Brian's NYC

Every once in a while, when you get too busy with life to find time to write about it, you end up putting it off even longer because you just have too much to write about. So let's just get it out of the way. Here's my whole life update since the last time:

Sort of forgot this thing existed. Actually, I never forgot it existed, I just keep putting off updating it because thinking about my lack of updating has become a thorn in my side. The last update I did on something going on in my life was on May 20, when the crane around the corner from my apartment collapsed on the street. While foot and street traffic has resumed near the intersection of 91st and 1st, construction has not resumed, and the Duane Reade at the foot of the accident remains closed. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to sum up my life in a series of bullet points, and see where that takes us?

• I made my New York theatrical debut in June with a reading of a new play based on the children’s book Gossamer. It was produced through New Plays For Young Audiences, an annual reading series put on my NYU’s Educational Theatre Graduate program. The process lasted only one week, with rehearsals Sunday through Friday, and performances Saturday and Sunday. It was an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience to get to work with the writer of the novel, who adapted the story for the stage. It was nourishing as an actor to have any answers or challenges to my questions at any time, she knew the characters and situations so well. Aside from that, though, the show lacked something. Something big, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. True commitment to the project, dedication and heart, perhaps? The reading ended up staged, a compilation of ideas for a full staged production which our director would be putting on at his children’s theater company in the fall. He seemed more concerned with the actual script than anything that we were doing, which was frustrating at best. The other actors were cool, I guess, but I really only feel like I got along well with one, and of course we didn’t share any of the same scenes! Needless to say, only Ashley, Sean, and Tina were invited to the reading. Not the best experience for my NYC debut, but it was work. I have to keep telling myself that.


• I have moved on from my situation at Vento, and am now serving at a New Orleans/Cajun joint called the Delta Grill in Hell’s Kitchen, on 9th Ave. at 48th St. It’s a bit more divey than my last restaurant, but the money is comparable, and consistent, which is the most important thing! I work half the amount of hours in a restaurant that is a quarter of the size. It’s pretty amazing. Brian got me the job, and so far it is so much more relaxing, I’m having a lot of fun, and I’m able to focus my concentration on many other more important things. Vento became more than the survival job it was intended to be, and it was time for a change.


• With more time on my hands, Thursdays have been Tier 1’s (my merchandiser friends from Wicked) weekly outing to central park to lay out in the sun, catch up, and enjoy each other’s company. We even got a visit from our very own Ranger Jack, a fellow Tier 1-er. Check out the picture, and see the fun you are missing.


• I've been seeing someone special recently, but it's still young and it's exciting, so that's all I'm going to say about it.


• In the middle of August, Ashley and I will be moving out of our apartment on 93rd St. We're definitely ready for the change, because the construction around our neighborhood is just so unbearable. They moved the construction back to the other side of the street again, which is nice because we can now only hear the drilling, and not feel it as much in the apartment. But it also means we have to listen to more traffic, honking, etc. Unfortnately, we will not be moving into an apartment together. Ashley works from home, and I feel I have become increasingly distracting to her being productive, so we are moving into situations that will hopefully better suit us, so she will have a more peaceful work environment during the day (and be in a totally cooler neighborhood!), and I will be moving in with a dear old friend, Ryan Murray, who is much further along in his development as a Broadway performer than I am. My new place is in Harlem, which is much more accessible to the rest of the city than the UES. I am confident that this is a right decision for us both, and while we will miss seeing each other on a daily basis, we are ending our relationship as roommates on extremely amicable terms.


• Last weekend I traveled to California to attend Heather Vaughan's wedding! It was a beautiful and poignant ceremony, simple yet elegant, followed by a casual reception at a nearby reception hall. A few of us former Nakeds got together and sang "Artichoke" (with Heather singing Alana's solo, dedicating the lyrics such as "my my you're just like egg" and "dip you in the butter" to her new husband!), which was a ton of fun, and I enjoyed seeing everyone and celebrating Mike and Heather's special day!

Let's hope I can be better about coming up with funny, clever, and interesting things to write about!