am to pick up a little later today and return to the George on Saturday for the jazz show.

Festival Director Brian Merriman also turned up for a look-in, and welcomed us all, and had a word with us about what we can do to promote the show. it was kind of grand to be able to introduce him to Mark and Derek and Steven. It's one of those moments when you say: wow, I guess that idea I had two years ago about bringing a play to Ireland is actually going to happen...ready or not! (And with the help of thousands).

Mark proposed doing a cue-to-cue, once the lights were set, but then (actually, to our great relief), we were thrown out of the place. We set a time for the cue to cue today (1pm) and then a runthrough...and then we open at 8pm!

I had dinner reservations (!) for 8, so it all worked out. I brought Mark along with me back to the Clarence; like me, he's doing a little boundary blurring because we both work for the same company (he's in a different department, but a large part of his job is planning and executing events). So we were invited to dinner at the Tea Room, one of the finest restaurants in Dublin.

It was the perfect way to end the day: in comfy, elegant surroundings, presented with this choice or that of fresh local food, lovingly prepared. The menu has a "molecular gastronomy" bent, so we were presented with an amuse bouche of a shot of pea soup topped with foam, and a tiny ramekin of a blue cheese sort of pudding with nuts on top. Mmmm..

I started with the asparagus appetizer with a poached duck egg; Mark had the scallops. We both went for Beef Rossini as our main, and it was delightful, topped with a little piece of foie gras, surrounded by some kind of lovely reduction and wild mushrooms, on top of a potato/onion patty, with potatoes Dauphin as a side.

For dessert, I had a lovely concoction that was like a (very) alcoholic lemonade, and Mark had the chocolate sphere, which emerges from the kitchen as a...chocolate sphere, and which molten chocolate is poured over to reveal an even sweeter, more luscious center, accompanied by banoffee. (That's banana toffee, I informed Mark. How do you know that, he asked, and I realized it was because I was queried on it when I last edited the Ireland book. Probably for the Tea Room entry!)

Then they came round with a wooden box and I wondered if we were going to be presented with cigars, but no! It was handmade truffles! All but weeping, I selected a passionfruit and a pistachio. Mark had the strawberry and peanut butter.

Mark came up and checked his email, to find that the OTHER show he is directing, (Elizabeth Whitney's Anita Bryant piece) which had opened in New Orleans the night we were flying in, had made a great hit. He'll see it again next weekend at One Woman Standing. If you're in New York City, you should see it too!

And now I must be off, to blur some more boundaries and meet with the hotel folks and tell them how much I have enjoyed their place, and to get a microphone and stand, and see what else needs doing.

And, of course, having fun and enjoying the hell out of whatever life throws in my direction.