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Randy's Play Harbor - And Yes, Photos!
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Janet (confused_bliss) and I had tickets to two performances of Randy's play while we were in town this week. Saturday we took a 'trial run' to the theater by subway so we would know the layout a little better. We discovered where the theater was without too much trouble. It was in a rather nondescript area among other businesses and shops, and had a wall of glass for its facade:We went into the theater once it opened to snag a few photo cards of the play (one of which Randy signed in the photo above) and take a few lobby shots of the play banner inside:
I also found out to my disappoinment that there would not be any copies of the poster available unfortunately. Ugh. Would have loved one! But I picked up a few extras of the photo cards to give to other fans later. I was also surprised by how tiny the 'lobby' was. It was pretty much just a narrow strip for the ticket office and a pathway to move back and forth; not really a lobby in the true sense of the word. There were steps leading up to the bar (also tiny), as well as ones leading down to the restrooms and a way to enter the theater for the play (there were three stages inside in total; Randy's was being held in Stage A). At this point we could not actually see any of the stage itself, however.
We stopped at Bloomingdale's on the way back to the hotel and had a little fun at Brian Kinney's expense as we took some photos inside of some of his favorite clothing brands:
Of course, with Janet and I both being fan fic writers, we were both trying to envisions what sort of stories to write to take advantage of these photos - ha! We were both checking out where the 'fitting rooms' were for a little B and J action But I digress - LOL!
We arrived later at the play, scheduled to start at 8:00, way too early (cab ride was way shorter than we had anticipated), but at approximately 7:20 we found Trish (toto_too514) outside by the entrance and I introduced her to Janet and we talked for a while unitl we could enter the theater for the play.
The stage was exactly as it has been shown online, resembling a Victorian home at Sag Harbor on Long Island and furnished with antique furniture. There was a desk and chair in the far left, rear corner, a 'wet bar' that also served later as a bathroom vanity during one scene, a loveseat and chair and ottoman in the center, and a buffet-type piece along the far back wall, along with a corner bench-type chair in the far right, rear corner. Some other pieces would be brought out in between scenes as well depending upon what was needed.
The first scene involved setting up how Kevin's (Randy's) sister and niece arrived at Sag Harbor to 'visit' him. Randy could already be seen in the far left corner in a shadowed part of the stage during this time, sitting at a desk. Parts of the stage would be lit, depending upon which characters were being highlighted at any given time. Soon, he made his first appearance ('officially') with his husband as he struggled to work on a pamphlet about the local community. I had to smile as his 'husband' told him how he was the 'artist' (shades of Justin Taylor) when he fretted over his architect husband being able to write the words betterfor the pamphlet than he could.
And it sounded a little 'familiar' as Kevin's Randy's husband asked how which type of 'international' coffee he wanted, and he answered "Irish" as his husband reached for the liquor bottle to 'liven up' his drink just a bit.
During the first show, Trish, Janet, and I sat on the right side in the third row, which provided us with some great views of Randy at times, depending upon the scene. Alas, the 'shirtless' scene in the poster was performed on the left-hand side (which gave us something to look forward to Sunday, when Janet and I were on the left side), but it was still so close to the stage that it really didn't matter. One thing I immediately noticed when the bathroom scene was performaned was that Randy has bulked up - you could clearly see more definition in his chest/abs, and his biceps seemed larger. At one point in the scene, Kevin's (Randy's) husband wraps his arms around Randy's chest as Randy's character places his arms over his, and his husband nuzzles his neck and gives him kisses on his shoulder. OMG.
In most of the scenes, Randy was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved top, reminiscent of what you would see during a typical, Long Island town during the summer. It also provided me with a great view of Randy's legs (hey, I didn't say this would be a critique of the play only - ha!). At various times he would be wearing either a pair of sneakers or sandals, depending upon the scene. In the final scenes, his character was wearing a brown-and-white plaid shirt over a v-necked dark-colored shirt, sneakers, and a pair of skinny-type, either gray or washed-out black jeans - very attractive.
One scene I had to laugh where Lottie, the 15-year-old girl played by Alexis Molnar, was having a birthday party thrown for her and Kevin's sister Donna was commenting on how Randy's character was the 'little woman' in his marraige. He then commented caustically how he was "not the little woman," just before he put on a rhinestone tiara with pink (?) feathers on it (of course, the audience tittered after that).
There were several scenes where Randy smiled in character, which was great (anytime Randy smiles is great!), and one part where a drunk and stoned Kevin danced a little bit, which was nice to watch.
The play itself was approximately two hours long, with a 15-min. intermission in between. After the show ended and the actors took a couple of bows, Trish, Janet, and I exited the theater and waited in the narrow lobby by the play advertisement where a door led from the theater. Within a few minutes, Randy emerged along with the other actors and we had a chance to speak with him! Being familiar with both of us (especially Trish), he was introduced by Trish to Janet, who had never met him before, and I had a chance to present him with a gift that I had brought him - a piece of framed art approximately 12 X 15" which was made by a local NYC artist and constructed completedly out of NYC Metro subway cards, which I thought Randy would appreciate:
He thanked me and asked if he could have the plastic bag that I had brought it in, which I gave him, and he shook Janet's hand as they were introduced, and I believe Janet mentioned that we would be returning tomorrow to see the show again. Shortly, he took off after signing my photo card (first photo in this post), holding what appeared to be a motorcycle or moped helmet (?). Not sure. We did not get a photo (that time!), but were resolved to hopefully ask for one on Sunday afternoon after the matinee. Randy was very polite and kind to us, and seemed very relaxed that night.
The next day, Janet and I were by ourselves, and arrived at approximately ten minutes before the show was to start at 3. This time we were in the second row on the left, so we had the opposite perspective of the show. Randy again was front and center during several scenes, probably within 10 feet of us (this is a pretty small theater!). We had amazing seats for the bathroom scene (I wasn't complaining!). One interesting aspect to the show was that the actors for the most part would remain on stage while the others were highlighted, so after the bathroom scene were Ted (Kevin's/Randy's husband) had his arms wrapped around his chest and Kevin had his hands clasped on top, Randy and the other actor had to remain that way in an embrace for several minutes in shadow while the two actresses spoke their lines.
There was a capacity crowd for this show, and they were very enthusiastic about it, both during the intermission and afterward. After the show was over, Janet and I walked back out to stand by the same door that we had stood at the day before, hoping that Randy would come out that way again. The first three performers eventually came out, but no Randy. Finally, after approximately 10 - 15 minutes, here he came! He was wearing a pair of light-colored shorts, a v-necked, short-sleeved navy-blue shirt, and a backpack. I walked up to him and said hello and Janet asked him if he would sign her playbill, which he did. I then asked if she could get a photo with him. Janet told me he spoke to her while I was taking the photo, asking her where she was from, thanking her for coming, and wishing her a safe trip back home. I then asked Randy for a photo myself, and if he had had a chance to look at the artwork I had given him the night before. He smiled and said yes, that it was great, and he wrapped his arm around me while Janet took our photo. I also told him that there seemed to be a lot of great buzz for the show from the crowd, and he seemed pleased with that. He was very gracious to us, but seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, probably because he had another show later that night, so we said goodbye and he walked outside and turned left, walking quickly down the street away from us.
Oh, and probably what you are waiting for - the magnificent, Randy smile that we received!
And one of him signing Janet's playbill:
Another wonderful time with beautiful Randy! If you get a chance to go see the play, you will not regret it. The theater is small and intimate, just perfect for a little Randy admiration. Thanks for reading! And I want to thank Janet for coming along for the ride. It was the first time we had met in person, and it's been great sharing this with her!