Show Some Emotion

"I have perceiv’d that to be with those I like is enough,
To be surrounded by beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh is enough,

I do not ask any more delight—I swim in it, as in a sea."

Walt Whitman, "I Sing the Body Electric"

So my buddette, my improv guru, my Bunny girl was in town and one gray morning we went to Mother Fool's for some hot chocolate with her dear friend Gilly (pictured on the left).

We were all kind of tired and blah and did I mention it was gray outside?

And then...
Until...
I fired up my cell phone camera and simply said something like, "You are so excited to be here you can hardly stand it" and immediately they struck a pose. They were game. They woke up. In the spirit of all terrific scene partners, they didn't think or argue or comment or do anything but say YES. And then they posed. And since we live in 2008, a world of instant feedback, we viewed the photo immediately. And they giggled delightedly.

Well. This was the beginning of our 'photo shoot.' I tossed out different emotions—confused, angry, afraid, etc... for more posing. The ennui disappeared, as did the hot chocolate. Some of the kazillion poses:



After we tired of that 'kind' of posing I suggested hand posing and tossed out ideas such as, "You're in a haunted house and just heard a funny sound," or "You are Rockettes, dancing at Radio City Music Hall."



And then some foot posing! Yes, indeed, foot posing. Why limit expressiveness to just faces or hands? More scenarios and premises. None of us quite remember what they were, but just by looking at the photos I think perhaps there were suggestions about fleeing, best friends, bravery, shyness.



Who knew that four feet could reveal so much emotion? (Not this pony.)

Then we put our socks and boots back on, bundled up, drove back to Gilly's house singing, making up songs about the sun and the weather, wailing, screeching loudly, laughing, laughing, laughing all the way home.

4 Wigs, 3 Macaroni Sculptures & a U.S. Senator

So who was sitting in the front row of my recent performances of Oy & Joy to the World but Russ Feingold, U.S. Senator extraordinaire. I mean, really.

There I was taking off wigs, adding a boa, playing my $1.26 guitar I bought on ebay (and paid $35.00 to ship) all the while thinking, look what I do for a living and look what you do for a living.

Throughout the entire show I kept wondering: Does Russ think this is funny? Is Russ having a good time? Is Russ going to do the singalong at the end about making art?

All six shows were packed, wild and juicy. People showed up expecting to be entertained and boy oh boy, were they ever. Each audience has its own vibe and flavor, making the improvised segments the most fun. A highlight: a man asked Pet Psychic Zelda Goosebump why his goldfish would only swim backwards and Zelda suggested he try standing near the bowl with a mirror.

When Russ yawned I got nervous and worried that I wasn't exciting enough. Then I remembered that he shuffles way more paper than I do and he could be just a tiny bit fatigued due to his ginormous workload.

What a week. Six sold-out shows at a Chinese restaurant where the staff who work in the back—which is where I hang out—only speak Chinese and look at me funny in my purple hair and turquoise boa.

My favorite part: After hanging up the theatre lights I set up the coatrack with all of my props—including but not limited to— 4 wigs, 2 hats, 1 boa—and then stood in the back of the room, looked at the scene, and thought, "What an odd and unique way to make a living." I thought of the women whom I admire, whose work inspired and continues to inform my own work: Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner, Lily Tomlin, and thought, "How blessed am I."

Happy New Year y'all.