Another opening, another show

Opening night last night of Forget About Tomorrow, Jill Daum’s intensely personal play about the impact of early onset Alzheimer’s. Tour de force performances by my friends Garry and Donna as Tom and Jane, the couple struggling with his diagnosis.

I’m the comic relief – self-centred, potty mouthed Lori, Jane’s boss and friend. It is a wonderful role which I’m loving. (And the bonus is that this is a staged reading. A fully staged reading, so I have to remember where I am and what I’m doing, but I didn’t have to memorise the lines.)

Speaking of lines, here’s my best:

LORI: Aw shit Jane. You know if I believed in God, I would give him a good talking to on your behalf.

JANE: Thanks but I’m going to need a lot more than tha

LORI: You’re right – I could give him a blow job?

Lori is a well-to-do, well maintained woman of 50. I knew when I agreed to the role that my make-up skills were not going to be up to the task of painting Lori’s face, so I asked one of our make-up volunteers to help me out. Not only did she do great make-up, but, with the help of my seldom-used curling iron, she also nailed Lori’s hair. I do believe I can pass for 50, thanks to Cathie. If I could afford to buy her a bottle of bubbly or a bouquet of flowers, I certainly would.

It’s a funny old thing, trying to playing a character who is confident about her appearance and her sexual attractiveness. I’ve never been the former, although there was a time when I was the latter. It’s been a while. In the play, married Lori acquires a very sexy younger lover. Difficult for me to imagine now. However, when I was Lori’s age, I did have a lover who was slightly more than half my age and he was crazy about me. In fact, I had two: one of each gender. (Are you even allowed to say “gender” these days?) Oh, my, what a year that was!

So, yes, I can channel that memory into the role. Immaculately turned out? Thanks to Cathie, I think I’m managing to pull that off.

Actually, the biggest challenge for all of us is not being in tears when we take our bows. The play is absolutely heartbreaking.