Best...birthday present...ever!
Posted on Sunday, July 19, 2009 by Melanie
I didn't want to add this to the review because it's more of a personal aside, but I also got the best birthday present ever last night (and no, Patrick, oral gratification was not involved. Does it always have to be sex with you? But I digress).
I was sitting in the front row with the beauteous and talented Elisa, who runs the Combs Corner, and since this is a faux recital Jeff actually talks to the audience, so we got a couple of comments directed at us (I played along, since I was well-trained by the Nathan Lane of Mid-Central Illinois Dinner Theater). But we were also sitting on the far edge of stage right, where he was supposed to take a scripted fall off stage after giving a very iconoclastic performance of "The Bells." Now, I knew this was going to happen, and even tucked my feet under my chair to make more room, but I got so wrapped up in the performance that I kinda forgot about it--
--and was abruptly reminded when he suddenly went *airborne* right in front of me, landing in a heap at my feet. I actually lunged forward in my seat, grabbing for him on autopilot before remembering, "No, it's part of the act, don't touch...uh...he's not getting up...um, is he okay?"
(I assumed he'd take some sort of gentle stumble offstage -- more fool me. This was, after all, the man who leapt on Harold Gould in SKIN OF OUR TEETH like Simba taking down a wildebeest. )
As it turned out, he was fine. And in retrospect I probably should have checked on him -- I think he was angling for more audience participation. But now I can say, hand on my heart, that the highlight of my birthday month was having Jeffrey Combs at my feet. And the icing on the cake? After taking his bow, he started walking off stage, then turned and gave me this little "gotcha" grin. Bliss!
He was probably looking up your skirt!
Stacy, leave the gutter to the professionals. And I was wearing black slacks, not the red skirt.