Do you know where the knives are?

The call came to me in West Virginia while I was visiting my parents: 'Do you know where the knives are?'

I had to admit it; they were with me, there in Charleston. I had taken our three best knives with me, along with the whet stone; as they are the primary props in Old Hickory, and I thought I might work up nerve to suggest that I might do it for my folks. Anyway, my wife was looking to cut something up for dinner, and couldn't find any of our really good knives. I'm not sure what she ended up doing, but I did end up performing OH for my folks.

I was nervous about it. After all, one of the key elements of the play is based on their having taken a dog in to save it from being put to sleep for no good reason. I thought it might be a tad close to home . . . at any rate, I did the piece on the last night there, in their living room, with Laurette on book, just in case. I did edit a bit on the fly, cutting the bit about being seduced while driving . . . and a later line as well; I know I know we're all grown ups, but still . . . talking about blow jobs, no matter how indirectly seemed a tad uncomfortable in my parents' living room. (a little side bar: it also drove my daughter crazy as she later told me she had drifted for just a moment right when I did the cut, and it took her a while to find her place again! She thought she had really spaced out!)

I guess I needn't have worried: my parents both loved the piece. They hadn't known what to expect, but it sure took them by surprise. I just focused on the text. I put a little table out with the knives, and started and ended with the sharpening, but other than that I mostly sat and acted the piece that way. It was a good rehearsal and it made me feel . .. I don't know how to describe it . . . it made me feel fulfilled (for want of better term) to share this with them. To bring a little light into their world. I hope that doesn't sound pretentious, but they mostly sit at home and watch TV. It was nice to take them to another world for forty minutes or so. Plus, they hadn't seen me act in almost twenty years! They saw everything I ever did in Charleston, of course. And they even came up to Nyack for The Trip to Bountiful, in 1993. That was pretty special: they were gonna leave at intermission after I was done, because they had a long ride home that night, but they were so engrossed in the story that they had to stay to the end; even though I was no longer in the play. That's about the best feedback a play could get, and I shared as much with Ellen Burstyn.

At any rate, it was another feather in the cap of Old Hickory, and if nothing else happens with the piece, I'll always carry that with me. Oh, and by the way, they weren't at all put off by the dog story. Of course, they knew where it came from, but since they were the heroes of that story in real life, they were fine with it.

I had wanted to play my radio broadcast for them, but for some reason it would't play on my daughter's laptop. I don't understand it since I had it on a disc and it played just fine when I tried it at home, but down there her computer wouldn't play it because there was no internet service. Alas. Well I didn't need web access to do Old Hickory!

So today is April 1, that means four weeks from today is the production! I got an email yesterday about tech times, and it looks to be Wed. night the 28th, time to be determined, hopefully as early as possible. I also got the invite to the meet and greet/tour the theatre party on the 18th. I ran the lines yesterday morning and it went just fine; and did it again with Bette on book last night and again, no problems. I'm beginning to feel ready, but there's a way to go yet; of course that's where Wallace comes in. We have a rehearsal at 7 tonight. For the next four weeks I want to focus on intentions and beats and the like . . . transitions . . . development of the other four characters, not just our humble narrator . . . it's a big job . . . but it's fun . . . and it's why I'm here in the first place.

Oh, and as far as the knives go? That is gonna be one sharp son-of-a-bitch when this is whole thing is done!