Mockingbird Hill Cottage

I’m back. Really, really tired, but I’m home.

These trips to and from NYC are always tiring, especially if you haven’t been there in a while. I was going to take the bus in but found out at the last minute that the schedule was wrong and I had missed it, so Don drove me south to the train station and I managed to catch the train. The train is always noisy on the weekends but this one was full of Yankees fans headed to a game. I found out this particular route was called The Yankee Express and it made a special stop at – I can’t quite remember – maybe 156th Street? Anyway, it’s the stop for Yankee Stadium. Once they got off, the train was fairly empty.

Arrived at Grand Central, ran to the bathroom, took the 6 south to Union Square. Then I had to kill time until the afternoon segment of rehearsal. It was raining, so no sitting on a bench in Union Square. I stopped at Strand Bookstore.

The Strand is always crowded and can be overwhelming. But I did peruse the first floor and found the book I was looking for:

Maggie O’Farrell’s newest. This picture was taken on a table at Whole Foods, where I also passed some time eating a bit of lunch.

Then I headed to the theater, which is only a few blocks from Union Square.

It was neat to finally meet the cast in person, having only worked with them on Zoom. I introduced myself to the stage manager and sat down quietly. Every time an actor saw me, there was a beat, and then recognition. “Claudia!”

And Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty were there as well, both of whom I know from Anastasia, as they wrote the words and the music for that. And Ragtime, Once on this Island, and the show I’m working on: A Man of No Importance. It was so lovely to see them again.

I had taken a risk, going in for yesterday’s rehearsal. I really needed to see a run-through, but I didn’t think that would happen. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what day might be best. I’m glad I chose yesterday because, at the last minute, the brilliant director John Doyle, decided to do a run.

I can’t say enough about John’s brilliant staging, the acting, the concept – I was shaken at the end of the run. It’s going to be beautiful. I don’t want to give anything away, but John directed a production of Sweeney Todd  with Patti LuPone that was innovative and brilliant and AMONI (shortened version of the show I’m working on) has the same kind of concept.

What made my day, as I’ve been worried about only coaching the actors from afar, was John’s approval of the dialect work. He was very complimentary. Some of that has to do with the ensemble nature of this piece and hearing what others are doing which leads, I think, to something fairly cohesive. Anyway, I was very happy. Though I do  have notes for the actors, which I will write up later this morning.

Then back home via the bus, but I had to kill at least an hour in Port Authority before it left. By the time I got home, I was tired and my back was complaining from the uncomfortable seats on the bus.

Don picked me up from the station and had dinner waiting.

Today, I’m going to do nothing but read and write up my notes and then email them to the actors.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.