I am so excited! I want to go to L.A.!

I had to laugh at Raymond. On his way to Salt Lake he called me and said that he had just talked to Kurt that morning who is in New York and is slated to come out and direct his one man show in Los Angeles. He said Kurt was beside himself with excitement because he has never had an occasion to come to Los Angeles especially to direct a new work. While they were talking, Ken Harding called from Los Angeles, Raymond's actor friend who lives there, and he was beside himself with excitement to hear Raymond had the money to produce the show and would soon be coming to set up camp! Now I am getting beside myself with excitement because I suddenly realized I could take a bus to Los Angeles, stay with Pam, and she and I could take in the show! (Nurse Pam) As we have been trying to get together for some time. I must tell Kelli, too, who lives there in the general vicinity. I would like to get to see her, too. (Noonmom)
I have gone to Los Angeles a number of times by car and on the bus back when. But it is so exciting when people create an original event. It is not necessary to become world famous, it is just necessary to make the world a more interesting place by taking a chance and getting a play out there!
I found out that at the time I proposed this plan to Pam she had already proposed a plan somewhat like it in a comment on my blog. Our minds were clearly running on the same track.

"Gem of the Ocean," August Wilson play a great afternoon of theater...

My friend Joyce, in the photo, gave me a free ticket to this play which turned out to be a grand outing, of the sort I just love. The Black Theater Company is now housed in the lovely theater space in the Viad Building just up the street. The grounds are so beautiful. Joyce was considered for one of the roles in the play, written by the tremendous black playwright who has had so many hit plays on Broadway. A company that would take on the challenges of this play deserves a good review, because everyone possible should see it. I think Joyce would have been stupendous in the role. The younger woman who took on the part of a woman who says she is 375 years old, something like that, had all she could handle trying to capture the depth of an older woman. I couldn't help but wish that they had gone with Joyce because she deserved this part, but the guy who played the older man who was her love interest was a younger man, too. He performed an older man well, but that was just it, he had to perform the age as did the actress, neither were that age, as Joyce is, who has one of the most remarkable memories I have encountered in actresses. This was a big part and she might have done something absolutely stunning with it, she has now had so much experiences on the stage.
I have seen nearly everyone of her performances, and I kept thinking of how she would have said this magnificent speech and that one. Joyce has a wonderful voice for the stage, too, deep and resonant. I thought with the exception of one or two some of the performers were having trouble breaking up the sing song rhythms they fell into of this musical playwright's dialogue. They were having trouble at first especially getting into the lower registers of their voices where emotion can resonate much better than in the higher tones. But one expects flaws in a play production. Not everything can be perfect, but the performers you could tell loved what they were trying to portray, so altogether it was just a remarkable afternoon of theater. Thank you, Joyce, as always for thinking of me and giving a very valuable gift.