OK I have been accused before of going AWOL before (Always West Of Lincoln) and I am guilty. That being said, I ventured so way out of my hood tonight to one of those off-off Broadway theatres, the kind I used to go to with actor friends after work when I was a waitress in Hollywood 19 years ago. Tonight came so close to never happening, but my friend Kalli, an actress (the one from yesterday's hike) was invited to see her friend Ted's show, Ted's Theatre Kitchen at the Elephant Theatre at 8:00. It wasn't looking good for me to get away, but at the last minute my husband came home, all the stars aligned and I called Kalli at 7:25 to tell her I was in. After hitting some gnarly traffic we took some back roads, ended up on Venice Blvd., booked East in time to get there in the middle of the first of 11 scenes. (Unrelated scenes, like little one act shows). It turned out the first scene was not the strongest one, but the 2nd-11th were all, each in their own way, fantastic. Two of the standouts were the 5th one, "Resonance of Love," and the 6th one, "Bloody." I have tried once or twice to watch HBO's In Treatment and have abandoned ship every time because the tone of the show is so insular, and so lacking in levity -- it is like watching paint dry. Well this scene, "Bloody" had me at hello. It was a glimpse into the relationship of an incredibly high-strung, neurotic, screwed-up (but hilarious) patient, (Carrie Keranen) and her sweet, patient therapist (Adam Tomel). The scene only lasted about ten minutes, but in those ten minutes you totally understood who these two people were, felt so invested in them, and at the end were just hoping it really worked out for this crazy nutball girl who was so endearing. After the show we mingled, had cheese and crackers with some of the performers and writers - we congratulated Ted on an amazing showcase.
Before I go on I have to interject that enough exciting things happened today to fill up 3 blog entries, so I seriously had to debate if I would use them all up in one. But since I'm keeping it real, I will tell you about the rest of the night.
After the show Kalli took me to her favorite hole in the wall wine bar, Lou, 724 Vine Street in Hollywood. As we parked in a dumpy strip mall in front of the laundromat, I asked her what the hell we were doing there. "You'll see," Kalli said. Well we walked into Lou, and it was a totally unexpected hip, crowded but intimate little joint. She ordered us two pinots and an order of Pig Candy. Pig candy is sweet, maple-y glazed out of this world decadent crunchy bacon that is part savory part desert, 100% deliciousness. We talked about the show and how great the performances were, the writing, etc. We told the waitress all about it and she is going to try to go tomorrow.
As we were walking back to the car in this relatively deserted strip mall, Jackson Browne and his girlfriend Dianna were walking into Lou. I said hi, because Dianna and I have a good friend in common, and I had met Jackson and Dianna years ago, and then again recently when Jackson played at a Barbara Boxer fundraiser I sort of said hi to them. Now a month later we were meeting again. We chatted in the parking lot and they were very sweet - Kalli said you'd better get in there, the kitchen is about to close, and so we said good night and headed West. I urge you all to go out and see Ted's Theatre Kitchen, only running two more nights, November 17th and 21st. As I go to sleep tonight I will think back on what a great night it was, and I will scratch my head over the spelling - theatre or theater?? What the hell? Is there a right or a wrong way? Anyway, great night.
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