Party conversation

Last weekend I met an actor. We were both attending at a book party hosted in a Brooklyn apartment. The book was written by one of my colleagues; the actor was attending as the friend of one of the guests. I asked him what he had been in and he named a few shows, one of which ranks among my favorite. I told him I hadn'trecognized him and he told me the role he played. Then it became obvious. I told him he was one of my favorite characters that season. He laughed and said he looked somewhat different now.

I asked what he was working on currently, and he told me he was about to start rehearsals for Three Sisters. I asked if the play was written by Checkov and he said it was. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I had seen a play by that name in Boston, but I didn't remember any male roles. I asked if there were another play by that name. He said he was unaware of any.

Later, I realized the play I saw in Boston was Three Tall Women by Edward Albee. The play, as suggested by the title, is written for three female characters. As I was leaving, I said goodbye to the actor. I told him I'd make sure to see his play. I admitted that during out conversation I had been confused about his current production. To myself, I admitted it was possible he could have been in a trans-gender staging of the Albee play, but I hadn't thought to ask. He laughed and said he'd been in something similar in the past. He wouldn't rule it out.
Posted by eku at January 17, 2009 11:17 PM