I've just had an hour-long jaccuzi and two Exedrin PM, so I'm too fileted to get into the whole story, but the abbreviated version is I met this playwright last year after a permormance of his one act FEEDER: A Love Story. He got my name from the mailing list sign-in sheet in the lobby, and phoned me to discuss the needs of the play. (The needs were many.) He asked for technical assistance with a yet-to-be-written second act, and I hooked him up with a peep or two possessing practical knowledge of the subject matter. The rest was written, and today I got an e-mail from Mr. Carter, quoting The Daily News thusly:

Tony Bennett's daughter Johanna will soon be treading - or trampling - the boards in a new play. At the We Are Family benefit, the actress told us she'll be co-starring in "Feeder," wearing a fat suit to play a masochist who is force-fed by a sadist. (Yes, it's a sexual thing.) Playwright James Carter is developing the production out of a one-man show he performed last year. Later at the benefit, Johanna's dad told us, unrelatedly but appropriately: "New York is the capital of the world - there's nowhere like it. Anything can happen here."

What? Weren't there any real live fat actresses with popses famous enough to draw the much needed attention (and backing)?

I'll never forget the first time I saw Equus live. Yikes! There's a naked stranger just four feet from me! So different from naked strangers in the movies. I'm thinking I may have the same reaction seeing a fat suit in the non-flesh.

Sure hope I can keep from blurting that out in the middle of the play.

4 comments:

James Carter said...

Hello,

I just wanted to let you know that Ms. Bennett was let go. She was not right for this role for many reasons, not the least was I've always wanted a woman who physically suits the role.

The play has changed a lot; the second character is integrated now, and there are several scenes with the lovers together, including a scene where he feeds her.

I've been working very hard over the past few months to re-align the show to portray a unique love story. We're doing a workshop of it now, and more info is at http://www.terranovacollective.org We have one more show on Wednesday, and then there'll be a bit of a break. Hoping to have a fully realized production sometime next year.

Thanks for everything, and I hope you're well.

Best,
James

Miss P-Pie said...

Good to hear, James. Hope your new more substantial actress works out. And while I have a theater person on the line, any way you can direct Thursday's thunderstorms away from the Delacorte in Central Park? We've got good seats for Hair, and dinner reservations, pre-theater.

Guess I gotta call Pat Robertson for that, huh?

Take care.

Miss Pleasure Pie

James Carter said...

Ha! I think it stayed nice and dry, but perhaps a little warm for you tonight. Hope "Hair" was fun.

Best wishes,
James

Miss P-Pie said...

I dressed for the heat and had a great time. But people were so miserable, when the rare breeze would blow across the theater during a quiet moment in the performance, you could hear the groans of pleasure throughout the audience.

Sadly, the stickiness appeared to prompt some folks to leave before the last act. Either that, or they were Bush/war supporters who didn't know what they were in for.