Monday, July 30, 2007

late Saturday and Sunday

Saturday afternoon---leave South 4th Street Cafe, take a long walk to Graham and Metropolitan---the sun beats down mercilessly. What to do next? Want to stay in Williamsburg, but hot and sweaty---getting tired, can't walk forever, if I eat and then go to my baseball bar, I will still be sweaty as hell. Finally decide to return home--get on L train into Manhattan. Relax at home, visit 119 and Bobby for a while in the evening, not too crowded, relax, prepare for tomorrow's trip.

Sunday---day of Memorial for Lloyd Richards, head of Playwright's Conference (atleast artistic head) for many years. A little ambivalent about going, but leave early, make a 7:00 Metro train, then the Amtrak to New London. Meet actress Lori Chin on the train, don't know her but we are both going to O'Neill, so we have no trouble talking to each other.
At the O'Neill, many old friends, faces, nice, enjoy my status as Bob Landau Reader for the O'Neill---everybody's friend. Memorial begins, many tributes to Lloyd, a man who knew me but was unresponsive to me as an "artist---director" had to deal with that--as I get older it is easier to understand how one can be liked by certain people, and considered dispensable by others. Feel a little annoyed as Lloyd's "in people" do tributes, but realize that there being here means I can share a lot---memories particularly, with people I havn't seen in a long time. In a way, it all adds up to a collage of my twenty seven years of being part of the O'Neill---maybe it is really about the memories of conversations and interactions that flow back at me as I watch the proceedings.
Dominick Chianese offers me a lift home. I have known him for many years, interacted with him before his success as Uncle Junior. Surprised at how open he is--myself, Carl C, and Marilyn Stasio go back to New York in his van, good time, good conversation, Dominick's first job was with a Gilbert and Sullivan group that performed on the upper east side, (then pretty trashy, actually) The group played at a Church on 74th St. and 1st, I remember crossing the EL at third avenue (it was up then) and often seeing drunks lying on the ground in the mid afternoon as we walked east on 74th Street. Probably was a working class area then.
Dominick invites us to his "neighborhood hangout" aka Elaine's, a place I thought I would never go into. We go in, chat have fun, shake hands with Elaine, who is very fond of Dominick. Dominick very open and responsive and gracious to people who come over or fans. For all my feelings as a person who saw Elaine's as a place for the rich and pretentious, must admit I come away feeling exhilirated--as if I have crossed over into a new place.

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