Only in New York.
As I am leaving the stage door tonight, standing in front of my theater, is Jay Sandrich. The very Emmy award winning director that I talk about so much in my show. I knew that he was planning to come to my opening night on Thursday, but there he was right there on 44th two days early. He had stepped out of the Broadhurst Theatre during the intermission of “History Boys”. As it is on Broadway the Broadhurst Theater is just across the street for the Helen Hayes.

He said he reads this blog. Well he actually said he skips over my entries and reads the Wiz Reports. In the same breath he said he didn’t necessarily believe the nameplate ghost story.

Since Jay is not reading this, I can talk about him. It is due to the talents of Jay Sandrich that my characters of Chuck and Bob were successful and memorable on SOAP. There were times when Bob and I only had one line in the entire script. Instead of just letting it go at that, Jay gave me business to do before and after the line to keep my characters alive. Some of my best moments were not written in the script, but came from the creative mind of Jay Sandrich.

I remember very well a moment in the script that just said, “Chuck and Bob and Danny are sitting on the couch”. By the time Jay Sandrich had a couple of rehearsals with Ted Wass, who played Danny, and me it became a big laugh.

It went like this; Danny and Chuck are playing checkers, Danny makes a move, Bob coughs and shakes his head to let Danny know it is not a good move. Danny takes the move back, another move, another cough, a third move and Bob says,
“That’s it” Chuck immediately jumps four of Danny’s checkers. He has been cheated forgetting that Chuck and Bob are in cahoots.

It means a lot to me and Paul and Murphy that you are here for opening night, Jay.
See you Thursday.

As you were,
Jay