I've been trying to get in touch with C because I didn't want things to just end. We've been trying to get in touch with each other and finally made plans to meet tonight. I ended up staying late to meet her, grabbing some food to go at Clark's and jumping into her car to make it to a show before it started. Her friend was the piano player in Marathon 33 at the Straw Dog theater.
We were shovelling the food into our mouths as she worried that she was late. She was smitten with a new guy who was married (to another man) and didn't want to disappoint him.

Made it to the show late and got a special escort through the dressing room. At this point I had no idea what it was about, or even what the title was. I'd been backstage at shows before during my drama stint in high school and it's always a surreal place, this was even more so. People half dressed, running around, makeup caked on, clothes strewn around. There was a sailor in one corner, a corny thin mustachioed thirties gent and a few worn out depression era floozies. It made me remember what was so great about drama.
The play had started and the audience was a good number. It was opening night. Looking closer it seemed it was mostly relatives and friends of the cast. There were quite a few senior citizens in the seats, the type of people I normally wouldn't imagine going to see a show at small hole in the wall theaters like this one.
I have seen two plays in my life, one if you don't count Blue Man Group, so I'm not much of a critic. I just like the idea of watching actual people rather than film for once. At first it seemed like a good story; naive girl in the Depression joins a dance marathon while running away from home. She gets caught up with one shyster who convinces her to run away and compete in fixed dance marathons around the country. Or something like that. I wasn't really quite sure. There were so many subplots, stories that went nowhere and out of nowhere they would start dancing, singing or break into Vaudeville slapstick. They had the "I'll never go hungry again!" moment that seemed out of place and suddenly people would start fighting. Very confusing.
I loved the set though, old timey Chicago style, it really set the mood. I enjoyed the show though it brought out some inappropriate laughs at times. C's roommate, much more knowledgeable in theater than I am, couldn't wait for it to end, at one point trying to sleep on her shoulder.
I didn't have much time alone with C but it was great to see her again. I always forget how much I really have and concentrate on all the bad shit. I've never really appreciated it. Considering all that's happened I've made some great changes.

Exhausted after the play. C, her roommate, the piano player and I were going to get some drinks afterwards but since we were on my street I went home. By the time I got in the door my body was aching. I slept well.

One thing I have to mention, I never thought of myself as sheltered, if anything I am jaded but some things I've seen in the city have shocked me. Not anything too out of the ordinary, but usually people no one else notices get my attention, like the guy coming out of the bar dressed as a sheriff in a bad western with a star covered in glitter or people that look like they should be dead walking through a crowd like nothing's strange.
I love it, I love the oddities of society. I love it even more that no one seems to notice here. In Boston everyone would be watching and acting like they're disinterested.
The L is a strange place late on Friday night.