forgive the lack of updates, as i’ve been helplessly swept up in the currents of life on the road in france! staying in a couple of cities without free wifi encouraged me to ‘unplug’ a bit more and embrace the experience. toss in a much-needed champagne-country rendezvous with the love of my life, and i was completely lost in the lifestyle!
we’re in our final city of the tour, lorient, near the west coast. several of us took a bus to the beach yesterday, and we had a lot of fun: walking along the endless coastline and beach paths, clambering over wet rocks, staking out misty vistas, and tucking into a huge bowl of fresh mussels.
two weeks ago i was in clermont-ferrand, a college town nestled amongst several dormant volcanos. we took a trip to see a volcano, but the thick fog that day prevented us, and we diverted ourselves well with jaunts in a couple of old medeival towns that embody the word ‘quaint.’
last week was reims, which was fantastic. monica flew in for a few days, and just in time, too. twenty minutes after her train arrived we were off to a champagne reception for the 40th anniversary of the theatre that was hosting our show. the next day we went to the Pommery champagne caves, and wandered just a fraction of the 11 kilometers of chalk tunnels that house thousands upon thousands of aging bottles of champagne. we wandered about the incredible huge gothic cathedral, and made friends with a docent in the beaux arts museum, which most notably had the famous painting of jean-paul marat in the bathtub. we also did what a young couple in love is required to do in france: we dressed up and went out for a romantic meal. la millenaire had one michelin star, and as far as i’m concerned, it deserved it! we felt posh as anything as waiters in tailored suits continually topped off our champagne glasses and brought course after course of incredible food.
unfortunately, monica had to leave before even getting a chance to see the show. i was sad, but it was amazing to have her here with me, even if only for a couple of days.
the show has continued to rock and be tons of fun to do. we are a hit everywhere we go in france, which is a wonderful feeling!
we really enjoyed our time in evreux. it’s a MUCH smaller town than paris- even the stage we performed on was several feet smaller in each dimension. it was strange to combat the sensation of a shrinking world as we did the show. when you’re used to eleven steps to your mark, and you get there in seven, things don’t feel quite right. it’s a good thing. adapting to new spaces forces us to never ‘settle’ with the play.
everything shuts down fairly early in evreux, but we figured out ways to have fun. we snuck onto a rugby field for some intense ultimate frisbee, and i learned how out-of-shape i’ve let myself become! we discovered a pool hall filled with billiard tables that are about 60 or 70% the size of pool tables we’re used to. what is it called? snooker? either way, it’s still big fun.
but the best night in evreux was when we all assembled in the hotel conference room, put out some wine and cookies, and had a very merry reading of the first full draft of my very first play, barbarians. what an amazing night that was for me! i never anticipated the emotional roller coaster that is professional actors throwing themselves head-long into words that i wrote. the play is far from finished, but there were things that worked well, and the whole thing rollicked along with energy and laughter, and i left the experience more determined than ever to complete the play and to take myself seriously as a playwright. the whole group attended, and everyone was so supportive and wonderful, and i feel very lucky to be in this inspirational place with this particular group of artists!
our tour continues tomorrow to clermont-ferrand, and i’ve been enjoying a couple of days off in paris. i’ve walked miles and miles in the last two days, and i’ve been enjoying it quite a bit! i’ve had incredible sidewalk cafe croque monsieur, more than one knock-out crepe beurre sucre, and some incredible vietnamese cuisine at le bambu in chinatown. i crawled around the giant ant farm that is the centre pompidou- i fell in love with works by chagall, otto dix, max ernst. i relaxed in the gardens of the louvre and pondered caesar’s sculpture. i hiked for miles and climbed up the thousand steps to the giant stone sacre-coeur basilica, at the highest point in the city. i wandered down from there into pigalle, which might be the lowest point in the city, with its rows upon rows of sex shops, peep shows, and strange burlesques. i did get a picture of the moulin-rouge, though! even in pigalle the boulevard was lined with trees and park benches, and i watched people pushing strollers and walking their dogs, seemingly oblivious to the lurid business about them!
today a few of us head outside the city to meet our director for a fancy several-course brunch with dancing! time for some tango.
i think whirlwinds are as french as baguettes and berets- when you breeze into paris on a train and find you have 36 hours to kill, a whilrwind is precisely what ensues.
my last days in orleans were pretty great- our shows continued to get multiple ovations and we had fun celebrating after the last performance. i woke up one morning to the sounds of firecrackers and shouting. i looked out my skylight to see an enormous plume of black smoke. turns out local farmers were protesting- the exact reason was lost in translation, but they definitely made an impression on me with their stacks of burning tires, huge piles of hay dumped at major street crossings, and smashed vegetables everywhere. it was the smelliest protest ever!
i head downstairs in a few minutes to make my first visit to the paris suburb of creteil, where i’ll see the theatre we’ll perform in tomorrow night for the first time.
while getting lost in orleans when i had to be at rehearsal was not fun, i’ve had fun getting lost in paris for the past two days. i’ve braved the metro, wandered through the gardens of the louvre, experienced sunday mass at notre dame, and peeked about the base of the giant arc de triomphe. in typical neil fashion, i’ve peppered it with some clearly-homesick activities, such as air hockey at the carnival, a tarantino film, and a big cheeseburger at the bastille.
france so far has reminded me of new england. i know that’s backwards- that, if anything new england should remind one of france. but the bracing fall chill, the narrow streets and the amazing trees all make the comparison for me. that notre dame reminded me of the mines of moria from lord of the rings is probably also blasphemous.
after a week in france, i’m finally starting to get my biological bearings. a solid ten hours of sleep and i’m rarin’ to get to this week of rehearsals and performances.
yesterday we took a bus out into the ancient, protected forest and encountered the majestic enormity that is Château de Chambord. King François I built the immense castle as a hunting getaway and only used it for a total of 71 days! we wandered the double-helix staircase and along the upper spires and took in the miraculous views. it was a cool, clear day and we wandered onto the giant lawn and had a picnic. we heard the loud cracks of gunfire from the woods as hunters attempted to curb the out-of-control white boar population.
i am on the very-top floor of our little hotel, in a pitched-roof garret that makes me feel European and artistic. i’ve just begun to draw a hot bath, and i’ll stare blankly out the skylight window as i soak. then it’s a few hours of fine-tuning followed by dress rehearsal tonight!
completely exhausted as i make my way through my first week in orleans. i don’t remember having jet lag this badly before- i’m falling-down tired by 830PM and i pop wide awake by 430AM and i can’t seem to adjust it.
but i have enjoyed my mornings: hot baths, video chats with my sweetheart, long strolls about town, and many leisurely breakfasts here in the hotel: cafe au lait, fresh croissants with blackberry confiture, and a baguette or two with homemade honey. i feel positively civilized each morning when i march into the dining area deliver a sing-songy bonjour! to my host, and sit down in one of the mis-matched antique chairs to a delicious spread.
we had our first fully-teched run-through of the play today: i.e., we performed it all the way through with full lights, costumes, sound, and fake blood. it went great! i can’t wait to see how the locals like it. we’ve been fielding quite a bit of press already, and there are posters all over town with our names on them! the theatre has a massive house, and the four performances here in orleans are all well on their way to sold out.
several times now during rehearsal of a scene my eyes have wandered skyward and accidentally locked on the large black display that provided bright-red subtitles (or is it supertitles?) of our lines in french. it’s quite shocking and a little unnerving- but at the same time it entrances me. i’ve fallen completely out of the play once or twice, just lost staring at these strange words glowing above us. i wonder how it will change the show to have the audience reading along- will they ever take their eyes off the titles and watch what we’re doing? or will they just read?
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today i put on a costume that had been waiting for me for a year and a half. the suit jacket still had my glasses in the pocket, and my tie was still knotted. the shoes still hurt a little, and they carried me across the same expansive red carpet. all these things had traveled precisely 3447 miles to meet me here in france.
it’s a good reunion. i feel dapper in my skinny black suit, like a politician from ancient Rome, like a member of JFK’s cabinet, like a professional Shakespearean actor.
a castmate has a guidebook that does not recommend orleans to those visiting france. they say too much of it was destroyed in the war, and that there are several cities here of superior beauty. i’m completely enchanted, though. i’m groggy from jet lag, yet i still feel invigorated and inspired by my long strolls down narrow, laid-brick streets. the arches and the rough-hewn wooden gates and the iron balconies remind me that i’m in the ‘old country,’ yet i have no idea how old any particular thing is. i wish i could steal some knowledge from my dad or my aunt bobbi so that i could identify the art and architecture i see all around me.
i’m staying in the attic of a tiny and quaint hotel, and i walk ten minutes through this beautiful city to rehearse in a giant publicly-funded theatre. i stuff my face with baguettes every chance i get. so far it’s a pretty nice life!
