Best Of

Hi sisters,

Last things first: my nail tech (salon owner) paraffin-wraps my feet in plastic bags, but not my hands. (Once at a high-end salon in Streeterville, the manicurist used a paraffin hand bath and I recall it felt luxurious). Chris, I have an oblong heating pad filled with buckwheat hulls, which I nuke. I use it all the time for my back (or to put under a blanket or throw when the temp in my den or front room dips below 65F). To keep my hands soft (and save on hand cream) I use the trick my facialist taught me: after I apply creams, lotions, serums, non-tinted sunscreens etc. to my face, instead of washing my hands or wiping my palms I wipe my palms on the backs of my hands & fingers. Last year before I learned that my knuckles were like exfoliators and even made fine knits "pill," and they bled at the slightest provocation. Not now. Big test comes overnight tonight when the mercury dips to near zero.

Chris, your ceaseless work with Tippy has made him more articulate than most human toddlers I know!

Getting a touch of schadenfreude for the game tomorrow, when the wind chills at Soldier Field will be subzero. Although I'm sure the Rams are acclimating themselves today I'm hoping tomorrow comes as a shock to them. But schadenfreude can boomerang, so I'd better temper mine.

Catching up now. The Bar Show was a success. Wednesday we had >100 people willing to pay $35 to see us make mistakes and deal with tech glitches—which were nearly zero. Rested Thurs. because "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" had the theater. Opening night (Fri) we sold out the main floor and half the balcony. Sat. matinee—which in the past had the sparsest audiences—was SRO, even the balcony. We had to extend intermission by 10 minutes because the line to the bar was so long. (Tipsy audience=more laughs). That's because many Sat. night attendees swapped their tickets for the matinee so they could watch the Bears that evening. I had rewritten the line for the guy playing a Bears superfan ("…Pope Leo turned the Lions into lambs") several times—once after the loss to the Lions but again after they got home field advantage, so I mentioned that. He brought the house down Fri. night (when he said "tomorrow night") and again at the matinee (…"tonight"). But Sat. night we had the game on backstage on one of the stagehands' monitors, and there were more audience members sitting watching the game at intermisssion than going for drinks; he said "we're losing 21-3 but at least the bar is open." We still gave it our all and got standing ovations.

Then off to the hotel bar down the street for the cast party, which was also attended by tourists coming in from the snow falling on Michigan Ave. Nobody was interested in the free food: we were all mobbing the bar and watching the multiple TVs. Good thing the show's run was over, because I screamed myself hoarse in the last 5 minutes of the game. Sorry, Chris, but the sweetest thing was something I'd been waiting to do for decades: joining the crowd in chanting "GREEN BAY SUCKS!" Staying in tomorrow to watch the game at 5:30, but we may brave the elements to go to brunch earlier.

The cast member whom I'd understudied at the dress rehesrsals returned Fri. night after her bout with the flu; she flubbed a spoken line 3 times, her voice was somewhat weak, and she didn't "milk" the lyrics or gesticulate. I felt worse for her than any regret I had over my having to cede the role back to her. The director and music director kept taking me aside and telling me how much better & funnier my performance was. Next year, if I'm still in the show (at almost 76 by then that might not be a given), I will be an official "swing:" having to learn all the female vocal and speaking parts as well as any choreography that wouldn't pose a falling risk.

See next post (cont'd)