You're moving! Oh happy day, and I mean this, as I am a catastrophizer and thus immediately went to work catastrophizing. Which I shall stop doing immediately with no further words.
Such a great piece about being struck by something nobody else probably remembers with such clarity or affection. Mine was seeing Leonard Bernstein in one of the Concerts he did for children, which began my love of classical music, just as he had intended. How lucky we were to have had access to such treasures.
Even though I have your blessing to go ahead and do so, I will never, EVER be able write "I'd've." Same with would've, could've, should've. My iPhone seems to think all of these are acceptable when I am dictating something, and I find myself having to go over my messages and perform grammatical surgery before I hit "Send." Otherwise my inner schoolmarm will slap my wrist.
More Judy Garland! What an incredibly talented person she was.
Meet Me in St. Louis-era Judy Garland looked like my mother (or vice versa). When I was in high school, the school literary magazine had a fundraiser where they would make buttons from pictures they gathered somehow. I have no idea why they had a publicity still of redheaded Judy Garland from that time, but they did, so I had one made for my mother. When she wore it, people assumed it was a picture of her from her younger years, not a picture of Judy Garland.
Lots of cylinders firing in this one — The Last of Sheila! A nod to split infinitives! — though my engine knocked on "whomst" and "every telephone call isn't." Still, I heartily second your slim-as-you-go advice on life's accumulations. Mid-pamdemic I suddenly had 30 days, date certain, to sift through our old place, a countryside pile (ten and three-half baths) that held the stuff of 40 years of life, work, and travel. If it's at all possible, avoid the blood, sweat and giant roll-off dumpster.
And that was right after the legendary Richard Foreman staging of The Threepenny Opera at Lincoln Center, which I also saw and reveled in. (Did you see that too?)
(I have to check. I think that my sister or my nephew has custody of both my Cherry Orchard and Threepenny posters. I hope they didn’t just get discarded.)
I'm hoping that you can answer a question about something I have wondered about since 1977.
I saw that production of the Cherry Orchard, and at one point Raul Julia was waving his arms during a speech and he appeared to accidentally fling the small item he was holding into the third row of the audience. He then exclaimed "Oh! it went into the river! I think I see it!" and proceeded to hang off the stage and thrust his hand into the audience. The delighted audience members passed the item up to him, whereupon he exclaimed again "There it is! I have it!", and got up and proceeded with the rest of the play.
I have wondered for all these years whether it really was an accident, or a fun bit of audience participation that they threw in for a lark. My question: Did this happen when you saw it?
(Of course, we might have been at the same matinee....)
I'd like to think that if I'd witnessed such a thing I'd have remembered it, so perhaps it was, simply, an accident that the great R.J. repaired as best he could. I remember lots of little (and larger) details of that production, from Meryl's pratfalling faint at the beginning to, of course, Irene Worth's legendary (there's that word again) circling of the stage before her final exit. I've seen the play a number of times since, including Peter Brook's production, which I saw both in Paris and in Brooklyn, but that first one is, for me, unsurpassable.
Best of luck with your move. I’m in the middle of painting my condo and have experienced the going through everything and throwing most everything out, as well as moving heavy furniture around. I am traumatized and my cat is traumatized. I’m hoping Sallie is not traumatized. Are you staying in the city?
We are moving far, far away. (More details when we get there.) Sallie has already been to our new home and likes it very much! And thank you! And I hope that your trauma passes quickly!
Thanks for x' trick. A question off-topic. I've finally found a word — two words — that address fundamental rights without focusing on"abortion" and"reproductive freedom." But it appears as "bodily autonomy" and as "body autonomy." I prefer body autonomy because it is easier to say and emphasizes both "body" and "autonomy." "Bodily" becomes a weaker word in "bodily autonomy." Your thoughts on this?
Noting that "bodily autonomy" is the vastly more used of the two phrases, I do like the crisp directness of "body autonomy," with "body" being more The Thing rather than, as with "bodily," the description of The Thing. You will certainly not be alone if you opt for "body autonomy," and perhaps you'll inspire more people to use it too.
Notable experiences in watching live theatre: for me it happened at the Aldwych theatre in London, where I bought one of the last SRO tickets to watch Tom Stoppard's Travesties. We standlings developed such camaraderie during the performance, chatting and riffing on lines from the play, during the interval. John Wood played Henry Carr, and John Hurt was a manic Tristan Tzara. I would stand through any Stoppard play, but Gravestones was exceptional.
You're moving! Oh happy day, and I mean this, as I am a catastrophizer and thus immediately went to work catastrophizing. Which I shall stop doing immediately with no further words.
Thank you. It’s all going just fine (for a hugely traumatic undertaking).
Yes, I realized right before I posted the piece that if I didn’t say I was moving people would think I was either getting a divorce or, y’know, dying.
Neither of which is the case, though either might be less stressful than moving, to be honest.
My mind went to similar places for similar reasons, so I was grateful for footnote 4.
Whew, I’m glad I could avert at least some panic!
Such a great piece about being struck by something nobody else probably remembers with such clarity or affection. Mine was seeing Leonard Bernstein in one of the Concerts he did for children, which began my love of classical music, just as he had intended. How lucky we were to have had access to such treasures.
Thank you for liking the piece!
Yes, these odd little treasures we carry around with us all our lives. (And I don’t mean the lobby card.)
Well, I don't NOT mean the lobby card too.
Dreyer at his best
Dreyer unleashed and virtually un-self-edited!
Thank you, dear David.
I moved six months ago and, yes, no more needs to be said. Always enjoy spending time with you here. And Sallie!
Thank you, Marisa!
(Sallie is very excited about the move!)
❤️
The purging feels good for your move .
Also , I just finished Elizabeth Stout’s new book - Tell me everything
I loved it and I was very happy to see your name and her gratitude for you as we all are here .
Isn’t it wonderful?
I had a marvelous time working on it—as I always do when I get to work with Liz—and I’m glad it’s out there in the world being loved! Yay!
It is wonderful.
It’s very cool what you do .
Even though I have your blessing to go ahead and do so, I will never, EVER be able write "I'd've." Same with would've, could've, should've. My iPhone seems to think all of these are acceptable when I am dictating something, and I find myself having to go over my messages and perform grammatical surgery before I hit "Send." Otherwise my inner schoolmarm will slap my wrist.
x'word is genius.
🙏🏻
I love the quotes from Meet Me In St. Louis (Gene's favorite movie musical). xxx
The entire script is absurdly quotable. I mean, I didn’t even have room for “And it only takes one,” to say nothing of “I SAID, THERE’LL BE H TO PAY.”
That’s lovely that it was Gene’s favorite movie musical. It’s awfully good.
But you know what my favorite movie musical is? (Maybe I’ve told you this before.) Summer Stock!
More Judy Garland! What an incredibly talented person she was.
Meet Me in St. Louis-era Judy Garland looked like my mother (or vice versa). When I was in high school, the school literary magazine had a fundraiser where they would make buttons from pictures they gathered somehow. I have no idea why they had a publicity still of redheaded Judy Garland from that time, but they did, so I had one made for my mother. When she wore it, people assumed it was a picture of her from her younger years, not a picture of Judy Garland.
Lots of cylinders firing in this one — The Last of Sheila! A nod to split infinitives! — though my engine knocked on "whomst" and "every telephone call isn't." Still, I heartily second your slim-as-you-go advice on life's accumulations. Mid-pamdemic I suddenly had 30 days, date certain, to sift through our old place, a countryside pile (ten and three-half baths) that held the stuff of 40 years of life, work, and travel. If it's at all possible, avoid the blood, sweat and giant roll-off dumpster.
A bit of Googling discovers several recordings of Sorry, Wrong Number (1948 from the series Suspense, and a 1950 production from Lux Radio Theater.
During the pandemic, I watched an adaptation by the Keen Company over YouTube, starring Marsha Mason: https://twi-ny.com/2021/02/14/sorry-wrong-number/
Unfortunately, it's not currently available.
Serban’s Cherry Orchard was indeed legendary. (I was there too.)
And that was right after the legendary Richard Foreman staging of The Threepenny Opera at Lincoln Center, which I also saw and reveled in. (Did you see that too?)
Alas, I didn’t. But I had the poster!
I did too!
(I have to check. I think that my sister or my nephew has custody of both my Cherry Orchard and Threepenny posters. I hope they didn’t just get discarded.)
(Discarded by me, that is.)
(And we now think we know where they are.)
(Whew.)
I'm hoping that you can answer a question about something I have wondered about since 1977.
I saw that production of the Cherry Orchard, and at one point Raul Julia was waving his arms during a speech and he appeared to accidentally fling the small item he was holding into the third row of the audience. He then exclaimed "Oh! it went into the river! I think I see it!" and proceeded to hang off the stage and thrust his hand into the audience. The delighted audience members passed the item up to him, whereupon he exclaimed again "There it is! I have it!", and got up and proceeded with the rest of the play.
I have wondered for all these years whether it really was an accident, or a fun bit of audience participation that they threw in for a lark. My question: Did this happen when you saw it?
(Of course, we might have been at the same matinee....)
p.s. good luck with the move!
I'd like to think that if I'd witnessed such a thing I'd have remembered it, so perhaps it was, simply, an accident that the great R.J. repaired as best he could. I remember lots of little (and larger) details of that production, from Meryl's pratfalling faint at the beginning to, of course, Irene Worth's legendary (there's that word again) circling of the stage before her final exit. I've seen the play a number of times since, including Peter Brook's production, which I saw both in Paris and in Brooklyn, but that first one is, for me, unsurpassable.
And thank you!
Best of luck with your move. I’m in the middle of painting my condo and have experienced the going through everything and throwing most everything out, as well as moving heavy furniture around. I am traumatized and my cat is traumatized. I’m hoping Sallie is not traumatized. Are you staying in the city?
We are moving far, far away. (More details when we get there.) Sallie has already been to our new home and likes it very much! And thank you! And I hope that your trauma passes quickly!
Looking forward to hearing all about your new home.
Thanks for x' trick. A question off-topic. I've finally found a word — two words — that address fundamental rights without focusing on"abortion" and"reproductive freedom." But it appears as "bodily autonomy" and as "body autonomy." I prefer body autonomy because it is easier to say and emphasizes both "body" and "autonomy." "Bodily" becomes a weaker word in "bodily autonomy." Your thoughts on this?
Noting that "bodily autonomy" is the vastly more used of the two phrases, I do like the crisp directness of "body autonomy," with "body" being more The Thing rather than, as with "bodily," the description of The Thing. You will certainly not be alone if you opt for "body autonomy," and perhaps you'll inspire more people to use it too.
Notable experiences in watching live theatre: for me it happened at the Aldwych theatre in London, where I bought one of the last SRO tickets to watch Tom Stoppard's Travesties. We standlings developed such camaraderie during the performance, chatting and riffing on lines from the play, during the interval. John Wood played Henry Carr, and John Hurt was a manic Tristan Tzara. I would stand through any Stoppard play, but Gravestones was exceptional.
I have been autocorrected. It's Travesties, not Gravestones. Good lord.
Yes, somehow I thought I'd missed a beat. Thank you for clarifying.
I found this soothing as well, thank you. And best of luck with the purge.