Laura Linney and my 2nd Day in 2011

Laura Linney is one of the best American actresses possibly ever. Is that taking it too far? I do not think so after seeing her in films, on television ("The Big C") and now on Broadway.

I have been a fan for along time though I cannot say exactly when I knew who she was. In the play, "Time Stands Still", Linney takes displays, passion and a caustic sense of humor and timing for a ride as a photographer who is fresh off an assignment at a war zone where she was almost fatally injured. She is in a long-term relationship with a writer who was also covering the fighting and has a close mentor in a photo editor that brings along with him his mid-life crises/baby mama when they meet again once she is back home.

There is great tension between the characters with loose alliances forming and breaking apart at various stages and a clear struggle between happiness and "life" taking place throughout the play.

The performances of the other actors are excellent with Christina Ricci being the other standout. Her optimistically ignorant character brings the youth and normalcy that the other characters do not share. She is somewhat a member of the audience, wondering why the others do not want to be happy and asking point-blank, "how can I make a difference?" She lets the audience off the hook. They don't have to ask after they are accused of just standing by and watching things happen.

it is a difficult play to digest because as funny as some lines are, the irony is that the audience is really laughing at itself and upon reflection, some others than myself may have realized this by now.

But, it is a play that is highly recommended before the run is over. Linney must return to the set of "The Big C" and that will be the end. If you have not subscribed to Showtime, grab the DVD and if you are in NYC this month, go check out the play.

Linney and the rest of the cast are lovely enough to sign autographs and pose for pictures after the show which is a bonus if you want to shake hands with brilliance (ok, maybe now I'm a bit over-excited).

1/2/11 - 2nd play of the year - it is a good year so far.

New Year (Day) - 1/1/11

"The time is now." That statement can apply to many different situations, plans of action, thoughts and decisions. Right at this moment, it applies to my decision to stop everything and write this first blog entry of 2011. This is the first entry in a while and there is much to say, if it is assumed that anything I have to write is worth saying or reading. It may not be but I would implore you to read on anyway.

The plan is to write daily. Or, almost daily. I might even write more than once a day. What about? Oh, it could be anything. I love film and music as you might know and now that I'm living in NYC, I will be seeing my share of plays and musicals as well.

I live in NYC. That is the most unexpected occurrence of the most recent two months. As a kid, I would watch Letterman and Regis and Kathie Lee and long to be in the city. Now, I work for Bloom Avenue, a start-up and have relocated here. I did not dream that at the end of last year I would be in a new job and a new city (on the East Coast) but I am here and I am happy. This unexpected and almost spontaneous change in the holding pattern I was in has given me new life and I need to say again, I am happy.

Having just read Delivering Happiness by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, I have a different perspective on happiness than I used to and also have a different perspective on customer service. This is so important and I have already reached back to some of the ideas in the past few days. I am grateful for Tony's book and also for the conversation I was allowed to eavesdrop on that let me find it. I am also grateful that I can feel happiness in such an uncharacteristically uninhibited way that I was able to read about it without rolling my eyes. I can also pass happiness along and fully intend to do so.

I cannot say that life is perfect. I miss my family and don't have much going on socially but I can see past these things and have plenty to do and a mind and heart that are more open to new and unplanned events than they have ever been before. I have met some cool people already; sharing a bottle of wine with a couple on their first date just because we all seemed to enjoy conversing and chatting with a total stranger over coffee because I was able to say hello. These are not unusual events where I am concerned but have been rare of late, until very recently when the weight of dismay with everything was lifted.

Let's talk Broadway. The blizzard of December 2010 caused me to miss a play I REALLY wanted to see but I am making up for it and catching it tomorrow, 1/2/2011. Today, I caught the matinee of Steven Sondheim's "A Little Night Music". I skipped this one last time I was in NYC and would have missed it altogether had it not been for a chance encounter with John Lithgow on the Subway. He recommended it. And, I am delighted that he did! I was scared to say anything when I recognized him but we ended up having a conversation that was lovely and I ended up seeing a great musical today.

Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch are closing out the show in just seven days so I was lucky to get the tip to see it when I did. Stritch is a legend and the performance was as described...legendary. Her lines were delivered flawlessly and it was a guaranteed laugh whenever she brought her wisdom and "advice" to the stage.

Peters is an actress that I do not think I've truly appreciated until now. That can be the case when one has only seen selected performances and then encounters an actress in a starring role on Broadway. I think I can only really name one Peters role which was in "The Jerk". I laugh to myself now thinking of that film but also know that there is much more to the actress than a film that was made over 25 years ago.
"Send in the Clowns" made me cry. Literally, I did not expect to cry at all, and I felt tears. There was a vulnerability and truth to her character that came out just then. An earlier speech by Henrik, the son of Peters' former lover referred to the "truth" as something all of the characters lacked. It was at this moment in the play that one truth was exposed.

It is the first day of 2011 and I have accomplished more than I did on most days in 2010 or even 2009.

Please visit often and I will too. Happy New Year. Smile about something today. It is not too late.