On

So, life is settled, a bit.

The show is over, lots of things are over, some happiness is over. Some sadness, too.

I'm still hot on the trail of a new job, and while that path has chilled a bit, I remain optimistic. And the weather is gorgeous lately, so there's that.

And.....by tomorrow, I expect to be me again.

Just sayin'.

Wondering....

I don't consider myself monumentally moody.....so I wonder what it is in me that, occasionally, just lands face down in the blues....unable to breathe, unable to move, unable to do much except wonder what to do about being face down in the blues.

And, after contemplating it, I usually conclude that the only thing to be done is to wallow.

So. That said:

I feel just fine today. Music and laughter and sweet ice cream.

My dad, continued.....

So, my father was a biker and a curious mind and a guy with more juice at 70 than most people have at 25....which is why he was riding his motorcycle in Kentucky one fine summer day.

Two-lane country road; he was travelling with a bunch of friends, doing maybe 50 MPH. Coming the other direction was an older guy and his wife riding their bike. The older guy was waving and smiling at all the guys in my dad's caravan, and never actually looked up to see that there was a truck stopped in the road in front of him.

The guy slammed into the truck and his motorcycle flipped in front of my dad's. Those who saw it say my dad never had a moment to react -- he never even touched his brakes. The bikes slammed together, and my dad went flying. At 50 MPH.

Good thing he was wearing his helmet, or he'da undoubtedly been killed. As it was, he broke his left wrist in three places, and broke his collarbone...and most damaging, he basically shattered his pelvis. When I saw him in the hospital E.R. (before they had done anything except dose him with morphine for the pain), he was pretty broken up.....besides the inhuman angle of his legs and left arm, he was covered with cuts and scrapes and blood.

First words out of his mouth when he saw me? "Hey, Ted! Good to see you. How're you doing?"

How am I doing.

Anyway....he underwent many operations; spent some time in a wheelchair, and then almost a year with a walker, then a tripod cane. Didn't slow him down nearly as much as you might think, though....and I never, not once, heard him complain about the pain or the inconvenience of it all. 'bout the only thing he would occasionally mutter is that he wished his left foot worked better, so he could use the shifter on the new motorcycle he intended to get.

Hard guy to keep down; and a couple of broken bones sure wasn't going to do it.

When he developed bone cancer in his pelvis, though, that was a different story.......

Broken

Mackenzie didn't come home last night. My 15-year-old daughter didn't think she could face being at home with her mother, so she stayed at a friend's house.

I don't know why their relationship has to be so bad. It seems that neither one of them can budge when they are convinced they are right -- and they are always convinced they are right.

Mackenzie and I are having dinner together tonight, just the two of us. I have no idea if I can make her see that yes, Mom screwed up....but yes, Mackenzie screwed up, too. I want her to come home tonight, but she might still need another day away (which I, in some ways, understand).

It's all breaking my heart.

On the other hand....

Don't have teenage daughters.

Consider yourself warned.......

Cast

The other thing that was most pleasant about the show was how well the cast interacted with each other and with me. Genuinely nice people, who (almost) always utilized their talent to the betterment of the show (and not for their own personal aggrandizement). I liked them. I liked them a lot.

They liked each other.

Such an easy concept to say, but one so rarely encountered when dealing with performer's egos.

I'd like to think I had a bit to do with it (I tried my hardest to make the whole rehearsal process as stress-free as possible), but mostly it's simply a result of being lucky enough to have a talented cast who gets it.

I miss them already.

Last week was a very bluesy week for me, with the show's ending. I don't usually get too too sentimental over show's end -- in fact, I usually love the "clean, blank slate" of looking ahead to the next show -- but this one I'll miss for a bit.

Man

So much to catch up on......

Let's start with the show. Most theatres struggle financially, and consider any show that breaks even to be an unqualified financial success. My show cleared $5,000.....not exactly a king's ransomly sum, but not hay, either. So....frankly, by every conceivable measure (audience reaction; actor/diva satisfaction; reviews; box office.....) the show succeeded.

That makes me happy.

The thing that makes me most happy, of course, is how well the show itself actually worked. Directing can be an unusual experience, in that you never exactly get the immediate (or post-immediate) feedback that actors get. Rarely does anyone recognize the work required to make the show itself seem and feel effortless. That said, there were a kabillion moments in this show that were mine and mine alone, and they (almost) all worked, and were received grandly. Hearing the audience laugh or react aurally (and visually (and viscerally)) to your idea is every bit as satisfying for the director sitting in the back of the theatre as it is for the actor languishing in it.

Sooooo.....I know that sounded and felt like bragging (probably, um, because it pretty much was), but I wanted to report on my feelings.

So......

The show opened last weekend. I have a lot of stories about it -- and I'll try to post (at least some of) 'em within the next few days....

....but the bottom line is this: it opened to raves, standing ovations, and sparkling reviews. Not a bad thing, that. Not a bad thing at all....

I'm exhausted, but cloud-9'ing, all at once.