March 27, 2009

I am listening to The Grand Canyon Suite and hope to finish here tonight what took place Monday and Tuesday.

As usual, I was the last one out of the theatre. It always takes me awhile to get off the makeup and pack it up, and all the other gear. Fortunately, I had Rodd Sovar to help me. Friends In Deed had got a donation from a car service called Attitude, so I was able to put all my bags in the car while I went to the party. I don't do well at parties like that, so I admit I had a Maredsous ale from Belgium to make me more of a "people person."

At the party Michael Borowski was waiting for me. Libba Wilkes and her daughter Alexandra were also at the front door. They had come up from Mississippi to see the show, but I had told them in advance that I probably wouldn't be able to talk to them much at the party. I introduced Libba to David Zippel and his partner. Michael B. pointed me towards Ken Kleiber and I did an on-camera interview with him. Due to the powerful ale and the headiness of the whole thing, a lot of the party is blurry. I chatted with Elisa Lefkowitz, the literary executor of the Kirkwood estate, and Arthur Beckenstein, the beneficiary. Both of them were pleased and excited. Arthur's partner was also pumped, and a friend of theirs from Buenos Aires was very effusive about the evening. Cy O'Neal was there; John Kelly, too. I was re-introduced to Ultra Violet who I hadn't seen for 20 years. Michael then pushed me toward a New York Magazine reporter who was doing a story about the party.

I got home very late (the car had to make a detour coming down Seventh Avenue) but I was too wired to go to sleep immediately. So I watched the end of the finale of RuPaul's Drag Race! I found out from Charles the next day that he was up until after 4 am. I fell asleep at 3, but woke up at 6!

Biff Liff, agent for the estate, called about 11:20 Tuesday morning to tell me how much he enjoyed the evening, and that he would speak with Elisa and Arthur.

I stumbled through the day, receiving calls and answering emails, and did take a nap at 4 pm for one hour. I could have gone longer, but knew I needed to get back on a regular schedule, so I made myself stay awake. At 7:30 I left my apartment to walk to Orso where I had dinner with Libba, Alexandra and Fabio. We were there for over 3 hours! We had a lot of fun yakking and eating.

J.C. McClatchy was there by himself reading a book at a nearby table. I had met him before, and our eyes met, but I wasn't sure he remembered me, so I didn't say hello. He left, and then Gloria Steinem sat at his table! She was with 2 women, one of whom I met at "33 Variations" and was told at the time that she was Ms. Steinem's best friend.

"Guys and Dolls" must have had an early curtain, because Craig Bierko arrived for dinner with friends at the table next to ours.

During the day, I was hearing about all the celebs at the show the night before: Stephen Sondheim, Joel Schumacher, Liz Smith, Michael Kors, etc. And someone mentioned a visually stunning redhead, but no one knew who she was.

Well, there at Orso, in walked a visually stunning redhead, and all heads turned and a hush came over the place. I told Libba, Alexandra and Fabio about the redhead I had heard about the night before, and maybe that was her! I dared Alexandra to go to her table and ask if she was at the show the night before. Alexandra did, and it turned out to be Barbara Flood who was a model in the 1960s and was one of the investors caught up in the Bernie Madoff mess!

Fabio and I walked Libba and Alexandra to 34th and 7th and then put them in a cab to 34th and Lex. Fabio and I walked to my place, and said goodnight.

Wow! What an incredible last few days. As a Facebook friend of mine said (quoting Susan Hayward in the movie "Valley of the Dolls") we really rolled with the punches on Monday!