any of you that can get to this show - GO:

The reviews are in:

Daphne Rubin-Vega shines in TWO SISTERS AND A PIANO at The Public Theater in New York

"Sofia is played with beguiling innocence by Daphne Rubin-Vega, best known as Mimi in the original cast of 'Rent.' Rubin-Vega has matured into a fine actress, displaying a vulnerability here that    immediately gets the audience on her side." Michael Kuchwara, AP

"Daphne Rubin-Vega is harrowing as Sofia" Michael Feingold, Village Voice

"The real chemistry is between the sisters themselves. Ms. Rubin-Vega, who created the role of Mimi in 'Rent' is a restive kitten in a cage here, all hyperdeveloped senses and thwarted erotic desire. Ms. Rubin-Vega softens the character with an air of arrested childhood, of innocence in search of corruption." Ben Brantley, New York Times

"The younger sister is played by Daphne-Rubin Vega, the powerful vixen who prowled the catwalks as Mimi in "Rent," and again finds a way to present female restlessness as the view from under her skin." Linda Winer, Newsday

"First-rate acting, particularly from 'Rent' alumna Daphne Rubin-Vega, adds fuel to the play's softly undulating heat." Charles Isherwood, Variety

*MUST CLOSE MARCH 12! all seats $45*.  $15 QUICKTIX may be available upon request one-half hour prior to showtime. Cash only at the box office. Limit: 2 per person.   Telecharge: (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 http://www.publictheater.org - The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street

bye brent, we love you :-)

this is a *good* review from columbus, thanks karen c :-)

so, stacey's coming out for S.T.A.G.E. and i can't believe i'm even considering going to the march, but shannon and i are checking flights now.  oy. and yes dickie, i fucking called donna ;-)

and nic (thebic) pointed out to me i had the wrong address up for madison (duh, i had the milwaukee address.) anyway, it's right now, thanks nic, send me pictures from the show! :-)

i liked this, i'm so sappy right now, it just made me feel good.   and there's this damn table of dickie's in my house that makes me feel good.  why?  i have so much stuff of his, but everytime i look at that table it makes me smile.  it had absolutely no significant meaning, it's just a table, but i smile everytime i see it.  this whole grieving thing is so wierd and so.... random.  read bonusround, steve's feeling the same way, so is bob.  you think you're "over it" and then *WHAM*, you're crying your eyes out.

i want to go to the MMOW, dickie and i wanted to go and i feel like i *should* go.  and like i should call donna.   i imagine she's going and that's why i'm being 'directed' to call her.  jeez dickie, still a controlling bottom (that one's for steve ;-)

and i seem to have lost all of juan's gainesville pictures  - shit like that's been happening alot.  duplicates and triplicates of every message, and then can't find any of them.  don't know if it's me or my service, i can't concentrate and i'm working on a dickie 'area' and just can't get much of anything done.   the Being Alive memorial was good, although i can't say it was enough.  will there ever be enough?  dani tells me it took her seven years. others are telling me even longer.  losing my soulmate is so different from losing everyone else i've lost.  i was told from one who knows and has experienced it that i looked like a gaping wound at the BA memorial,  she's right, i am, and i do.

and FUCK, you're right mandy. i have a video of the burial and i look like a *stick*. and that's after gaining 10 lbs.   so yeah, fine, you were right, but you can't get your hands around my whole thigh anymore - still at size 3, but i'm working on it :-)

ah, the buriel.  i'm putting up a separate section for that. he needs his own space, and i need time. 

and oh SWELL - right in our own back yard (too bad he's not here the week RENT is in long beach, we could invite him to go):

"Anti-Gay Minister to Picket in O.C. Kansas pastor who protested at funeral of murdered gay man plans to demonstrate against Laguna Beach's hate-speech policy.

A Baptist minister who gained national notoriety by picketing the funeral of a gay hate-crime victim in Wyoming plans to bring his message opposing homosexuality to Orange County next month.

The Rev. Fred Phelps said he will bring 20 picketers to Laguna Beach City Hall on March 20 to protest a city policy on hate speech. He also plans to picket the Crystal Cathedral, which he condemns for what he says is a policy of accepting gays and lesbians, on March 19.

Phelps, 70, is pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. He organized a protest at the 1998 funeral of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student murdered because of his sexual orientation.

Laguna Beach has attracted his ire because of a city policy adopted last year. Laguna Police Chief Jim Spreine ordered officers to document incidents of hate speech after a gay visitor complained that police did not take him seriously when he reported that he was subjected to anti-gay taunts.

Spreine said the policy is designed to protect everybody. "If you're Jewish, Catholic, a person of color or have a certain political belief and comments of hatred are directed at you and you feel frightened, you can come into the Police Department and document your statement," he said. "It's not just for gays only."

Crystal Cathedral chief operating officer Larry Sonnenburg described an announcement sent out by Phelps of his plans to picket the Garden Grove church as "very offensive . . . and not worthy of comment."

travis, shut UP, shut UP, shut UP about ER.  we're 3 hours behind you.  shut UP!  :-)

so, who's bidding on the mimi marquez bc/efa bear? anyone know how much angel went for last year (just curious).

here are the first and second reviews from providence - thanks karen c.

and i never did hear from mandy so i'm going to make a WAG and say these were from miami.

juan's pictures are up from jacksonville - thanks juan :-)

there was more, much more.   dickie's buriel was friday, today is the BA memorial.  i'll put more of that up again when i have time.  the day promises to be nothing but rain.  figures - we've had almost NO rain all winter, but it's hitting today.

i went to les miz with micheal yesterday but had to leave at intermission, i just couldn't stop crying.  too much grief, too much going on, too little sleep.  sorry michael.

the cards & letters keep coming - thanks everyone.  i had a terrible conversation friday - one of the people from one of dickie's other ssupport groups called and as i was talking, i suddenly realized '"she doesn't know".  i figured the "network" out there would have told everyone by now, but she and the l.a. shanti group didn't know.  it was awful. i invited them to come today.

2/9/00

california voters, vote NO on prop 22. Prop 22 will add this to the California constitution:  "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in california."

it changes nothing if it passes and it changes nothing if it loses; marriage is still not legal, but should marriage be legalized somewhere (like vermont, for example), the marriage will not be recognized in california (kinda like the laws that used to say blacks and whites couldn't marry each other in the south).

while it doesn't change anything now, similar measures passed in other states have been the jumping off point for eroding the hard-won rights gays have already won (adoption, domestic partner benefits, coverage under hate crime legislation, etc.).

it divides the state into "gays" and "everybody else," which opens the door for more hatred and violence.  "in order for men and women to commit atrocities against their fellow human beings, those human beings have to be dehumanized."

mandy, here's a copy of the "wild party" playbill  - thanks jimbo :-)

and the first article from wallingford - thanks karen c.

i updated the bios. somebody send me a damn RENT playbill, who ARE these people, lol.

here's the map to dickie's memorial on sunday at Being Alive, along with directions from several different areas (or just use mapquest). i miss him.

and alan, just for you, a milan article -)

and an article from springfield, thanks karen c.

dickie was cremated thursday. they asked me if i wanted to come and watch. did i want to COME AND WATCH???? god, take another little piece of my heart.  the quilt panel on the home page was designed by jim brochu (of TLS fame).  there are several people doing panels for him,  and i need to say THANK YOU to everyone who sent in money for the plaque.  i got cards and money from people every day last week, and many of them said "i don't know you and you don't know me but i've been following dickie's story here and on bonusround for months now and i feel like i know you both and i want to contribute". so thank you to all of you i know and all of you i don't know - we've gotten enough money for the plaque and we paid it today - Thank You!

shannon and i went to the mall ALL day saturday and i bought a bunch of junk i don't need :-)  then we had a small gathering in dickie's honor saturday night, mostly local RENT & TLS people.  tina did a really cute cake, much like his birthday cake last year, and we just hung out and talked, steve played some songs, maisey & joey came up... it was very light.  katie, it was so good to see you. then bob came over today and we were just talking about silly dickie things and both wound up in tears again. i miss him, so much.

would mandy who sent me this picture, please email me.

we *did* manage to get the boards back up (thank you sherri for ALL your help :-)  so... click over there <--- on "the boardz".  and go say hi to alan on the international one, that one measley little post is lonely, lol :-)

i'm still getting so many cards and donations every day - i'm gonna make a plaque to all of YOU guys, you deserve it, you've been fantastic.  i have more to say about that but i'm late AGAIN, so it'll have to wait, but Thank You.

and mikey - you're welcome, and that was a beautiful letter, thanks :-)