Fun and Pig Parts

The point is to keep on keepin' on, and when you start to watch a depressing movie turn the sucker off! Better yet, go to the opening of a silly show where you can get some belly laughs.

After the Premiere of "(Title Too Long to Spell Backwards - we'll call it "Hog") last night, Plot's favorite playhouse set out their usual post-premiere spread of food and sweets and wine. "Hog" is being mounted in the smaller 50-seat second stage, while "Sue Lou A-ooo Shoe Hugh Eww Rue" is still running in the next room on the main stage. By the time the party started most of the patrons from "Sue Lou" had gone home but all the actors were there, and the actors from "Hog," and the set designers and director and all the critics who, like Plotnik, do love complaining about everything but hot pizza.

Even the Grumpy Guys were there and they were into the mushroom with sausage.

It's always fun to talk to local actors who you've seen in many shows at various theaters over the years, and remind them of the pleasure they've given you in earlier roles as well as the current show.

The fun is that these are such shy people off stage! Always! "Gee, gawrsh, well I'm sure happy you liked it, shoot, thanks for comin'."

Of course, you just saw them bite somebody's ear off and slather it with pig parts on stage. An hour later they're all Gee and Gawrsh.

Plot really likes all three actors in Hog and one of them was Bob Crachit in the Playhouse's wonderful spoof on A Christmas Carol a few years ago and every time Plotnik runs into him he tells him that whatever role he just did was almost as good as Bob Crachit.

Last night Plotnik did it again and the actor said "Gee. Gawrsh. Thanks."

It felt good to revel a tiny bit, to kvell about the Playhouse's success, not only because they always choose wacky and well-acted plays but because they're really nice people. A husband and wife team runs the company, and this time one is starring on one stage and one directing on the other. Two cool shows at the same time and lots of people attending both.

That and an earlier party during the day for dear neighbors who are moving to a house they bought in the Shmerkeley hills, along with their two little kids who Plottie has had a lot of fun playing with for the last year, helped smooth over some rough edges Plotnik has been feeling about what comes next with his mom.

It's not that she's critical. Maybe she'll get better, right? But she can't always keep getting better, isn't that right too? None of us can, though, once again, for the jazillionth time, the lesson can only be the obvious one: do it while you can, live it while you can, see it while you can, taste it while you can and love it all except for the shitty hostels, because that love, that taste, that vision, that life tends to get squeezed out of us if we let it. Even if we don't let it. But especially if we do.

And don't rent "Iris" unless you're just too happy.