Day: February 16, 2004

BACK FROM THE ROAD

Posted By: Peter DavidPosted On:

We’ve returned from our sojourn to Farpoint. Kathleen noted the surprising number of babies who were three months old, which led us to the conclusion that there’s a new generation of fans who owe their conception to their folks being snowed in for three extra days at year ago. Really, what else was there to do back then?

It was great seeing old pal Bill Mumy, who had brought his entire family of wife Eileen, son Seth, and daughter Liliana. Liliana, a pint-sized actress in her own right (currently on view in “Cheaper by the Dozen”) was a great hit with the crowd with her and Bill’s father-daughter act. At one point on stage, Bill commented that they were like George and Gracie, and Liliana piped up, “Who are they?” There is of course no reason she should know who Burns and Allen were, but it still broke everyone up.

Ariel did a great costume presentation for the costume call. She was “Shlepper the Leper,” who (the announcer informed us) wandered Medieval Europe, alone and friendless and untouchable…only finding joy when she danced to the ancient leper anthem.” At which point MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” came on and she bounded around the stage, even peeling off several pieces of “skin” and tossing an eyeball into the audience. She won Best Fantasy and Most Humorous. I was a judge, but recused myself from voting or having any say in the deliberations about her (just as Bob Greenberger always does when his daughter, Katie, participates.) So she won fair and square.

The most bizarre moment in the costume competition was a girl who had to be maybe thirteen years old, coming on as Ginny Weasley and doing a striptease with her cloak and scarf. Granted, that was all she took off, but we judges were looking each other *very* uncomfortably, muttering, “This is just wrong on so *many* levels…”

Only downside of the whole con was that some scheduling miscues prevented me from being able to do any autographs on Sunday. Otherwise it was a great job by all concerned.

That evening, on the way back, we stopped in NYC and attended the “Broadway Bears” auction hosted every year by the Broadway Cares organization which raises money to fight AIDS. It’s always a great evening in that these are bears wearing costumes that meticulously re-create ensembles from various Broadway shows, and signed by the stars who made them famous. Also on hand were folks like Bebe Neuwirth and Lucie Arnaz. It’s always a great time. High bid for the evening: A bear wearing a costume from a show starring Meryl Streep, signed by Streep, that went for a staggering $22,000. No, that’s not a typo. Most went for considerably less, but boy, must be nice to have that much disposable cash.

PAD