Adventures with the Cuckoos
Contains the usual uber-detail that you will find in any of my Trip Posts. Also contains rabid fangirl squeeing, random stories of Embracing The Lameness, and many photos. No full frontal stuffed animal nudity this time. ;)
Friday July 13th
Since it was Friday the 13th, something had to go wrong. I arrived at Newark Airport and went through Security to where qafcomments (Jackie) and pepino21786 (Cristina) were supposed to meet me. Except... there was no Jackie and Cris. Now, since being cancelled upon or people not showing up to meet me as planned is my #1 paranoia (it's happened, I have issues, let's just move on, okay?), I did a bunch of must not panic mantras as I searched for my people. Went to the outside doors -- not there. Went to the Meet and Greet -- not there. Went to the baggage carousel -- not there. Went back to where I started and heard my name called. HALLELUJAH!! Turns out they'd spotted me at the luggage carousel but I was too far ahead of them -- they'd been following me through the airport trying to catch up. I was so happy to see them I hugged them. Yay, Severina (mostly) conquers her Hug Phobia!
Cris is soft spoken, kind, smart, stubborn and gorgeous (and also, she really does have porn hair.) Jackie is funny as hell, also smart, not quite so stubborn, absolutely pixie adorable, and has the cutest accent on the planet. In short, they are both awesome and I love them.
Oh, and actually... two somethings went wrong. You see, Cris forgot our tickets! Luckily she lives close enough that we were able to scoot back to her house to get them, and then we were finally on our way. BERKSHIRES HERE WE COME.
We stayed in Great Barrington, about 10-15 minutes from Stockbridge. The whole area is so beautiful! Words truly cannot express it. Everything is a photo op. I mean, even the pharmacy is picturesque! There are massive trees everywhere along the streets and beautiful homes and lawns. And there's just such a sense of peace and calm. It's the kind of place where you sit on a big ol' porch sipping lemonade and watch the day slip by, and are just utterly content.
Above: The Town Hall in Great Barrington
We got settled in our room, only to discover that shadownyc (Carolyn) and her daughter Jenn were two doors away. Carolyn is exactly as kind and loving as she seems online, and Jenn is a firecracker! We all went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant (it was my first time -- I had to ask for a fork instead of the chopsticks, heh) and, for me, began the process of getting to know each other. It was a lovely dinner.
Then... it was off to the play.
Okay, so we parked toward the back and got out to head toward the doors. Cris, Jackie and Jenn were walking several feet ahead, with Carolyn and I lagging behind. Suddenly Jackie appears at my side and quietly says, "Don't look left." So of course I look left.. TO SEE RANDY GETTING OUT OF HIS CAR. Right freaking there. Like, THERE.
Um. So I was GIDDY. Like, thrumming with excitement. And grinning like a loon. Carolyn might have hugged me and told me I was cute, but I don't really remember because RANDY WAS RIGHT THERE.
So I'm all, "Let's just stroll along, no rush" and I'm casually continuing to check out Randy because HE'S RIGHT THERE. Oh! And he was wearing The Green Sweater of Adorableness. (I don't care if it's actually a hoodie or different than the other one, it is from now on The Green Sweater of Adorableness to me. I am officially in love with that sweater.) So anyway, Randy pulls out this bakery box and after he got a few feet away from the car he lifts it up so it's blocking his face -- not from me, even though I was freaking out and squeeing inside I was mostly pretty silent outside except for the grinning like a loon thing, and he never even glanced my way, I don't think he noticed Carolyn and I at all -- there were just a group of fangirls at the front and I think he was just hoping not to be noticeable. Though you'd think he'd leave The Green Sweater of Adorableness at home if that was the goal.
Jackie and Cris had mentioned that there was an after-party that night, but I think I was in denial that this would mean a meet-and-mingle type thing. Anyway, I speculated that Randy had purchased a cake for their opening night party. Jackie found this amusing. :/ Mentally I imagined Randy and Gale Simon baking cupcakes or something. Um. (If you know what was really in the box, don't tell me. Actually, go ahead, tell me. My overactive fantasy life will not be damaged one iota.)
So anyway, after my giddy-squeeing-giggly reaction to Randy simply getting out of his freakin' car, I decided right then and there that I would NOT approach him at the after-party. I would be the embarrassing fangirl who giggles and snorts and acts like an idiot (and possibly vomits on his shoes), so I wanted to save myself, Randy, and all of fandom the humiliation. I still think it was a good call.
I met soooo many wonderful people before the play and during intermission. It was supremely weird to have so many people "know" me and be saying "I want to meet Severina" and giving me compliments. It was a NICE feeling, but still weird. :) That night I met catkrcl (Cat) and THAT made me giddy, too! And I finally met the Maureen that everyone refers to -- and she is one awesome lady. And there was kitkatbyte and her friend anoel... and for sure there were more. So many people!
Above: This was the thingy hanging on the wall inside the theatre.
The play itself -- I won't go into detail because you can read it better in any of the online (newspaper) reviews that the play is getting.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE PLAY SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.
Let me just say, it is just as good as everyone is saying. It's BETTER than everyone in saying. Every single actor on that stage completely embodies their parts from the moment they step out until the minute the play ends, and for actor playing characters with so many mental neuroses and physical twitches, that's an amazing thing to see. Randy SHINES as Billy... you absolutely have to watch him when he's on stage. In the early part of the play, he is a nervous wreck -- pulling at his clothes and skin, unraveling his socks, hiding away from everyone. He very subtly shows the shift as Billy gradually gains confidence, and then the moment when he breaks down at the end is heart-wrenchingly tragic. Tommy Schrider is also absolutely amazing as Dale Harding; his role is much different from Randy's and he is equally as impossible not to watch when he's on the stage. I also loved the way they handled the transitions from scene to scene -- a sort of slow-motion/stop-motion effect in which the other characters move very.slowly. to their next position while the lights dim and a spotlight shines on Chief Bromden as he gives a brief monologue. Very effective.
There are many comic moments, and everyone's timing is impeccable. That's not something I remember at all from the film version (my only other experience with Cuckoo's Nest and the single most disturbing film of all time.) I think Linda Hamilton's Nurse Ratched was a subtler version of the character as well -- in the film, at least in my memory of it, there's no doubt that Nurse Ratched is an evil bitch. Linda's interpretation was a little softer -- she seemed to play it as though the character believed that she really was helping these patients, as least somewhat. I liked the change, because it made the character more real. Evil people don't go around cackling and thinking they're evil -- they think they're right and that their actions are just. That's what I got from Linda's performance, which made the fates of McMurphy and Billy, and the Nurse herself, even more tragic.
Wow, I guess I did want to talk about the play. Heh.
SPOILERS END HERE.
This was my first time seeing Randy on stage... I'd read fan's review of Amadeus and Equus, and knew that he roundly gets great reviews. But SEEING it is so different from reading about it. I left his production with two thoughts: that Randy is an INCREDIBLY gifted actor, more than I had ever imagined from knowing him only as Justin. And that the production of Suddenly Last Summer that I saw with Gale? Was like a high school theatre workshop. (Oh Gale.)
So afterward was the Opening Night After-Party where there are tents set up outside and pizza and veggies and fruit and dip and you stand around AND THE CAST COMES OUTSIDE AND MINGLES.
Oh. My. God.
So I saw Jonathon Epstein first. Then I saw Tommy Shrider hanging around by one of the tables. So I was just wandering around and suddenly Jackie appears by my side and takes my elbow and says "I want you to come stand by me." And I'm all "Why?", because I'm slow like that, and then I see it's because Randy is standing TWO FEET AWAY.
So I immediately turn into a giggly grinning idiot and I'm all OMG I HAVE TO GET A PHOTO and so I stepped forward a little and he looked up and smiled.
Above: Hello. It's Randy. Smiling at me.
Excited doesn't even describe it. My heart was pounding and I felt like I was shaking even though I wasn't (yes, I checked) and I couldn't stop smiling. I reverted instantly to 15 years old. ;) It's so hard to describe because I wasn't physically or overtly freaking out -- I was probably wild-eyed and grinny, but that's about it. So yeah, there was no way I could approach him or get his autograph (well, I wanted his autograph, but I wasn't going near him. And I was totally stupid and should have asked someone else to just get it for me, but I didn't. Because I was too busy NOT HAVING ANY HIGHER BRAIN FUNCTION DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF RANDY.)
So it was cool just standing around chatting with all the fangirls. Every once in a while I'd go, "Soooo, where's Randy?" and Jackie would be like "Look for the biggest crowd of people, that's always Randy." LOL So I'd stroll over and take a peek at what he was doing, and maybe take a photo (I took 5 in total) and then go back to my group. And then sometimes it would be, like, "hmm, I'll just get a carrot stick" and then I'd look up and Randy is standing right there a foot away chewing on some watermelon. He's just THERE when you're not even looking for him. It was surreal and freaky and I think I was literally bouncing for an hour. And couldn't actually say Randy's name in a normal tone of voice till the next morning. Heh.
Plus, I took more photos.
Above: Cris and Jackie, aka the most adorable photo ever.
Above: Jackie, Cris, and me
Above: Carolyn and Cat
Above: Right. There.
Linda Hamilton came out much later and I didn't see her mingle much, but she talked at length with several people. She mentioned that she was meeting friends. She is very very tiny and looked underfed. I wanted to grab a slice of pizza off the table and force-feed her.
Oh! And I spoke to Jonathon Epstein. It's such a non-event to me that I keep forgetting, though at the time I was very proud of myself for opening my mouth. He was walking toward me with someone -- maybe his wife? -- and I said... something. There were words. I am pretty sure it was four words. Hopefully they were four coherent and sensible words. I think he said "Thank you." See? I get like that with Jonathon Epstein, what would I be like with Randy? Geesh.
Someone in our group had overheard Randy saying that he wouldn't be going out because he was meeting Simon (*awwww* *squeeeee*) so we knew he wouldn't be at Michael's, but we headed over anyway for an after-play drink and conversation and squeeage. I honestly don't remember much. I was still on a high. And they took our photo for the website, which was fun. And then we finally headed back to the hotel for bed!
What an awesome day.
Saturday July 14th
We had lunch at an awesome little cafe called SoCo Creamery, took a quick walk through Great Barrington, and then it was off to Stockbridge for the day!
The town is adorable. Trees and shops and photo ops!
Above: This is probably someone's private home. I don't remember. LOL
Above: The famous Red Lion Inn. :)
Above: One of the little stores along the main street.
So we're walking along going into stores and chatting and having fun, and all of a sudden Cris goes, "Look, it's Linda Hamilton!" So I'm all WTF and I whip my head around and I'm all "WHERE?" and then Cris is like, "No! She's in there!" *points to store* "I mean, SHE'S not in there! It's a poster!" Gak and LOL.
I think it was when we stopped in to Stockbridge's SoCo Creamery so the girls could get ice cream that I saw the poster too. :) (Though I don't think "scarifying" is actually a word, is it?)
Above: Too bad they didn't have these for sale at the theatre.
Of course we HAD to go to Michael's for the obligatory photo op. We did photos of various groups of two of us, and then who comes walking down the street but CAT. YAY CAT. So she offered to take a photo of all three of us, and then we stood around talking, and poor Cat had only been parking the car and had a drink already waiting melting for her on the front porch of the Red Lion!
Above: Me, Jackie, and Cris. Cris's expression there is so totally this crazy Canadian is making me do this. I am really not this touristy freak. ;)
Above: Cat stays long enough for a photo and another hug. HUGS ROCK.
So I asked the girls if we could walk to the theatre for photos, and they agreed. I thought it was close. It's actually quite a hike. By the time we got there we just took these shots... I didn't walk to walk all the way around the other side to the unicorn. Me = lazyass.
Above: The theatre.
Above: And a better view of the sign. :D
We spend a lot of time just cruising around through the town. Cat directed us to a restored Mission house, and scattered throughout the town there were all kinds of art sculptures on display as well. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my camera?
Above: The Mission
Above: I just love this photo. I really tried to frame it with the huge ancient tree and the little tiny Jackie and Cris in comparison. I think it turned out really nice.
Now, Stockbridge seemed to have a fairly large dog population. We saw tons of dogs. They even had pooper-scooper bags attached to their garbage bins in case you forgot one at home. But the next photo? I thought was going a little too far.
Above: Seriously. Are there are lot of non-English speaking visitors to Stockbridge that perhaps wouldn't understand a simple "Do not let your dog defecate on our yard"? Coz... really. The poop is even the proper colour.. *dies*
Carolyn had told us that she planned to spend a lazy friend-filled afternoon on the porch of the Red Lion, so we decided to head over and join them.
Above: Chatting and laughing on the porch.
Above: I adore this photo of Carolyn and Jenn. Look how happy they are!!
We went back to see the play again on Saturday night. There were some subtle differences in acting choices, particularly in the first 30 minutes. On Friday night, the actors were ON from the moment they hit the stage... on Saturday, it seemed to take them a little longer to hit their stride. Also, the collar of Randy's shirt, which he picks and pulls at throughout the play, was noticeably more ripped... one of the girls mentioned that he's going to have destroyed it within a few more performances!
Afterward, a bunch of us headed over to Michael's for karaoke! Now, we knew Simon was in town so we knew Randy wouldn't be there... but we stayed fairly calm and sedate (well, perhaps that's going too far... we stayed fairly non-fangirly) for about 30 minutes until we were sure he wasn't going to show.
Then we owned the place.
It was a QaF Fangirl Extravaganza.
kitkatbyte and anoel sang "Let's Hear It For The Boy", and we all sang along. Loudly. More people joined us, like bdeviled and wildsweet_angel, and more, because I totally don't even remember who was there, there was sooo many people around our tables. The staff kept taking photos of us. More of our group sang. There was an awesome local guy named "Jimmy P" who had an amazing voice that we cheered for a lot. One of the karaoke guys, A-Train, fell in love with our group and left the 'stage' to sing and dance with us. A-Train also made googly eyes at Cris.
Above: Here's A-Train dancing with some of the girls.
And towards the end of the night, I had the most awesome idea. Why not ask Jimmy P to sing "Save The Last Dance For Me" for us? Why not, indeed? Cat loved the idea and ran over to ask him... and he agreed. But first, the DJ announced that he wanted each and every last one of "The Ladies" onstage to sing a song.
So we all trooped up front to sing "I Will Survive". HEE!
Above: This photo is from the Michael's website. The whole gang!
There are tons of photos of the fangirls up on Michael's site for Saturday. Wheee!
Then it was time for Jimmy P to sing our song. And we sang along and danced and cheered and some of us may have recreated the prom dance, complete with scarf exchange. And it was cheezy and fun and hilarious and awesome all at once. And something ONLY a group of crazy fangirls could do.
Most everybody headed out after that, but Cris, Jackie, Carolyn, Jenn, Cat and Maureen and I stayed behind while the DJ played a few songs. In fact, we got kicked out when the bar was closing. But not before...
Above:... Cat and Maureen dueted on "I Think We're Alone Now"
and...
Above:... Maureen proved that she's the most awesome person in the history of the universe.
(Remember, I asked all you guys if you had problems with me posting any of the pics online, and you all said GO AHEAD. Yay! Because I clearly got some of the coolest pics ever.)
We said our goodbyes outside Michael's (*sniff*) and then Cris, Jackie and I proceeded to stay up till 4am chatting.
What an awesome day.
Sunday July 15th
Well, I already mentioned in an earlier post that I got back to Cris's place in New York only to find out that my flight had been cancelled and I'd been bumped to a Monday morning flight! After near-tears and frantic checking of other airlines, I found a different flight on a different airline at a different airport! This meant that I had to bid farewell (and it was almost a tearful farewell on my part... I am not normally that mushy but man, I surprised myself) to Cris and Jackie early -- Cris had to drive Jackie to Newark, which meant that Cris's AWESOME PARENTS drove me to LaGuardia.
And when that flight was delayed, I got in an hour later than expected. My poor friend Jen not only had to circle the airport for an hour looking for me, but she then had to hear me gush about Randy and awesome fangirls for the entire ride home. She's fabulous.
So that was it. It was, I believe, the best weekend I've ever had. All because of the new friends that I shared it with. Thank you Cris, Jackie, Carolyn, Jenn, Cat, Maureen, and everyone else who chatted, danced, sang, acted up, hugged, and otherwise made this an unforgettable experience.
Randy brought us together. And together, we shine. :D
Friday July 13th
Since it was Friday the 13th, something had to go wrong. I arrived at Newark Airport and went through Security to where qafcomments (Jackie) and pepino21786 (Cristina) were supposed to meet me. Except... there was no Jackie and Cris. Now, since being cancelled upon or people not showing up to meet me as planned is my #1 paranoia (it's happened, I have issues, let's just move on, okay?), I did a bunch of must not panic mantras as I searched for my people. Went to the outside doors -- not there. Went to the Meet and Greet -- not there. Went to the baggage carousel -- not there. Went back to where I started and heard my name called. HALLELUJAH!! Turns out they'd spotted me at the luggage carousel but I was too far ahead of them -- they'd been following me through the airport trying to catch up. I was so happy to see them I hugged them. Yay, Severina (mostly) conquers her Hug Phobia!
Cris is soft spoken, kind, smart, stubborn and gorgeous (and also, she really does have porn hair.) Jackie is funny as hell, also smart, not quite so stubborn, absolutely pixie adorable, and has the cutest accent on the planet. In short, they are both awesome and I love them.
Oh, and actually... two somethings went wrong. You see, Cris forgot our tickets! Luckily she lives close enough that we were able to scoot back to her house to get them, and then we were finally on our way. BERKSHIRES HERE WE COME.
We stayed in Great Barrington, about 10-15 minutes from Stockbridge. The whole area is so beautiful! Words truly cannot express it. Everything is a photo op. I mean, even the pharmacy is picturesque! There are massive trees everywhere along the streets and beautiful homes and lawns. And there's just such a sense of peace and calm. It's the kind of place where you sit on a big ol' porch sipping lemonade and watch the day slip by, and are just utterly content.
Above: The Town Hall in Great Barrington
We got settled in our room, only to discover that shadownyc (Carolyn) and her daughter Jenn were two doors away. Carolyn is exactly as kind and loving as she seems online, and Jenn is a firecracker! We all went out to dinner at a Japanese restaurant (it was my first time -- I had to ask for a fork instead of the chopsticks, heh) and, for me, began the process of getting to know each other. It was a lovely dinner.
Then... it was off to the play.
Okay, so we parked toward the back and got out to head toward the doors. Cris, Jackie and Jenn were walking several feet ahead, with Carolyn and I lagging behind. Suddenly Jackie appears at my side and quietly says, "Don't look left." So of course I look left.. TO SEE RANDY GETTING OUT OF HIS CAR. Right freaking there. Like, THERE.
Um. So I was GIDDY. Like, thrumming with excitement. And grinning like a loon. Carolyn might have hugged me and told me I was cute, but I don't really remember because RANDY WAS RIGHT THERE.
So I'm all, "Let's just stroll along, no rush" and I'm casually continuing to check out Randy because HE'S RIGHT THERE. Oh! And he was wearing The Green Sweater of Adorableness. (I don't care if it's actually a hoodie or different than the other one, it is from now on The Green Sweater of Adorableness to me. I am officially in love with that sweater.) So anyway, Randy pulls out this bakery box and after he got a few feet away from the car he lifts it up so it's blocking his face -- not from me, even though I was freaking out and squeeing inside I was mostly pretty silent outside except for the grinning like a loon thing, and he never even glanced my way, I don't think he noticed Carolyn and I at all -- there were just a group of fangirls at the front and I think he was just hoping not to be noticeable. Though you'd think he'd leave The Green Sweater of Adorableness at home if that was the goal.
Jackie and Cris had mentioned that there was an after-party that night, but I think I was in denial that this would mean a meet-and-mingle type thing. Anyway, I speculated that Randy had purchased a cake for their opening night party. Jackie found this amusing. :/ Mentally I imagined Randy and Gale Simon baking cupcakes or something. Um. (If you know what was really in the box, don't tell me. Actually, go ahead, tell me. My overactive fantasy life will not be damaged one iota.)
So anyway, after my giddy-squeeing-giggly reaction to Randy simply getting out of his freakin' car, I decided right then and there that I would NOT approach him at the after-party. I would be the embarrassing fangirl who giggles and snorts and acts like an idiot (and possibly vomits on his shoes), so I wanted to save myself, Randy, and all of fandom the humiliation. I still think it was a good call.
I met soooo many wonderful people before the play and during intermission. It was supremely weird to have so many people "know" me and be saying "I want to meet Severina" and giving me compliments. It was a NICE feeling, but still weird. :) That night I met catkrcl (Cat) and THAT made me giddy, too! And I finally met the Maureen that everyone refers to -- and she is one awesome lady. And there was kitkatbyte and her friend anoel... and for sure there were more. So many people!
Above: This was the thingy hanging on the wall inside the theatre.
The play itself -- I won't go into detail because you can read it better in any of the online (newspaper) reviews that the play is getting.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE PLAY SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.
Let me just say, it is just as good as everyone is saying. It's BETTER than everyone in saying. Every single actor on that stage completely embodies their parts from the moment they step out until the minute the play ends, and for actor playing characters with so many mental neuroses and physical twitches, that's an amazing thing to see. Randy SHINES as Billy... you absolutely have to watch him when he's on stage. In the early part of the play, he is a nervous wreck -- pulling at his clothes and skin, unraveling his socks, hiding away from everyone. He very subtly shows the shift as Billy gradually gains confidence, and then the moment when he breaks down at the end is heart-wrenchingly tragic. Tommy Schrider is also absolutely amazing as Dale Harding; his role is much different from Randy's and he is equally as impossible not to watch when he's on the stage. I also loved the way they handled the transitions from scene to scene -- a sort of slow-motion/stop-motion effect in which the other characters move very.slowly. to their next position while the lights dim and a spotlight shines on Chief Bromden as he gives a brief monologue. Very effective.
There are many comic moments, and everyone's timing is impeccable. That's not something I remember at all from the film version (my only other experience with Cuckoo's Nest and the single most disturbing film of all time.) I think Linda Hamilton's Nurse Ratched was a subtler version of the character as well -- in the film, at least in my memory of it, there's no doubt that Nurse Ratched is an evil bitch. Linda's interpretation was a little softer -- she seemed to play it as though the character believed that she really was helping these patients, as least somewhat. I liked the change, because it made the character more real. Evil people don't go around cackling and thinking they're evil -- they think they're right and that their actions are just. That's what I got from Linda's performance, which made the fates of McMurphy and Billy, and the Nurse herself, even more tragic.
Wow, I guess I did want to talk about the play. Heh.
SPOILERS END HERE.
This was my first time seeing Randy on stage... I'd read fan's review of Amadeus and Equus, and knew that he roundly gets great reviews. But SEEING it is so different from reading about it. I left his production with two thoughts: that Randy is an INCREDIBLY gifted actor, more than I had ever imagined from knowing him only as Justin. And that the production of Suddenly Last Summer that I saw with Gale? Was like a high school theatre workshop. (Oh Gale.)
So afterward was the Opening Night After-Party where there are tents set up outside and pizza and veggies and fruit and dip and you stand around AND THE CAST COMES OUTSIDE AND MINGLES.
Oh. My. God.
So I saw Jonathon Epstein first. Then I saw Tommy Shrider hanging around by one of the tables. So I was just wandering around and suddenly Jackie appears by my side and takes my elbow and says "I want you to come stand by me." And I'm all "Why?", because I'm slow like that, and then I see it's because Randy is standing TWO FEET AWAY.
So I immediately turn into a giggly grinning idiot and I'm all OMG I HAVE TO GET A PHOTO and so I stepped forward a little and he looked up and smiled.
Above: Hello. It's Randy. Smiling at me.
Excited doesn't even describe it. My heart was pounding and I felt like I was shaking even though I wasn't (yes, I checked) and I couldn't stop smiling. I reverted instantly to 15 years old. ;) It's so hard to describe because I wasn't physically or overtly freaking out -- I was probably wild-eyed and grinny, but that's about it. So yeah, there was no way I could approach him or get his autograph (well, I wanted his autograph, but I wasn't going near him. And I was totally stupid and should have asked someone else to just get it for me, but I didn't. Because I was too busy NOT HAVING ANY HIGHER BRAIN FUNCTION DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF RANDY.)
So it was cool just standing around chatting with all the fangirls. Every once in a while I'd go, "Soooo, where's Randy?" and Jackie would be like "Look for the biggest crowd of people, that's always Randy." LOL So I'd stroll over and take a peek at what he was doing, and maybe take a photo (I took 5 in total) and then go back to my group. And then sometimes it would be, like, "hmm, I'll just get a carrot stick" and then I'd look up and Randy is standing right there a foot away chewing on some watermelon. He's just THERE when you're not even looking for him. It was surreal and freaky and I think I was literally bouncing for an hour. And couldn't actually say Randy's name in a normal tone of voice till the next morning. Heh.
Plus, I took more photos.
Above: Cris and Jackie, aka the most adorable photo ever.
Above: Jackie, Cris, and me
Above: Carolyn and Cat
Above: Right. There.
Linda Hamilton came out much later and I didn't see her mingle much, but she talked at length with several people. She mentioned that she was meeting friends. She is very very tiny and looked underfed. I wanted to grab a slice of pizza off the table and force-feed her.
Oh! And I spoke to Jonathon Epstein. It's such a non-event to me that I keep forgetting, though at the time I was very proud of myself for opening my mouth. He was walking toward me with someone -- maybe his wife? -- and I said... something. There were words. I am pretty sure it was four words. Hopefully they were four coherent and sensible words. I think he said "Thank you." See? I get like that with Jonathon Epstein, what would I be like with Randy? Geesh.
Someone in our group had overheard Randy saying that he wouldn't be going out because he was meeting Simon (*awwww* *squeeeee*) so we knew he wouldn't be at Michael's, but we headed over anyway for an after-play drink and conversation and squeeage. I honestly don't remember much. I was still on a high. And they took our photo for the website, which was fun. And then we finally headed back to the hotel for bed!
What an awesome day.
Saturday July 14th
We had lunch at an awesome little cafe called SoCo Creamery, took a quick walk through Great Barrington, and then it was off to Stockbridge for the day!
The town is adorable. Trees and shops and photo ops!
Above: This is probably someone's private home. I don't remember. LOL
Above: The famous Red Lion Inn. :)
Above: One of the little stores along the main street.
So we're walking along going into stores and chatting and having fun, and all of a sudden Cris goes, "Look, it's Linda Hamilton!" So I'm all WTF and I whip my head around and I'm all "WHERE?" and then Cris is like, "No! She's in there!" *points to store* "I mean, SHE'S not in there! It's a poster!" Gak and LOL.
I think it was when we stopped in to Stockbridge's SoCo Creamery so the girls could get ice cream that I saw the poster too. :) (Though I don't think "scarifying" is actually a word, is it?)
Above: Too bad they didn't have these for sale at the theatre.
Of course we HAD to go to Michael's for the obligatory photo op. We did photos of various groups of two of us, and then who comes walking down the street but CAT. YAY CAT. So she offered to take a photo of all three of us, and then we stood around talking, and poor Cat had only been parking the car and had a drink already waiting melting for her on the front porch of the Red Lion!
Above: Me, Jackie, and Cris. Cris's expression there is so totally this crazy Canadian is making me do this. I am really not this touristy freak. ;)
Above: Cat stays long enough for a photo and another hug. HUGS ROCK.
So I asked the girls if we could walk to the theatre for photos, and they agreed. I thought it was close. It's actually quite a hike. By the time we got there we just took these shots... I didn't walk to walk all the way around the other side to the unicorn. Me = lazyass.
Above: The theatre.
Above: And a better view of the sign. :D
We spend a lot of time just cruising around through the town. Cat directed us to a restored Mission house, and scattered throughout the town there were all kinds of art sculptures on display as well. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my camera?
Above: The Mission
Above: I just love this photo. I really tried to frame it with the huge ancient tree and the little tiny Jackie and Cris in comparison. I think it turned out really nice.
Now, Stockbridge seemed to have a fairly large dog population. We saw tons of dogs. They even had pooper-scooper bags attached to their garbage bins in case you forgot one at home. But the next photo? I thought was going a little too far.
Above: Seriously. Are there are lot of non-English speaking visitors to Stockbridge that perhaps wouldn't understand a simple "Do not let your dog defecate on our yard"? Coz... really. The poop is even the proper colour.. *dies*
Carolyn had told us that she planned to spend a lazy friend-filled afternoon on the porch of the Red Lion, so we decided to head over and join them.
Above: Chatting and laughing on the porch.
Above: I adore this photo of Carolyn and Jenn. Look how happy they are!!
We went back to see the play again on Saturday night. There were some subtle differences in acting choices, particularly in the first 30 minutes. On Friday night, the actors were ON from the moment they hit the stage... on Saturday, it seemed to take them a little longer to hit their stride. Also, the collar of Randy's shirt, which he picks and pulls at throughout the play, was noticeably more ripped... one of the girls mentioned that he's going to have destroyed it within a few more performances!
Afterward, a bunch of us headed over to Michael's for karaoke! Now, we knew Simon was in town so we knew Randy wouldn't be there... but we stayed fairly calm and sedate (well, perhaps that's going too far... we stayed fairly non-fangirly) for about 30 minutes until we were sure he wasn't going to show.
Then we owned the place.
It was a QaF Fangirl Extravaganza.
kitkatbyte and anoel sang "Let's Hear It For The Boy", and we all sang along. Loudly. More people joined us, like bdeviled and wildsweet_angel, and more, because I totally don't even remember who was there, there was sooo many people around our tables. The staff kept taking photos of us. More of our group sang. There was an awesome local guy named "Jimmy P" who had an amazing voice that we cheered for a lot. One of the karaoke guys, A-Train, fell in love with our group and left the 'stage' to sing and dance with us. A-Train also made googly eyes at Cris.
Above: Here's A-Train dancing with some of the girls.
And towards the end of the night, I had the most awesome idea. Why not ask Jimmy P to sing "Save The Last Dance For Me" for us? Why not, indeed? Cat loved the idea and ran over to ask him... and he agreed. But first, the DJ announced that he wanted each and every last one of "The Ladies" onstage to sing a song.
So we all trooped up front to sing "I Will Survive". HEE!
Above: This photo is from the Michael's website. The whole gang!
There are tons of photos of the fangirls up on Michael's site for Saturday. Wheee!
Then it was time for Jimmy P to sing our song. And we sang along and danced and cheered and some of us may have recreated the prom dance, complete with scarf exchange. And it was cheezy and fun and hilarious and awesome all at once. And something ONLY a group of crazy fangirls could do.
Most everybody headed out after that, but Cris, Jackie, Carolyn, Jenn, Cat and Maureen and I stayed behind while the DJ played a few songs. In fact, we got kicked out when the bar was closing. But not before...
Above:... Cat and Maureen dueted on "I Think We're Alone Now"
and...
Above:... Maureen proved that she's the most awesome person in the history of the universe.
(Remember, I asked all you guys if you had problems with me posting any of the pics online, and you all said GO AHEAD. Yay! Because I clearly got some of the coolest pics ever.)
We said our goodbyes outside Michael's (*sniff*) and then Cris, Jackie and I proceeded to stay up till 4am chatting.
What an awesome day.
Sunday July 15th
Well, I already mentioned in an earlier post that I got back to Cris's place in New York only to find out that my flight had been cancelled and I'd been bumped to a Monday morning flight! After near-tears and frantic checking of other airlines, I found a different flight on a different airline at a different airport! This meant that I had to bid farewell (and it was almost a tearful farewell on my part... I am not normally that mushy but man, I surprised myself) to Cris and Jackie early -- Cris had to drive Jackie to Newark, which meant that Cris's AWESOME PARENTS drove me to LaGuardia.
And when that flight was delayed, I got in an hour later than expected. My poor friend Jen not only had to circle the airport for an hour looking for me, but she then had to hear me gush about Randy and awesome fangirls for the entire ride home. She's fabulous.
So that was it. It was, I believe, the best weekend I've ever had. All because of the new friends that I shared it with. Thank you Cris, Jackie, Carolyn, Jenn, Cat, Maureen, and everyone else who chatted, danced, sang, acted up, hugged, and otherwise made this an unforgettable experience.
Randy brought us together. And together, we shine. :D