Magic Time
We closed the Phil in Naples tonight. This tour is such a roller coaster ride. A venue we thought would be impossible turned out to be one of the best. The last audience was the most subdued of the run but all the others have been so much over the top with their reaction that normal became the exception. My sister in law was in attendance with three of her friends. Joyce is a therapist and specializes in multiple personality disorder, so I always enjoy her observations of the show. Joyce is a blessing to my family and it was such a great time to be with her in her state of Florida. Joyce said that I was "On" tonight, but what you don't realize, Joyce, My Doctor sizer is that I was on because you were in the audience.
Also in attendance was a man that was my Dad's roommate on a ship in the Korean war. He had pictures of my Dad that I had never seen before. It is surreal to meet people who knew your parents as people and not as relatives. He gave me a black and white snap shot of my Dad Lt. Noel Johnson on duty in the Gulf of Inchon, Korea. This gracious man was telling me stories about a guy, my father' who was younger than I am now. It was wonderful and chilling at the same time.
One other strange happening of note. At the end of my show I exit stage left in a black out with the lime green trunk illuminated. (If you don't understand then you haven't seen my show and there is no way to explain.) In this theatre there was a total black out and I was only able to see the white tape on the steps to actually get off stage. I was exiting blind. As I came off stage in the dark I bumped into a body, a person that immediately moved out of the way for me to exit. I said, "Exuse me Bruce." Bruce is the stage hand that was positioned stage left and was the one who tossed Spaulding this run. Bruce didn't answer back but there was no need, he kneww that I was coming off the stage blind. As the lights came up for the curtain call I became aware that there was no one stage left but me. Bruce was on stage right waiting for me to exit from my final bow.
There is no doubt in my mind that I ran into so someone or something. It was an odd feeling to find out that there was no human there. I believe it was OG the Opera Ghost. I wasn't looking for ghosts in a new theatre like the Phil, but there is no doubt in my mind that in te dark I bummped into something that felt like flesh and blood. I said something about the experience to Bruce the guy I thought I ran into and he said, "It must have been the theatre ghost that several people had bumped into in the past." Spooky... it kept me up for while and there are always extentions but my southern friends do not worry about such things.As you were,
Jay