June 30, 2005
After four and a half days on the road, Sasha and Dexter finally arrived in Bloomfield at 4:00 this afternoon. Trish came along to help Sasha drive and keep both of them company, and she'll stay for a day or so before flying back to Austin. As soon as they arrived, Lori drove them into Manhattan so they meet up with me, see the theatre and have dinner. I was sure they would be too exhausted to come into town, which they were, but they wanted to come anyway. Still, the excitement was a bit disorienting for all. We met in front of the theatre on the sidewalk, which was busy and teeming with tourist and showgoers. Dexter barely recognized his own dad, and Sasha greeted me as though she wasn't too sure who I was, either! They was tired, indeed.
I'm sure that tomorrow and the next day my brood will grow more comfortable with their surroundings. Unfortunately I won't see much of them. We're smack in the middle of tech rehearsals, which last over ten hours, and rehearsals will no doubt continue daily over the first two weeks of previews. My ass belongs to the theatre, no getting around it. But when I think about it, it sort of makes for a healthy transition. For a husband and father separated from his family for months at a time, throwing him immediately back into the mix is an awkward thing. But with me gone for most of each day, they can get used to me again in little doses, rather than suddenly have me around all the time. I think Sasha will appreciate that. A little of me goes a long way, after all.
Meanwhile, the work goes on at the Broadhurst. The first act was completed this evening after only three days, considerably faster than the five it took in San Francisco. Tomorrow we'll start on the second act, then we'll have time for just a couple of runthroughs before the first preview on July 7th. It's a tight squeeze, but we can get it done. The majority of the material is the same show we've been running, so everyone knows what to do.
I almost forgot. In addition to my wife and son, and Trish, several other family members are in town this week, including my mother, my eldest sister Gina and her family, and my cousin Sandy, whom I've talked about before. Sandy's cosmic energy was a valuable asset during our San Francisco run, and she's found time to come to New York to visit us again. Her timing could not be better. Believe it or not, even though the show hasn't opened yet, we have adversaries who have a vested interest in our failure. The most outspoken of which is an uppity gossip columist from the New York Post (that should tell you something right there). This man of questionable moral fiber has publicly vowed to destroy us by whatever means necessary, including lying outright, which he has done many times already. We in the show, however, have learned not to focus our energy on those whose word is tainted. People like that have their own karma to face in their daily lives. We have a more important job, and we have much stronger energy working in our favor.