Sometimes in life you encounter a decision where the right choice and the wise choice are not the same thing. Last night I encountered one of those decisions. In my last post I described how career stuff is picking up and I’ve been busy. I’ve also been absolutely exhausted, taking any 15 minute or longer opportunity to nap that I can get. You would think after the show last night I would want to go home and go to sleep. That would be wise. However I was invited out for drinks with the production team of the show we’re working on. This included the lighting designer, sound designer, scenic designer, director, and co-creator of the show and well as Gold and Thumbelina. These are New York and LA big shots. They have worked literally all over the world. To give you an idea, the co-creator, is Dennis O’Hare, a Tony award winner who will be starring on the upcoming season of True Blood. Drinks were the right choice.
As everyone piled into a booth, they started ordering food and joking around. It was awesome. They treated me like a member of the production team, not just an intern. They shared the 3 appetizer plates with everyone (even those of us who can’t afford bar food) and I got to hear some awesome stories. We began discussing the difference between famous people who go a little off their rockers and famous people who stay totally down to earth. Keep in mind, these guys work directly with these “famous people”. Here are a few of my favorites and I’ve saved the best for last.
William Dafoe: A few years ago he did a show at a theatre called On the Boards a few blocks from Seattle Center and showed up with his wrench to help build the set and strike once they were done.
Mary Tyler Moore: She regularly does, or did, shows at a summer rep theatre back east. When Mary came to town, the president of the board cleared out his mansion and that was where she stayed. Oops, except the president of the board doesn’t have a dog house and she brought her dog. So she couldn’t stay there until a dog house was built in the backyard of said mansion.
Carrie Fisher: Will only perform in places where she is allowed to smoke anywhere she wants.
Now, my two favorites:
So the lighting designer was riding down in an elevator with John Goodman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Christopher Walken. They get out and John Goodman has a car waiting, ducks inside and drives off. Phillip has a car waiting, ducks inside and drives off. Christopher Walken steps into traffic waving his arms and screaming “TAXI!”
The lighting designer did lights for a Broadway show that starred Mos Def. Mos Def was not an actor but he put in tons of extra time training and meeting with the director and vocal coaches, etc. After the show closed on Broadway it moved to London. Apparently London bars close at like midnight, which is not conducive to a theatre schedule. However in London there are these private clubs that will stay open later but you have to be a member and the prices are astronomical. $25 martinis. $40 hamburgers. You get the picture. Somebody at the London theatre had a connection to a club and got the whole cast, crew, designers, and producers a table for the night. They went out and drank and had a merry time. Somewhere in there Mos Def (and his two huge bodyguards) take off. Then it’s time to pay the check and the lighting designer at least is thinking “crap. I probably spent $300”. The director gets everyone’s attention and holds up a wad of bills and explains that before Mos Def left, he gave her enough money to pay for everyone's food and drinks.
Thusly, I heart Mos Def.
