May 10, 2024

J at GMC said, “I listened to your podcast. You’re really SMART. I thought you were just another pretty face.”  

Unbelievable how many questions and quibbles gay men have when you announce “dress for the first act is black shirt, black pants, no bling.” W sighed heavy sighs at the prospect of not being able to “personalize” (which is to say, show off) in any vivid way until act II. Not one concert in 24 years has gone unmarred by his insistence on standing out, vocally or visibly. 

SS writes of opening night:

First act a little choppy. (Or so it felt. Watching the video, it looked far better than that.) Second act splendid. Overall: triumphant.Technical glitches, of course, but nothing of the slightest significance or anything the audience would have noticed. A couple of lines bobbled but no real problems, plus one excellent save. Not a single “fuck” or anything otherwise untoward. Unexpected, prolonged applause. After, I came out from backstage, some eight people, all unfamiliar to me, spontaneously offered the highest praise. J, who helped K with front-of-house, reported another person saying, “This is the best play I’ve ever seen in Asheville!”

Once again, only half a house tonight—but, hey, the same night of the run of Ben & Angela had half of that. And we’re sold out tomorrow night.

Very high hopes for the remainder of the run. And I had a note from Daniel Walton of Asheville Stages, after I’d sent him pics to run with his review, that indicated good reason to expect thoughtful praise. (He declares himself a trained violist and allowed as how the play had…resonance.)

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Wind blew over my tall irises. I don’t normally cut my flowers, but these I did to save them for a while. Most heavenly fragrance.