The January Blahs

Sorry there has again been a long stretch with no blogging.  I'm currently finding myself feeling a little bit listless.  I'm not sure if it's the post-holiday blahs, or the gray winter blahs, or a cold that just won't go away, or the fear that my stupid ceiling will collapse because the building won't repair it until spring, or the 'would menopause start already' blahs, or what.  But I'm struggling to find pleasure in much of anything right now, so I've been burrowing down.  I pretty much want to sleep all.the.time, though I'm also finding it hard to sleep.  I'm really ready for January to be complete (though Restaurant Week has just started, so there's always that to be happy about)...

I have had some terrific moments, though:  I went to see a dear friend's concert last weekend and was entranced.  He is just the most talented musician and I can't wait for the world to discover his wonderfulness.  I went with a handsome pal and we had a grand time - we even crashed the after-party and enjoyed ourselves even more!  So that was a good day.

photo credit: Sarah Rebell

I had a fun, yet super busy weekend at BroadwayCon a couple of weeks ago.  You might remember I went last year and my office sent me again this year.  My company isn't exactly the target audience for the BroadwayCon participants, but it was good to meet so many young people who love theater.  I moderated a panel with some fabulous writers and I think it went well.  So although the weekend was EXHAUSTING, it was also pretty valuable.  I also was thrilled to meet the husband of one of my 2007 game show opponents, which was random and hysterical!  So thumbs up for BroadwayCon.

I saw a Broadway show recently that I, well, loathed, so I won't write about it.  Actually, I won't write about the first act because that's all I saw.  I'm sure this means it will get raves from all the press.  Sometimes I just get so mad at the myopic producers who think this is what people want to see on Broadway!  Gah!  I'm in the middle of working with a committee about the excellent work we saw last year, so it's hard to get my head into new shows at the moment.  But, still, I think we can do better than that piece.  Happily, I HAVE seen an amazing show, which I'll talk about in a bit...

My job sent me to a college in New Jersey to lead a session at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival local region.  That was fun - the students were curious and interesting and we had a terrific dialogue.  I have another ACTF trip coming up at the end of the month; I'll be headed to Abilene, TX!  I've never been there, so I'm looking forward to it.  If only I could finish the travel plans, we'd be all set.  I have other work trips coming up to Portland, OR, and Evanston, IL, later this spring.  I can't wait to enjoy myself during the trips, but the planning of all of these events may be my undoing!  I seem to be losing the ability to multitask successfully, and everything I don't get done keeps me awake at night.  Let's all put some good vibes out in the world that I can move out of the blahs and back into super-planner mode asap.

But my absolute favorite thing about January has been seeing my darling IHBB's new play, Secret Identity, which is currently enjoying a run at The Flea.  I can't really review it, because I adore him and have absolutely no objectivity about him or his work.  But I CAN say, even with sharing my bias, Secret Identity is a wonderful play and it's being given a wonderful production by TOSOS.  If you don't know, TOSOS is New York City’s oldest and longest producing LGBTQ+ theater company.  They do amazing work, featuring artists who should be household names, but aren't.  I'm proud to have worked with TOSOS over the years and I fervently believe they are well worth supporting.  Check out their website and read about their amazing history:  history of TOSOS.  

I've seen Secret Identity twice already and plan to see it two more times before it closes.  It's getting great reviews by people other than me, so you should all go see it.  In these times of division and hatred, seeing a show about empathy and compassion (and superheroes!!) is what we all need right now.  The cast is to die for and I'm just so proud of my dear friend, I could burst.  PLEASE go downtown to the Flea and check out this beautiful play.  It may be just what YOU need to shake off these January blahs!