Hello, London.

Oi. What a crazy experience. I actually felt like I was doing poorly, it's always so hard to tell. Can't get much worse than having your sound go up at the beginning of the show. We actually got a new CD player to cover for the other two (ours and WBS's) that weren't working well ... only we never really played with it before the show started. I handled it rather calmly, I thought. First time for everything. We ended up using one of the less favorable - though working - players.

Which is emphasizing the negative. Which is dumb. Everything went very well. Great house, lovely people - we attracted 31 audience members. My apologies to Kristen, it just so happens the people she was in touch with were the folks from Southampton. And some of them were from France - and New Zealand. It was the most international audience I'd ever played to.

The opening question of the Q&A almost did me in, however. I can't get it exactly right, but the gist was, "Why would you still do this play so many years after the event ... aren't you over it?" She was baiting me - not in some manipulative way, she was asking the question, I believe, so many have asked her, so many years after the loss of her child. After some of my experiences recently (with Long Island, with Akron) I was wondering if I hadn't just ruined some people's evening. Couldn't be farther from the truth, that was the laucnhing pad into a Q&A that was much more like a conversation than a discussion.

Obviously there were a lot of parents of loss in the house. The folks from SANDS were lovely, we're going to meet next week, hopefully, to discuss future projects. And I think Claire was pleased, it certainly had the turnout we hoped for, and the board members and other WBS dignitaries in attendance also thought it was a great evening.

And then there was the family. Joanna's not even related, but it's like she is, we're having a great time here in the house. She had some extremely kind words following the perf. And it was delightful to have Lydia in the front row - I was worried she might think my impression of her as a six year-old might hurt her feelings (remember, this is the first time she'd ever seen or heard it - she's used to the divine Betsy Hogg playing her on radio) but I think she was more amused by it than anyone else.

And there was Henrik. I think the uncomfortable stuff is over. Funny, it never came up in the Q&A the way it usually does - "has this play been difficult for your family?" That wasn't asked. What was asked was whether or not Toni found it troubling.

And I said, "No ... you may have noticed ... my family finds it hard to express emotion." (Laughter.) And I went on to explain how Toni made it possible for me to connect with my grief in a way that would have been impossible before.

photo: Big hit - ketchup and chicken sandwiches.

She also made it possible to do the show tonight, staying home with the kids. I'll make it up to her - my vacation begins now.

I'm just hoping Father David isn't pissed I didn't put the lighting back exactly the way I found it.