Looped on Broadway

This past Saturday night I had a real treat, sitting second row center at the Lyceum Theater, seeing the great Valerie Harper in her Broadway tour de force as Tallulah Bankhead in LOOPED, a riveting one-woman (and two man) production with Harper “nailing every last laugh with a professionalism that the real Bankhead would surely admire,” wrote the New York Times.

Sitting with my best friend (and lawyer), Michael Gordon, I was amazed by Valerie’s virtuoso performance, gut-wrenching and compelling from start to finish. Although backstage afterward with Michael and me, she confided that she was fighting a cold and that an onstage coughing spell was not in the script, you’d never know anything was wrong, as she marshaled her forces with hilarious “dahlings” sprinkled over countless jokes. Supporting her in every possible way is her fantastic manager-producer-husband Tony Cacciotti, who hospitably welcomed us backstage after the performance. back links check Valerie was dressed down in slacks and a baseball hat as she greeted her fans outside the theater.

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New Puppy at Four Weeks

New Puppy at Four Weeks

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Another Problem Caused by Deforestation

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Katie in Her Favorite Chair

Ever had a long conversation with your dog? Better than any therapist, and often more sympathetic than a mate, Katie, the star of my upcoming book, was always ready to listen, her huge brown eyes flecked with gold, focused and alert. Over a period of fifteen years, I confided pretty much all my feelings to her, all the ups and downs of life.

Katie in Pink

But our communication wasn’t only in one direction, for Katie was an empathetic, curious dog, socially outgoing and astutely intelligent. Right from the start, I got into the habit of having conversations with her, eye to eye, and I could tell that she clearly understood the gist of what I said:

“Now, listen up, child,” I told her when she was young. “You’re a good little dog, you are, but you have to learn your manners. No biting, no scratching your nails on the furniture, no getting up on the white couch, and no accidents. And if you’re good, you’ll get a cookie or a nice piece of chicken.” Her ears immediately pricked up at these key words.

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