Archive for June 24th, 2006

This past Tuesday night I hit up the weekly artists group hosted by Naked Angels. The first thing I noticed was that the outside of the Tribeca Screening Room is now plastered with Tribeca Film Festival signs, like wrapping paper for the great gifts that must lie within if Robert DeNiro has anything to do with it. Major improvements have been made to the interior as well. The bar area is more spacious than I last remembered it, with cozy leather booths semi-circled around candle-lit tables.

There were only three people at the bar, but after several minutes, more began to trickle in. I used to joke that for an offbeat theatre group, the ensemble was city-fiably beautiful, with a handful of eternally wounded types mixed in…but to my surprise Tuesday’s crowd seemed approachable.  Joe Danisi, one of the directors of Tuesdays@9, mingled with the crowd. He looked tanned and handsome as usual, in that is-he-or-isn’t-he-gay sort of way.

A man sat down at my table, in the chair to my right, without speaking.  He looked alot like a larger Vern Troyer. (“Mini-Me”, for those not familiar with the actor’s name.) He removed a hardcover copy of American Democracy from his green messenger bag and began to read…and shift…and fidget…and squirm some more.

“Vern” grabbed his green messenger bag and rummaged through it, then turned it over and shook it furiously. Finally, a packet of Raisenettes spilled out of the bag and onto the table. But he had not found what he was looking for. He ran his hand throughout his bag again and started to curse.  Then he turned to me.

“Can I have a piece of paper?” he asked.

I was a little scared, so I gave him two.

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