Yesterday morning was rehearsal for Boys, my first rehearsal in awhile, and I had been hearing about the tensions and the problems and I was not looking forward to it.

I picked up Omar on the way over, since I get the bus right in front of his building. He had had a dream about me just that night, that he was supposed to paint some flats for me and he was looking for just the exact right shade of black, and he wasn't doing it and wasn't doing it and we got into this fight about painting and paint cans. I had dreamt about him the night before that, something about going on vacation together. I like my dream better.

We got to rehearsal and the first thing that we were told was that the one actor that I could not fucking stand, and the worst culprit in this cast's appalling habit of directing each other, had dropped out of the play at 1a the night before. Alle-fucking-lleuia!! This was the dope who decided that his character didn't like my character even though that was not even remotely supported in the text, and he wasn't giving me anything at the beginning when I'm yelling at him to stay away from me. I may regret saying this, but anybody would be better than that stiff.

So I was in a happy mood of happiness, and then we worked the beginning four or five times, blocking Omar in to the scene. That Man stepped into the role that That idiot Actor had played, and he gave me a lot in the scene. Then you know what he did? He gave me a direction, and I took it, and it made the scene better! You could have knocked me over with a feather! I seem to see a light at the end of the tunnel, this show might be better than I thought it would be.

I also, brought up at last the fact that I will be bottomless in this show. I said that next rehearsal (I've been rehearsing with jeans thus far) I'd wear a skirt, but keep my underwear on, since I don't want to startle the boys too early, and then Dwayne said, "When is the rehearsal without your underwear?" but he was saying it like it was a joke, so I said to him that I would not, in fact, be wearing underwear in this show. He was big-eyed and silent.

I left after that, and That Man had to let me out the front door, so I thought I'd bring it up to him.

"You do realize that I won't be wearing underwear, right?"
"I want you to do whatever you feel comfortable doing."
"It doesn't much matter to me what the audience sees or does not see, I just think that it's very very important that it not look like I'm hiding anything, or being coy."
"Whatever you feel comfortable doing is fine with me."

So there we have it! The great I'm-not-wearing-underwear-in-this-play battle ended not with a bang, but with a whimper. The banging happens in the play. Frankly I'm more worried about what shoes I'm going to wear.

Then I went to see Vanya at BAM.

Actually, though, since I didn't have to be there until 3p, I hacked around a little first--I glanced in at L'Occitaine, bought myself an amazing smelling candle (comfit scented), and a bar of soap for Omar. It was on sale, it was one of his favourite scents, and I don't need any more damn soap in my apartment but since I cannot stop myself from buying bars of soap, buying them to give away is the perfect solution!

Then I took the bus downtown forty blocks or so, which was slow as hell and there was tons of traffic, jumped off and had a leisurely lunch, took the subway down to Brooklyn, and was still an hour and a half early. I killed some more time in McDonald's, nursing a sundae until the theatre lobby area was open, then sat there and read until it was time for the show to start.

I rather liked the mental picture of reading US magazine with Britney Spears on the cover immediately before seeing a Chekhov play--I am versatile, baby.

The show was, all together now, spectacular.

It was fun to see the same actors from Twelfth Night again, "There's Orsino, there's Olivia, there's Feste!" and I liked the way that the love pairings were the same in both shows--Sonia and the doctor were played by the same actors as Viola and Orsino, Yelena and Vanya were played by the same actors who played Olivia and Malvolio, and of course the doctor is in love with Yelena as well, and the guy who played her husband also played Sir Andrew!

I also really saw why the plays were paired, because they both are about longing and unrequited love, but Twelfth Night is a comedy and all of the lovers get pairs up happily at the end, whereas Vanya is a tragedy and nobody ends up with the person that they want or happy in any way at all. It must be a real relief to do Twelfth Night after a few Vanyas in a row!

I saw Vanya a few years ago on Broadway with Derek Jacobi in the title role and Roger Rees as the doctor, and I loved it all but for the girl who played Sonia. Sonia is, of course, my role, though I'm too old for it. I live that character in my life, pretty much, like I live Josie in Moon For the Misbegotten, and that woman ruining it made me want to scream. She got a Tony nomination, too. Must have been a thin year in her category, is the only explanation for that travesty.

Anyway, Emily Watson was a glorious Sonia. She's too pretty for the role, but her face is unusual enough that you bought it, it wasn't like Michelle Pfeiffer was playing it, and the way she spoke and held herself, and wore her costumes to make herself look thick-wasted, she just broke my heart. Especially when Yelena, meaning to be kind, told her that she had beautiful hair. Because that's what you tell women who aren't pretty.

And Simon Russell Beale as Vanya, what a wonderful performance. There really wasn't a jot to choose between him and Derek Jacobi, whom I worship. The scene about selling the estate just blew my mind, the despair of it all.

My seat wasn't as good as my seat on Friday, though it was only a few rows farther back, it was also about four seats to the right, which made for a much more obstructed view than my Friday obstructed view seat. There are definitely grades in obstructed views. On the other hand, both seats were in the orchestra, as opposed to the loathsome galley, where the only way to be comfortable in your seat is if it is possible to remove your legs above the knee. It's not a matter of height, it's a matter of actually having knees.

After the show was over, I stepped outside the theatre, and it was snowing! Quite startling, though yes, I am aware that it is still winter, thank you very much.

I called Tracing and got directions to her house. Yes, that's house! I hadn't seen it yet, as I couldn't the weekend that Dawn was here, so this was my first viewing.

It was really great, if a trifle empty of furniture. But hey, you spend your money where you need to spend it, and buying the four story house is the first thing that you spend you money on, the second thing would be to put in sinks and remove ugly dropped ceilings, and only then do you start thinking about places to sit and lay down and so on.

We went out to dinner at this French place that had great steak frites and hashed out my life. It took some hours, of course, but she's been on vacation and there was a great deal to go over.

By the time we left, there was much more snow and it was starting to stick. It was weirdly sparkly, as though the snow was fake. It was a good day, a good weekend.

Today's horoscope:
It's hard to let go, but the situation demands it. There's strength in restraint and a kind of organization in how random events unfold. Others love what you do.

One year ago today:
If I do anything bizarre in the next couple of days, selling all of my belongings and moving to Portugal, start to eat only bananas, mushroom and fried liver, or begin worshipping a small can of creamed corn, you'll know it was the fault of the Mad Marimbist.

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