The day of the final show I took a slow morning, then headed into Manhattan in the afternoon for some shopping, taking in some more sights, and one more lunch at GMT Tavern. I fell in love with the Lower East Side on this trip, especially the Village. In my previous trips to NYC I've spent most of my time in Midtown and the Upper West and East Sides, all great parts of the city. This trip I spent more time in the Village, SoHo, NoHo, & TriBeCa than I ever had, and that's the area of the island that most appeals to me.
I had a blast standing on the street with Kristen helping hand out promotional cards for the show (it turned into a competition between the 2 of us that she narrowly won, probably by cheating), then it was show time. Although we were told that the A/C had been repaired in the theater, it wasn't any cooler than Monday's show. Large fans had been set up in the space, creating a noise challenge for the actors. But, as this cast always does, they rose to the challenge and put on another compelling performance. I was filled with so much pride for them as they took their bows, knowing how much they've each put into making "Princess Cut" a reality, sacrificing so much time and energy to bring it to the stage. To watch them being applauded on a New York stage was a wonderful gift.
We ran around the corner for the cast party, an enjoyable time full of lots of hugs and pictures. Kerri (she's the actress who plays the lead character) grew up on Long Island and her parents have been at each performance this week. They asked me during the cast party if I'd like to come out to their place to spend the night with the rest of the cast and crew. I'd never been to Long Island, so I said give me some time and I'll be there.
A quick cab ride back to Brooklyn, and even quicker time packing all my stuff, back in the cab, then to Penn Station, and then on the 11:18 on the LIRR to Manhasset. It was after midnight before I got to the Koczen's house, by which time everyone else was there and the second cast party began. The highlight of the evening was a 3am improv session put on by the cast. Hysterical and imaginative, it was great watching this group use their skills on different material (obviously made up on the spot), and having so much fun playing off of each other. Some of it included jokes that had grown from some of the events of the week, making watching it that much more enjoyable.
Even though this was all going on hours past my normal bedtime, I didn't want to miss any of it. Around 4am Kerri's mom, Kathy, brought out hotdogs and meatball subs, so we sat around the fire pit enjoying the cool night and continuing to express thanks and wonder for the week we'd just experienced together. Finally, around 4:30, I waved the white flag and told everyone goodnight. Before I dropped off to sleep I thought about what a miracle the week had been, all the gifts I'd experienced during it, the greatest of which was to be part of the wonderful community that is Yellow Rose Productions and so many of their family and friends I've been privileged to meet through this connection. I've written a lot about gratitude this week. In the early hours of that Saturday morning, I once again gave thanks for this unexpected connection, and for the privilege of being part of a group committed to changing the world.
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