last evening...

turned out to be pretty good. Decided to see play at Clubbed Thumb since it had a performance last night--and wanted to see it and free some time up later in the week. This was a good idea. Although it was Tuesday, and the Taste of Bushwick might have kept some downtowners  away, saw a lot of people that I knew. Laurena from ERS, with whom I had had a good discussion with, after Sibyl's play last September. A wonderful young actress named Layla who is in Men In Boats which started off at Clubbed Thumb, and is returning later in the summer to Playwrights Horizons (probably won't see it---prices are too high)--Ryan, who is an actor and a good friend of Chris, who teaches English at Friends. Entered the theater only to find that first two rows were reserved for ERS---talk about Downtown Theater Royalty--later after the play said hi to Mike, a really nice member who has been very nice to me when he sees me at plays.
     Play itself had a lot going for it---a very sharp vision---good wit, moved almost relentlessly between intense bitterness and humor---very moving at the end. At times it seemed the playwright was in love with her own ability to move so quickly from sarcasm to rage, but all in all, a nice original piece. Really well acted: my friend Nick C, whom I did not get to say hello to after the play, was terrific as the foil for two really talented women actresses. One, Annie MacNamara, showed incredible range in the role that she played.Left feeling very up beat, hunger crept in and had a pepironi slice at Two Boots, then headed west on Houston, only to bump into Riley, a really nice kid who graduated from Friends last year, and whom I really go to know well during his four years there. We talked about adjustment to college, what was going on at Friends, and he was going to a stand up session at Two Boots auditorium, around the corner from the pizza place.
Really good to talk to him; hope I run into him again this summer before he heads back to Reed in Oregon, where he will be a sophomore next year.
    That's it---got home feeling very good, glad that I had decided to spend the money on the play, which set up all the contact that I received. Slept well (for me) last night and moved into today feeling very upbeat. Not sure yet about the evening---have been invited back to Lansdowne Road to "cavort" with the twins (that actually means that they will visit me at the bar when they take a break from serving) but may opt for something else instead, or in addition (remember, you can stay out as late as you wish now, cityboy---no limits)--there is what looks like a meaningful documentary tonight as part of the Human Rights festival---might see that. Anyway, will report on all this tomorrow...