Two Items of Exciting News!

Two items of big news from the sovereign nation of Travyland to report on, manifested in an amazing day yesterday!

Thanks to a referral by an academic friend, I found myself shuttled up to Cornwall-on-Hudson yesterday to be interviewed for Josh Greenbaum’s upcoming documentary Playing POTUS. I was already a fan of his films Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of The Dana Carvey Show(2017) and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021). And it was only just announced that he’s slated to direct the sequel to Mel Brook’s Spaceballs! Needless to say, I was thrilled to chat with him for a couple of hours about the history of comedians impersonating American Presidents. And thrilled by another order of magnitude to know who ELSE is in this movie, although I don’t feel empowered to divulge their names (several movie stars and political professionals who won’t surprise you). Knock wood! One can always wind up on the cutting room floor, but I’ll be over the moon and then some if I wind up in the finished product.

Went straight from there down to the Old Stone House in Brooklyn for the launch party of my old friend John Devore’s new book Theatre Kids: A True Tale of Off-Off Broadway, just released yesterday by Applause. It’s a memoir, but also provides a wonderful window into the indie theatre scene of the early 21st century. I make a cameo appearance in the pages, but the much bigger buy-in, beyond John’s heartfelt and well-captured story, and incisive wit, is the fact that the beautiful cover was designed by my beautiful wife.

Last night’s launch event proved a reunion of many old friends, many of whom I’d known and collaborated with for over 20 years, an added bonus to a celebration of the book and its author. I took just a few snaps to remember the night by:

Don’t worry folks, that’s a soda. This one-time wild man has been sober for over a decade. Coming as I do from a family where many have fought the demon of addiction, I couldn’t be more proud of the bearded bastard. Get his book here.