5/17/02

Hi Everybody!

I’m sitting here in my first ever pair of drug store reading glasses trying to make my little boy Ethan a Spiderman mask from red panty-hose, a sharpie, scissors and a staple gun. Humility comes in large and small doses.

Which is probably a good thing…

Speaking of good things, I was the recipient of many last week. After months of work, we performed the musical Godspell to nightly standing ovations. What a great experience! I have done artist–in-residency work before but never anything approaching this length or commitment of time. I made so many new friends and wonderful memories! I guess my acting was actually okay because I was literally offered a leading role in a different musical before I got out of make-up last Sunday night. The responses we received were genuinely heart warming and I am so proud of our cast (which included my daughter Sarah and my son Ethan). One woman came up to me with tears in her eyes and said (this is true…) "It was so moving; just like watching one of the Bee Gees get crucified". Humbling indeed.

The role of Jesus was actually quite physically demanding. Not only was I on stage the whole time in my blue denim duster and Chuck Taylors (a very cool look for a messiah…) but I had to sing, dance, and simulate a very dramatic death while tied to an (supposedly) electric fence. I was losing so much weight , nightly, that, after the third show, two of my "disciples" presented me with commemorative goggles. Members of the audience actually inquired as to how we did the "fake sweat" effect after watching me writhe  violently against pulsing red back lighting, while every turn of my head caused my hair to swing wildly and send sheets of perspiration cascading onto my poor apostles. It was obviously they who needed the goggles!

My heartfelt thanks to our director Claire Cowperthwaite; also Pat Waters, Kevin O’Connell, Cathy Weaver and the entire cast and company for allowing me the opportunity to try something new, to grow a little as an artist, and to have so much fun. Now if I can only get these songs out of my head...

Peace (and laughter) be with you!

John