"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
--- Helen Keller
I hope everyone that celebrated Christmas received everything their heart desired. I had a wonderful day with friends and family with everyone behaving...to a certain extent. Last night I was thinking about all the reasons to be grateful...all the wonderful experiences of the past year, the new friends I've made and the good health I continue to have. I can't help but be excited about 2007. There's a feeling of anticipation this last week... I can feel big things are coming!!!

For some reason, a theatre story from way back popped into my head last night. This one is from long ago.... We had a show at the theatre with a small cast. The star of the show had come from TV and had done quite a few series but was not a big name at the time but recognizable (we'll call him Mr. S). He was very handsome, tall, charming and truly a nice guy...so much so that all the women in the show had a big crush on him despite being married. He was easygoing and friendly and loved to chat with me on his way in and out of the theatre. Frequently he would stop to talk about the state of theatre in general and how it seemed to be taking a turn for the worse - not unlike today.

I instantly knew I liked this guy when I saw how he handled difficult people. The producers of the show were not easy to get along with and made everyone's life a living hell. They frequently took out their frustration on the front of house so we made sure to make life as difficult as possible for them every chance we had. Mr. S recognized how the producers were abusing the staff and would frequently step in, calm things down and escort them out of our way. Sometime in to the run, I think around Christmas, Mr. S decided to throw a party at a Southern restaurant in Chelsea. He made a point to personally invite everyone to his celebration. It was a fabulous party with great food and company but what made it even more special, the producers were not there. I found out later he purposely scheduled the party at a time he knew the producers would be out of town and unable to attend. Yup, this was a man I wanted to know better.

One day - I believe it was a two show day - a message had come down from the office for Mr. S and the house manager asked if I would take it backstage (there were no cell phones at the time). At that time, the dressing rooms were arranged a little differently than they are today. On one side of the backstage area, we had "star" dressing rooms. The rooms were much larger, a little more private and separated from the other dressing rooms. (This area has since been changed for use as wardobe and stage management offices). I went on backstage... realizing no one was around, which was unusual...and it was very quiet. I knocked on Mr. S's door and heard him ask "who is it?" I replied and said I had a note for him. Next thing I knew, the door flew open and there he was, almost naked, in his underwear. Now if we had been standing poolside or on the beach, it wouldn't have seemd so strange, but here I am, fully clothed, standing in front of a very handsome half-naked man, trying not to turn ten shades of red. But being the kind of guy he was, he quickly put me as ease, talking to me as if this was the way he always dressed. I can't remember how long we were standing there talking, but it was long enough to find out we used to live very close to one another and that he had dated a very good friend of mine a few years back. Yes - a very small world. From then on we had our own little friendshp going on which pissed off the female lead of the show. She wanted all his attention for herself (despite her being married as well).

The day Mr. S was to leave the show, we had a huge party for his send off and to welcome his replacement into the show. Many tears were shed that day by all the women as well as many shared hugs. I was sad to see him go because he was fun to be around and truly a great guy. But it didn't seem like he'd left completely because soon after, he went on to star in a hit TV series that ran for four seasons. He has continued to appear on TV over the years and was again the star of another recent series that also ran for four seasons. Every once in a while I will see him on television and as if it was yesterday, I am instantly taken back to that time long ago. A huge smile starts to spread across my face, ear to ear. I can still see his amazing body, standing half-naked in his underwear, in that dressing room doorway smiling back at me. Great memories and fun times indeed.

As always,
TOO