Well, after five months of rehearsals and performance The Pinter Project is complete. We ended our run of The Birthday Party very strongly with oversold crowds. I heard rumor that The Pinter Project is the first show to not lose money at T. Schreiber Studios in several years. There’s probably a lot of factors in that, but I’m proud of the turnout we had.
I can say, without a doubt, that this is one of the greatest acting experiences I’ve had in my life. Heck, it’s on the short list of greatest experiences, period. The casts (both of them), the crew, the studio… all wonderful.
It’s been really fun getting feedback on The Birthday Party. A lot of different people from my life came to see the show, and all had different experiences and perceptions as to what the heck was going on. Some highlights:
One person thought Goldberg and McCann were figments of my imagination and when, in the end of Act 3, Petey says I’m still asleep, he really means it.
Another person thought Petey turned me in to Goldberg and McCann for revenge because I was having an affair with his wife.
One really great reaction that I think a lot of people who aren’t so keen on Pinter might understand was, “I liked it a lot more than I thought I would”.
But the reactions I was most proud of were of strangers coming up to me afterwards and saying they wanted to jump up and tell them not to take me away or somehow protect me from Goldberg and McCann. That is truly touching, and was exactly what I was hoping people would feel. I was very concerned with the fact that the audience wouldn’t sympathize with Stanley in the same way I did.
I’ve had a touch of PSD (Post-Show Depression) but it hasn’t struck me too hard yet. However, I am traveling to New Orleans this weekend to help prevent onset of that condition, and to celebrate my wife’s birthday with some friends.
Thank you everyone for coming to see the show and for supporting me through it. I will be posting pictures soon, but here’s a quick one of me and the other guys in the show. See! They really DON’T want to kill me:
