Feeling Rather…Drowsy!

voltee ♦ March 19, 2011 ♦ 4 Comments

Item: Dress Color/Fabric: Merlot, wool/silk Designer: Rebecca Taylor Where Purchased: Barney’s Co-Op Years Owned: Three

Hello, friends! How nice to be back! I have just been pulled in too many directions lately to think coherent enough thoughts for writing. I am looking forward to becoming more consistant again. I just don’t feel like myself when I can’t contribute to this.
And so I had every intention to write every night for the past week, but my plans kept getting derailed. Spontaneous house guests, stomach bugs, long, leisurely dinners, Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, and Day Light Savings Time recovery lead to a shortage of hours this week.
Now I feel ready to face another crazy weekend.
This is the good kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that I thrive on, that drives me to keep moving without looking back or pausing for breath. I’m in a show!
It’s called “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and I love it.
I remember buying the cast recording years ago, after it won a slew of Tonys, and thinking that it was very cute. It was never something I listened to often, and to tell the truth, I sort of forgot about it. Then my parents saw it on tour, and loved it, so I listened again, and liked it more. I thought it would be a fun show to be a part of.
But I had never seen it. So when I had the opportunity to go see a production in Brooklyn, jumped at the chance.
I’ve never gone to see a production of a show I was about to perform in before, and it made me a little nervous. But I was going with my dear friends, and cast members, Molly, Maria, and Vicki, and our director Kevin, so I knew we would have a grand time.
I had imagined the outfit that I wanted to wear. Sometimes a shirt, or skirt, or jacket, will spring up into my mind, and I will daydream it into a fabulous, virtual outfit. And I wile away the hours until I can try on the actual pieces and turn the dream into reality.
Sometimes, however, the dream turns into a nightmare.
Occasionally, the outfit will not survive the translation from dream to real life- the clothes just don’t look as good on my actual body as they did inside my head.
This is what transpired the day we were to see the show. Which left me with two options; wear a horribly awkward outfit, or find something entirely new to wear.
Somehow, I had left myself with only 20 minutes to get ready to leave. I decided to find something new, and since I had limited time, it had to be a dress. Quick and easy. Since it was winter, and chilly, I chose this dress, woolly with long sleeves, with tights and boots. And made it out the door with just seconds to spare!
What a night we had! It started with a very long drive with lots of laughs and gossip and a little Playboy Channel surprise. Delightful! We caught a quick bite to eat at Sidecar in Brooklyn, where a hip and handsome mustachioed bartender served us addictive ginger cocktails, and some sort of food. Then we watched the show.
I did not expect to cry. I truly never realized how touching the end of the show is. But, yes, tears!
Then we finished our evening with lots of guacamole at a little Mexican restaurant, here:

And made a vow to take such a field trip once a month.
I hope we do. Because I had such a fantastic time with these wonderful people, and I want more!
And I also don’t want our show to end. We’ve had 4 performances , and every one has been a blast. Part of it is that the show itself is just fun, part of it is the vision of our brilliant director, but a lot of it is the group of people involved in this production. Our cast is filled with wonderful and talented people who awe and inspire me with their effortless humor and gorgeous voices. Our crew is the best and hardest working anyone could hope for.
Every night there are new surprises, and I simply love this show. If you are in the area, please come see us! We close next Sunday, the 27th, and you can buy tickets here http://www.centerforperformingarts.org/comedy/item/the-drowsy-chaperone.
Enough shameless promotion! What about this dress? What I haven’t told you is that there is a rather large tear under the left arm that I haven’t found time to fix. But I do love this, and it’s fine if I don’t raise my arms up, right?

**Will I ever get rid of anything Rebecca Taylor? Maybe someday, but not this time. I still haven’t fixed that hole, though…