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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

CHAPTER TEN

TEN
The concept of face time is a euphemism for
ego gratification. I am convinced of that. It is all about
one person finding out if it is possible to get another
person to take the time to attend a meeting. What is
so reassuring about conveying information in person,
especially in this age of electronic communication?
The check clearing the bank should be all the
reassurance anyone needs.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

CHAPTER NINE

Editor's Note: The recorded version of the song lyric in this chapter can be heard for free on http://www.ukejackson.com

NINE
This is getting tiresome. Another message on
my computer screen tonight when I returned:
You are becoming dangerous. You must cease
revealing your thoughts and actions in writing.

That is not going to happen. If anything, these
intrusions on my private ruminations are provoking
me to go further in my explanation of vampires.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

CHAPTER EIGHT

EIGHT
Patti was already at the table, with her friend
Lucy. The neck of a champagne bottle poked at an
angle from an ice bucket on a stand. I knew it was
Veuve Clicquot without looking. When anyone at my
table orders champagne, even if they specify another
brand, the waiters all know to bring VC.
Jimmy Gandolfini was at my table one night
when this happened after he ordered Perrier Jouet. He
was telling me about a play he had read, with a great
title – God of Carnage. When he first mentioned it, I
was afraid for a moment it might be a vampire project.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

CHAPTER SEVEN

SEVEN
After my dinner in Nassau County, I went to
my house and changed and then went to Elaine’s.
The place was as lively as ever. A sense of bonhomie
pervades this Upper East Side saloon like no other.
Someone once said that Elaine’s is lit so that everyone
looks good. This is true. I’ve studied the lighting
there off and on since the place opened and have yet
to figure out what elements come together to lend
everyone that certain glow. It is quite likely more than
a mechanical configuration. Elaine’s is the other side
of the rainbow.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

CHAPTER SIX

SIX
The blood hunger began to rise once I was on
the street. I avoided Times Square and headed east.
Sometimes I stroll through the new Times Square
pedestrian mall and walk north just to see the
dazzling spectacle of light, even though it now has
almost nothing to do with theater. Tonight, though,
the thought of throngs of human beings did nothing
but whet my appetite. The saloons on the block were
lit up and crowded. I ignored them, knowing the
blood lust would get more intense, more demanding,
should I mingle and press against warm flesh.
It was too early to feed and too early to go to
Elaine’s. Graydon Carter’s Monkey Bar is three blocks
east and ten blocks uptown from the theater. I decided
to walk there. Madison Avenue was nearly deserted.
Some shop windows in the Forties were still lit up
behind metal gates and grates that protected shoes,
suits, shirts, electronics, and dresses. There were a few
humans walking on that stretch of the avenue at that
hour.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

CHAPTER FIVE

FIVE
David Belasco was probably as close a friend
as I have ever had among mortals. He was also my
theater mentor. What I learned from him about make
up, lighting, casting, the whole schlemiel, changed
my existence. He was probably the greatest genius in
American theater to date – playwright, impresario,
designer, theater owner, actor, director, producer – or
what was called a manager in his day.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

CHAPTER FOUR

FOUR
I took a cab to the Belasco Theatre to check
on the progress of Pretty Lady. Rehearsal was just
breaking up. I was the recipient of smiles, kisses,
quick hugs, hellos and goodbyes as the cast and
chorus left the theater. Everyone seemed upbeat and
optimistic.
Normally, that would concern me with a show
this close to opening. I like my people to worry.
There’s nothing like worrying a show into existence to
give it a certain edge.