This has been unreal. I was raised in New York a block away from Broadway. But it was Broadway at 169th Street. Now I’m starring in a show I wrote about those days that opens next Sunday at The 47th street theater on 8th avenue which is- just one block from Broadway! And that’s close enough.

Mark, our sound designer and Heather, our production consultant, are here from San Francisco, for a short time to help install the show — Well the three of us love each other (platonically) and have been through stuff for two years. Here’s a picture we took outside of rehersal with Mark’s phone-

Today was the first time we got into the theater and began rehersing the show with all the ballyhoo- It was 12 hours of dream team work spearheded by the genius director David Schweizer and our “Gringo’ light /set Designer Alex Nichols.We finally figured everything out in the new space and I wrote the new ending I was supposed to write since um- December- And David said- “well yes I approve of where you’re going with that”. Hearing that from David Schweizer- is better than sex with Angelena Jolie. I’d like to have both of course.

Step outside our theater turn your head right and see Broadway show marquees, a hundred steps away from Matthew Brodrick and Nathan Lane playing live 8 shows a week just like me and across from them Cynthia Nixon who really should be my friend.

I love being a downtown artist but I’m getting a taste for the tourist trade up here. All these millions of innocent tourists with nothing to do and all the flashing lights hypnotizing them. As I run out of rehersal to get a balance bar and some poland spring I see them. I’m a hungry performer licking my chops ready to raid Spamalot’s hen house.

I saw the 2 big producers today. Miriam and Jonathan. Miriam Colon the founder of the Puerto Rican theater which owns the 47th street theater was stuffing envelopes with my flyer and sending them out to everyone in the universe she said. I am a little embarrased because I kept kissing her and we hardly know each other really. But I couldn’t stop hugging and kissing her on the cheeks. Jonny Reinis- I mean Jonathan, the man who shares responsibility for getting me to write this story, has been in town since Tuesday and today he did carpentry with his own hands in my dressing room.

My dressing room is great. It’s very clean. I met the guy who cleaned it, Jesus. He’s the building manager. And he plans to fatten me with home cooking like my favorite arroz con gandules. But at dinner break I went to to my overpriced gym. I have a two month membership. Very snooty people at this branch.. And another unfortunate locker room experience- I was heading up the stairs after a shower swinging my arms too much and I kind of punched a naked woman in her mound. Apologies just aren’t enough sometimes.