[man] These plays!
These plays you keep churning out, they're--
Well, they're a little bleak, to be honest,
It's not what people expect from someone who won the O'Neil fellowship
and the awards for best new everything,
So, nobody knows what to do with them when I give it to them,
Errol, listen, listen to me,
for once, listen to me,
nobody wants to produce plays that demean people,
They're satirical, obviously,
Let's see, we had Liars ,
Stop Posing, Buddy,
and oh, yes, of course, my favorite, Hive USA ,
They are funny,
They're mean,
You sound mean, and I don't understand, because you're not mean,
I know you, so I know how to read them, but other people,,,
If you could just write another play like Carousel Town ,
It was magical and funny and sad and romantic,
Where did that go?
Where did that voice go?
It's not who I am,
You know, it was just a phase
in which I was particularly in love with two-dimensional characters,
-And I got that out and now I have new things I want to say, -Mm-hm,
Well, I set up a meeting for you that's right up your alley,
They loved Carousel Town and, hah, incredibly,
they also love your darker evil side,
Last chance time,
[piano music]
[man] Jana and Brian are going to be here in about 20 minutes, So, chop-chop,
Hey, were you listening to me?
Yeah, of course, I was, You were talking about working, right?
I think I'm in trouble, like, real trouble,
If I don't write something that people want, David's gonna have to let me go,
And you know what, he should let me go,
Well, what do they mean by want?
Anything but what I've been doing apparently,
Well, you know, just give them something romantic and funny,
Really? You too?
You know, I'm not really like that,
[man] You used to be,
Remember that one play?
I fell in love with the girl who wrote that play,
I thought anyone who could write that play would be able to save this blackened heart,
It was just a story, It doesn't mean anything,
Well, if you want me to give you my romantic two cents--
Oh, yeah,
Good time, uh, you helped me rewrite the ending for--
- A Bass Monkey! -Yeah,
Yeah think that through, Think that title through,
The entire townsfolk's set themselves alight and listen to EDM,
Little bit intense, A little bit intense,
Meanwhile, you know, if what the world wants is another--
Sappy, happy, feel-good story with a happy ending?
Then you can bite the bullet for five minutes,
Stop hating and feed the beast,
Just fake it,
Hazardous, kitten, Go,
Five, four, three, two, one,
-What? Okay, hand them in, Hand them in, -[laughing]
What is that?
Okay, terrible, terrible, all right,
They're all terrible, you lose, but Jana, yours is the least of the worst,
-You go first, You're next, -Oh, okay, All right,
-No, I don't have a piece yet, -Oh, here, here,
-Um, ready? Ah, ah, ah, um-- -Yes,
-Dishonest hippo, -[groaning]
Five, four, three, two, one, done,
Hand them in,
What? Scribbles?
-Errol, you didn't even try, -No, not scribbles, Look at it again,
-Come on, it's interpretive, -On what planet?
-Of? -It is the internal emotional state
of the hippos' awareness of its species [inaudible], So, there,
Yeah, I see it now, You're brilliant, You win,
-I totally panicked, -Unbelievable,
Hey, I really loved your play,
Oh, thank you, Which one?
There's more than one?
Brian,
Carousel Town,
-Thank you, Thank you, -Yeah,
-I loved it, -It was a good play,
-It is, -Really good play,
You know what else I loved is I loved that email that you sent me today,
I know, man,
It's like the coolest thing, It's like this checkerboard and it has a shadow across it,
and one of the squares looks black and one of the squares looks white, but--
-They're not, -Same color,
-They're the same colors, It's the weirdest thing, -Illusion,
Yeah, yeah, Like your mind-- your brain leaks out of your ears, It's amazing, Yeah,
It's right in front of your face, You can't see it, I couldn't see it,
I can't see it, cause you didn't send it to me,
-Oh, didn't I? I thought I did, -Mm-hmm,
-Oh, really? No, must have just gone in your spam or something, -Maybe,
Shouldn't we go check and see if it's sent?
Uh, Jana said that you have a man cave,
-Mm-hmm, -My brother,
-Yeah, -I do, You wanna go check out?
-Let's check it out, -Let's go check it out,
All right,
Come on,
He's fun,
So much fun,
But not serious, no, I'm waiting,
For what?
Life is not a buffet, Jana,
Actually, it is, It really, actually is,
Is something up?
With what?
With Hal?
I feel like something's up,
Like what kind of up? Good up, bad up,
Like I feel like he's gonna ask to marry me,
What?
That is huge, That I didn't even know you guys were talking about that,
We're not, That's-- that's what makes it a feeling,
Well, good, Just live in the moment,
I don't know what that means,
Oh, because you just sit there and write stories in your head about what's going on,
instead of being present, and living in the moment,
For good, I think,
And he tolerates my writing process, so,
Self-loathing and panic attacks?
Yeah, don't leave out terror and martyrdom,
Without those two I'd never get anything done,
But tomorrow is a new day,
-I'm gonna get so much done tomorrow, -Mm-hmm,
[Errol] Okay, maybe a Western kind of thing,
a sheriff with a criminal past is hired as security for a cattle drive,
God, that's ridiculous!
I don't know shit about the West,
A couple of idealistic lawyers fight to bring down corporate America,
but, in the end, their blind quest for truth and knowledge
comes at too high a price destroying them--hideous,
Gay, gay is in, Gay is selling now,
Okay, five gay clowns start the first homosexual circus,
All is well for time, until jealousy and ego rear their ugly heads
and threaten the circus,
I suck!
[woman] Oh, it's you,
I was journaling, I must have lost track of time,
You know by turning nouns into verbs, you're helping to bring about the apocalypse,
-Danny, Errol's here, -[Danny] Okay, I'll be right there,
He needs to be back by seven so he can go to yoga,
Yoga for kids?
Does he want to go to yoga?
-It helps him to center his Chi, -[laughing]
Kids have their Chi by watching movies, and pretending to be robots,
and next thing you know, you're gonna have him making candles,
and living in a tent made of hair,
I won't let you draw me into this conversation,
I've accepted that you're never supportive of my choices,
I'm okay with it,
I didn't support you leaving my brother for that ponytail named Derek with the homemade shoes,
Derek's been offered a job at a station in Seattle that starts in December,
If he takes it, I am going with him,
What?
Seattle?
You don't want to move to Seattle, It's--
There are bugs and seasons,
and when would I see Denny?
Not my problem,
You're serious? You know that that's crazy, right?
You can't-- you can't just move away because your new boyfriend got a job,
I can do whatever I want, and I won't let you make me the bad guy,
No, I'm not trying to make you the bad guy,
I'm trying to keep you from being the bad guy,
It's fine, Derek has really connected with Denny and he will adjust,
It's fine,
-Hello, beautiful boy, -Hi,
-Let's get out of here, -Okay,
[Danny] I think I'm missing yoga,
It's okay, Make a new parental agenda pose without you, Let's say grace,
God, thank you for everything we have,
Thank you for the people in our lives,
And thank you for Billy's, that makes the best burgers in town,
We really appreciate it,
-Amen, -Amen,
-It's so good, -It's really good,
So, how have you been?
Good,
I have to write a play that people like,
otherwise I might run out of money,
Not the best reason to write a play, but valid all the same,
Mm, I did it before but I don't know what I did, So it's hard to do it again,
Mm, I got this thing,
It's a machine that makes soda water, so I can have it at my house,
That's awesome,
How are you?
Oh, I'm good, I guess,
Mom's been giving me cheese in my lunch,
but I don't know what kind of cheese it is,
It's just in a wrapper and it says "cheese,"
I don't really like school either, It's not really going well for me,
I think all the grown-ups either are weird,
or it looks like they are getting ready to be weird,
They are weird,
School's hard,
Also, you don't have to eat food you can identify,
-Thanks, -Yeah,
[Errol] When I started writing there was no pressure to be good,
I just wanted to, and that was enough,
Of course, I've moved on and more is expected of me, but still,
I can't tell if it's the freedom that I miss,
or just the responsibility I don't like,
Why is this so hard now?
It's like there's this version of me, a better version,
right next to this one, and I can't get to it,
Basically, I don't like how I feel, and I'd like to feel better,
So, maybe if I do what I did before,
I would get up in the morning and I'd write for 30 minutes just whatever came to me,
It worked before for reasons I cannot possibly fathom,
connecting with my inner artist, or some shit like that,
The last time I did that was just before Carousel Town ,
Otis realized that he had novelized his life,
Ordered the past behind him to fit who he thought he was,
who he needed to be to get by,
That his life was a story he told himself over and over again every day,
and every decision he made, every choice was an effort
to convince himself that that story was true,
-Wow, -Wow,
-It's very good, Yes, -You think so?
-Is this the writer's group? -You're Errol? You emailed me,
I am, I did, I signed up online,
Great, let me introduce you to everyone,
Oh why? It's okay, You don't have to,
-Hey, we have a new member joining us, Everyone-- -Joining!
This is Errol,
-Errol, hi, -Hi,
And we have a custom with all new members,
you have to do something that makes you really uncomfortable,
I'm doing it right now, a Briton,
-[man] Good one, -Come on, It won't kill you,
[woman] Come on,
[man] Come on,
[man] Maybe he will,
¶ Picture me upon your knee ¶
¶ With tea for two And two for tea ¶
¶ Me for you ¶
¶ And you for me, alone ¶
¶ Nobody near us To see us or hear us ¶
¶ No friends or relations On weekend vacations ¶
-¶ We won't have it known ¶ -[whistling]
-¶ We own a telephone ¶ -[whistling]
¶ Day will break And you'll awake ¶
¶ And I will bake A sugar cake ¶
¶ For you to take ¶
¶ For all the boys to see ¶
¶ We will raise a family ¶
¶ A boy for you ¶
¶ And a girl for me ¶
Big finish,
¶ Can't you see ¶
¶ How happy we would be ¶
[applause]
-Thank you very much, -You're welcome,
I liked Felicia's piece,
It was very Sylvia Plath without all that pesky hope,
Yeah, she reads from it every week,
It's from this short story that she can't finish called the Weeping Sink ,
Oh,
Thank you for saving me in there,
I was going down in flames,
No, you weren't, you were doing great,
You know, they're a great group, It's-- they're really supportive and fun,
And,,, [chuckling]
I really liked your piece,
Oh, no, No, no,
Yeah, I did,
Praise is hard for me,
I'd be much more comfortable if you would just tell me that it wasn't very good,
Okay, then it really wasn't very good,
Thank you,
[Errol] Memories are weird,
Some stay hidden or disappear
and others are right there whether you want them or not,
Kierkegaard said, "Life can only be understood backwards,
and that love, like all knowledge, is recollection,"
But he was Danish, so, I'm not sure what he had to look forward to anyway,
I already have a past, I want a future,
This is a contract, Why are they sending me a contract?
To show you that they're serious,
Wow, that is a lot of money,
I know, I know,
What? Why are they telling me how much they're gonna pay me
before they're telling me what they're gonna pay me for?
[Skype call incoming]
They're here,
Hi, folks, David with Errol, here,
I don't want this to be real, David,
[laughing] Funny, funny,
Vance Hanger, here, We could use that kind of funny,
First of all, I want to let you guys know how much we love your work, We love it,
Thank you,
And that's the reason why we have tapped you for this project,
Well, what did you have in mind?
[man] Very interested,,,
Oh, sorry, Jeff, I didn't have you turned up there,
We're very interested
in you adapting Long Day's Journey into Night for television,
That's-- that's so great,
Eugene O'Neill is-- is my favorite playwright and that is one of my favorite plays, wow!
As a comedy,
You're serious,
That's-- that's like it's one of the the greatest plays ever written
and-- and it's-- it's not a comedy, it's a tragedy,
Is it?
Yeah, yeah,
But does it have to be?
Mm, yes I-- I believe it does,
Think bigger,
We are developing this as a project for Ethan Martin,
The same Ethan Martin who brought us The Dickhead ?
That-- that Ethan Martin?
Yeah,
[Errol] Do you know what you guys are doing here?
You-- you can't change Eugene O'Neill's writing,
I would give anything to be able to write like he did,
Listen, listen, listen, Don't think of it as changing what he wrote,
Think of it as working with him,
Yeah, think about it, Errol, This could be very good for you,
Thank you,
Thank you for-- for your offer,
I have something to offer you,
I would like to offer you a year's subscription to the taste of my ass,
[cheering]
What is wrong with me? Who I think I am?
I can't-- I can't not have representation,
Without David, I'll just drift off into obscurity
like Crocs or James Blunt,
Well, you have to stay true to yourself,
You're only human, Only you know what path is right for you,
Do you believe that or you just like read it in the airport art galleries?
Does Hal know?
No, Hal does not know yet,
He'll understand,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Hal will be fine,
He never pressures me about anything,
He's easy,
-Easy is good, -Hmm,
I'm seeing someone,
You're always seeing several someones,
This is different,
I shouldn't even be telling you this,
Yeah, listen to that voice,
Yeah, when I'm with him, I feel like there's a chance
that I'm not totally full of shit, and that's new,
I don't know, It's very, very, complicated,
Sounds nice,
Nice,
What?
Nothing,
[Errol] I feel bad,
Why can't I be happy for her?
Maybe I'm not romantic,
Just always seems like expectation and pressure,
For example, the other day Hal was rubbing my shoulders and I wanted him to stop,
but I didn't know why,
You never let me rub your shoulders,
I know, I don't really need it, You know I feel fine without it,
It's not about needing it, it's supposed to relax you,
Yeah, I know but it makes me feel tense,
Hey, do you think I'm romantic?
Yeah, in your own way,
Well, what way is that?
In a way that is absolutely not romantic whatsoever,
But that's for the early stages of a relationship, and we've evolved past that,
-Have we? -Yeah,
You have, you know, It's just who you are, It's not a big deal,
I'm not gonna pressure you into it,
[knocking on door]
They're done bombing London, You can come out now,
Oh, awesome,
Oh, sweet,
Oh, look at that,
-That's man style right there, -What's that for?
Uh, you know I'm working on myself,
and the book says you're supposed to tackle your fears and insecurities
and lock them up, So, I got a lock box,
Amazing,
What? When I was with Hiromi, she used to do this all the time
and you know, she's doing great, Her career's successful, She's--
Hey,
She's my past and you are my present, Okay?
Without her, I wouldn't be who I am now
in order for us to have this amazing thing that we have,
This amazing thing where you retreat into an underground cellar
and, literally, lock your secrets in a box,
It makes me feel like you're trying to get away from me,
Well, I know what will cheer you up,
We are gonna go to Jana's birthday party tonight
and we are gonna have a really good time,
And we are gonna get shit-faced and it's gonna be awesome and you're gonna love it,
-Yay! -Yeah,
[people chattering]
I don't know any of these people,
Except for me, everyone here is a stranger, She's my best friend,
They're probably from her law firm, You know how outgoing she is,
Anyway, you know, it's about time you met some new people,
Where's your sense of adventure? Party!
My two favorite people are here,
-Hi! -Hi, I'm so glad you're here,
Thanks for coming, Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?
There's food down here, alcohol all over the deck, whatever you want,
Sounds good, You look fantastic by the way,
-Thank you, -Doesn't she?
-Happy birthday, -Yeah,
Thank you,
[woman] I don't know, The doctor said I'm suffering from a lack of symptoms,
Doesn't make any sense,
Yeah, I'm taking this great class in beginning homosexuality,
Who's teaching that?
It's [inaudible],
Oh, geez man, Do I know how you feel,
Listening to this music,
It's like knock-knock, Who's there? No one, Especially, not melody,
Just gonna stand over here and wait for the storm to pass,
Hey, man, are you okay?
I am a glass of orange juice,
I don't want anyone to drink me,
[man] And that's why we didn't get a permit,
Oh, yes, I remember that, Oh!
-Yeah, -There you are, you bitter devil,
Who are these people?
Who cares? Who cares, but if you're gonna insult anyone, check with me first,
-There you go, beautiful, -Thank you,
-Look at that for a party in a cup, huh, -Mm-hmm,
Hey, you remember this is where we met, right?
That's right, On my-- my, my birthday,
That's right,
I'm to blame, I introduced you guys, It's all my fault,
Nothing to apologize for, Best thing that ever happened to me,
My favorite shot was when the chiefs from all the tribes were gathered in the big hall,
It was like that painting by um--
Raphael, I know, It was beautiful,
You know, we're the only ones in costume, right?
No, it's not true, They're all dressed up as someone cooler than they actually are,
-I can't believe you actually came, -Of course, hey,
Jana, it's your birthday, I come every year,
Oh, rude, Rude of me, Errol, Graham, this is Hal Renault,
-How are you, mate? -Graham,
He's the photographer I was telling you about,
We dated briefly,
Oh, yeah, What happened there? I forget,
-I found out you were British, -Oh, that was it,
I'll be back,
Sorry guys, didn't mean to interrupt you,
No, we're just talking about a movie,
Oh, yeah, What movie?
We just saw Lawrence of Arabia ,
-Sorry, really? -Mm-hmm,
Yeah, what?
I just--
It's not so much a movie, Is it?
Really is an overblown epic in which the struggle of an entire people
was turned into a cartoon where that can only be saved by the white men,
Surely,
You do know that Lawrence of Arabia is like one of the great films, right?
If by great you mean lacking all artistic merit, and lionized after the fact,
Lionized, hmm,
Though I may be alone on this one, Clearly, I am,
But I don't know, man, Those big epics,,,
They romanticize the past, the past people long for, That's great,
But I just find them repetitive and trite,
But I am a photographer, what do I know,
I forgot I have to go mail a letter, It was so nice to meet you,
Hey, I didn't mean to offend you,
No, no, I'm not offended,
I'm just dying and I have to go hook back up to the machines so--
Errol, Errol Larson?
You wrote Carousel Town ,
Yeah, look, bullocks to Lawrence of Arabia ,
but that was a work of genius,
[Errol] Except for far away, a clock chimes,
It's a serene,,, [inaudible],
[Errol] I feel so amazing, I can't believe they liked it,
Of course, they did, I can't believe you keep that all bottled up,
I know, Thank you for helping me, I needed that,
You just uncorked it, I love you for that,
What did you say?
That you uncorked it,
No, you said that-- you said that you love me,
That's what you said-- you said,
That's like-- that's something that people say,
Like, "Hi, how are you? Or look at that thing!"
No, you said you love me,
I-- I'm--
I think that you're great,
but come on, this isn't gonna work out,
Why?
Because we're different,
Like you--
you're good and nice and happy,
And I--
like, okay, in elementary school when you have to take those tests,
my like, perfect occupation was pessimist,
It's-- it's hard for me to be happy,
and after a while, that's gonna be hard for you,
I didn't ask you to tell me about me,
And that's ridiculous, I know who I am and what I want,
[Errol] She thought this must be how the Big Bang started,
a single event so powerful it created infinity in an instant,
Then decorated it with burning needles of light like a Christmas tree,
For a moment, she was the center of the universe,
and the universe loved him, and he loved her too,
at least she hoped he did,
She ran to him,
[applause]
[Errol] Have you ever seen this?
The river's returned to the sea,
God, Chester Beach really knew the importance of titles, I'm telling you,
Why are you reading that? It's old,
I like it, I think it could really be something,
I thought maybe it could be a play or--
I mean it needs a little work, but I think the overall theme is really strong
and the characters are vivid,
A little work like,,,
It's just that the ending's a little contrived,
Really? I thought the ending was beautiful and wistful,
No, it is, It just, it feels like it's-- um,
it feels like it's written by someone who's explaining feelings
rather than someone who has them, you know,
I mean, like-- like this part right here, where they talk about--
where you talking about being afraid or whatever,
well if you just move that-- I think it's-- you're good,
[man on TV] You need to get in, after all the chairmen said,
Oh, listen, The chairman has an obligation--
The chairman said that I could count on you,
I'm the type of guy that can be counted on exactly,
because I'm the type of guy that won't do this,
Even if I wanted to-- You're just saying you won't,
Is it me or do you feel slightly damp?
No, No, I cannot say I do, No,
-Oh my God! -Here you are, I was just looking for you,
And just in time,
I miss you right now,
Isn't that bad luck?
No, it's romantic,
[Errol] I'm supposed to be working on a play right now, but this is all I can write,
That's what people don't understand about writing,
You don't have a choice,
I-- I'm desperate for new ideas
and all that comes out is this ancient shit that is of no value to anyone,
This is fuckery of the highest order and a complete waste of time,
Can we please move forward?
[Errol] Oh, my gosh, Do you remember Hal?
Yeah, she like-- Jana liked him,
Well, that's a chilling endorsement,
I mean, I love Jana, Obviously, she's my best friend,
but like I kind of feel like Jana would just go out with anyone
who's blinded by the reflection of her teeth, you know what I am saying?
I don't know what bothered you about him so much,
What? He gave me soul cancer!
I needed chemo for my Chi,
You need to let it go,
Come on, he's the kind of guy who like talks about how we need to reconnect
and-- and probably listens to Paul Horn,
Who's Paul Horn?
I envy you,
I-- uh, I think I would like to bring over some of my stuff,
[Errol] What? What are you talking about?
I'm talking about us moving in together,
Why?
I mean, don't you think this is fun because you can leave?
Is that what you want?
Well, what is that supposed to mean?
No, it's a pretty simple question,
You're going like five hundred times,
Is that what you want? I just wanna know what you want,
Why would we do that?
I feel like it would just make everything bad,
I mean we would argue about bills, and-- and couch placement,
and who swept the floor last,
And I'd probably put my underwear in your whites
and you'd be mad at me and I don't understand--
It's so good right now,
Good, think about it and then say "yes,"
Errol!
Hello my darling, How are you doing?
It's nice to see you, What are you doing on the east side?
I do my shopping here,
I don't like when people ask me for rewards cards or offer me shopping incentives,
Totally, me, too, I love a farmer's market, It's so immediate, right?
Actually, I'm thinking of opening up a booth,
That's a great idea,
You should, uh, set up a booth where you tattoo Ayn Rand quotes onto angry young girls,
-That seems right up your ally, -You might be reading my mind, yeah,
Don't knock Ayn Rand, She's a genius,
Fountainhead , brilliant, Atlas Shrugged , total snore fest,
I'm sorry, I was making fun of you,
I know, I know, I got that,
Keep me company, Let's take a walk,
I don't bite,
You know, Jana was right about you,
You-- you are-- you are always on,
You're always right there with something hysterical to say,
Thank you, She was right about you, too,
What'd she say?
That you're always analyzing and qualifying and she only had nice things to say about you,
Oh, that's sweet, She's great,
She's creative, and sexy, and impulsive, but I just--
I don't think I'm a one-woman guy,
-I know that sounds really cheesy, -Oh,
I'm not bragging, I'm just saying I've been with a lot, Whitney, Lily,,,
-Oh my God! -No, no, no, listen,
Hiromi,
Sexually, dynamite, right?
Everything a man could wish for but emotionally really needy and controlling,
Hng! Um,,,
But you know, I think-- I think I could get married again,
You know maybe have kids this time, or something,
Oh, yeah, Well, Jana thinks that matrimony is the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse
so that would have been a tough sell,
Yeah, do you date a lot?
I mean, I know you're seeing Graham but do you-- do you see other guys?
No, no, I-- I can't date,
I like to see one person at a time,
So, no threesomes or orgies for you then? Bukkake, not your cup of tea, no?
No, I have a one penis per room rule, I'm pretty strict about it,
[Errol] I don't know if my memories are things that have actually happened
or if they're things that I just tell myself happened,
Which could mean that I'm lying to myself about what's happening right now,
There are things that I want, right? Like to write this play,
but I think what I actually want, like what I really want
is to give myself the experience of wanting something
without the terror of having to follow through,
or be involved for that matter,
But the real terror, the horror comes when I realize
that I have been doing what I want all the time, right?
Like I have been doing what I wanted to do all along,
And it's-- it's lacking,
Well, um, it's hard to know things,
Yeah,
It's hard to know things,
You're smart,
Okay, great, Great, Great,
Great, Great, Goodbye,
Well, it's official, Carousel Town is going to Broadway,
You're kidding,
No, I'm not, It did so well here in L,A,, they were bound to want it,
Maybe, you'll even see it now,
This is amazing, Errol,
Producers are piling on, Directors are begging for it,
Errol everybody loves you, and now you get to wear the crown,
Oh, first thing we have to do is hire a publicist,
Yeah, the publicist first because we have to lay the groundwork
-because this is coming fast, This is going very, very-- -Do they have a date?
Yeah, they're talking about going to casting right away, like, next week,
Next week?
-Yeah, we're gonna start casting next week! -Oh my God!
-It's really going to be-- -This is moving!
[muted men talking in the distance]
Are you interested in casting?
Because if you want to come to casting, we can-- you-- let's talk about this,
We had to decide who we're gonna cast-- well we should actually give them a call,
This is happening right now?
Yeah, so we have to get on the ball, all of us together
because we've got to be organized going out there,
Now, if we're gonna go into casting next week
that could take as long as a month or six weeks, depending on difficulties,
Do they have dates? Do they have dates?
-They're talking about casting next week, -Next week!
They're talking about starting casting next week,
It's probably gonna take about two months,
Ah, that's right, Congratulations, hun!
-Two, two months, -Yeah, yeah, did you ever know--
Don't stare at me, I'm all mismatched and scruffy,
You're fabulous and put together, This is no good,
It doesn't matter if your clothes match,
People will just assume you're a German tourist,
You've seen right through me and uncovered my most secret plan,
I hated you when we first met,
How lovely,
I did, I thought you were obnoxious and full of it,
Ah, I thought you were a judgmental little weasel, So, all works out,
Yeah, that's my default position,
You know, if I'm uncomfortable at all then I just decide that everything sucks
and then I can justify not being involved,
Is that hard for you? Getting involved?
No,
What kind of photographer are you, huh? You never have a camera,
You never take any pictures,
Ah, well, I love photography and everything,
but my real passion is selling real estate,
Do you have one of those cards with your picture on it?
-Please say no, -No,
Thank you, God,
If hell had admission tickets that's what they would be,
Seeing as you are not holding back, I might talk to you about your play,
-Please do, -Great, I thought it was sweet, tender, and romantic,
A little tear right there just begging a race down the side of my face,
I take it from all of that you have a romantic view of romance,
No, no, just an idea I had at the time, you know,
I-- I view romance as a choice, you know,
I think that we choose, I don't believe in falling in love,
I mean that makes it seem like it's out of your hands,
There's a moment where you choose to either go with it or fight against it,
Maybe for you,
For me, it's like a hurricane,
-So, in other words, it's a disaster, -Mostly,
But you must feel some of those things in order to write them though, yeah?
Yeah, I feel them, They just don't affect me,
It's happening to my characters, not to me, you know,
I admire your distance,
Thank you,
That was great,
Yeah, I had a good time, Thanks for calling,
You called me,
I did, That's really silly,
Well, thank you for answering,
I'll call you,
-Hi, -Hi,
Errol, I'd like you to meet my inner child,
Hello,
It's very nice to meet you,
Oh, I almost forgot,
This is my inner child,
-Hello, -Nice to meet you,
Shall we?
Why'd you kiss me the other night?
I've wanted to kiss you for some time now,
I felt like you wanted to kiss me, too,
I was afraid of ruining our friendship with something more lasting and meaningful,
So, I held off,
Why do you like me?
Why do I?
Well, okay,
You're smart and funny,
you're divorced, you're a photographer,
you always have something interesting to say, What can I tell you?
I don't have a lot of luck with relationships,
Great, I can try to be the one that's special enough to change that,
And I have no history of success,
-So, the expectations will be low, -I like that very much,
Good things terrify me, but with you, I'll never be scared,
Great, I need to say this now so I can use it later as an excuse,
-I don't think this will ever work, I'm too-- -Neurotic,
You think I'm neurotic?
Yes, but I am, too, It's perfect,
We can sit around and compare baseless fears,
Okay, but I warned you,
[knocking on door]
Hey! Oh, my--
Oh, my God! Are you okay?
I'm sorry, I know you're busy, You're busy, I'm--
What is-- come inside, Honey, you look like shit,
-Yeah, Ehm,,, -What's wrong?
-Is Hal here? -No,
-Okay, -Come inside,
Shit,
I'm sorry, I'm just--
I mean, I'm sorry, if I'm messing up your day,
Stop apologizing and start telling me what's going on,
God, I feel really juvenile right now for literally a life time,
That's how it feels, Wow, Errol,
I know, it's a mess, I've been cleaning with a wrecking ball,
Okay, well please don't do that for me, Will you please not clean for me,
Oh, God!
-Okay, let me get-- -I'm gonna get--
-Don't move, -No, no, no, I'm going to--
-Ah, ah, ah! Don't, don't-- -No, it's fine, It's fine,
-Don't touch it, Put it-- put it in there, -Fine,
-Go sit down, Sit down, Get out of here, -I'm sorry,
Just go, Stop apologizing, What is happening?
I've been seeing someone, you know, remember the person I told you about,
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, -Yeah, well,
It was complicated and we broke it off a few days ago,
He did or I did, I don't know, It's crazy,
A few days ago, what-- why didn't you tell me?
Because I wanted to figure out on my own instead of involving you for once,
Well, that's stupid,
You didn't have to do that,
Hey,
I'm sorry that you and that person I never met broke up,
It's not a big surprise,
I mean I don't know who I was kidding, He was all wrong for me,
Did I say was-- I meant is,
And I guess some part of my brain already views him as dead to me,
so, I think that's a sign of healing,
Well, I think it's really more a sign of you mixing up your tenses, but--
I've--
I have never seen you this emotionally involved,
I know,
Yeah,
I pick people that I have no chance of a real future with,
I mean I never change,
Yes, you do, Maybe not in the way you need to,
What are you saying?
No, I'm saying that behavior teaches the beliefs that motivate it,
Yeah,
I think I'm just hoping for some closure,
I feel like I need that,
Ah, who knows what closure is? What-- what is-- I don't believe in closure,
I think what you mean is that you don't like the way you feel right now,
and you want to feel better,
I mean what else can you ask for, right? To feel better,
You will,
[laughing]
Hey,
-How are you? -Good, I am meeting someone actually, so,
How-- how have you been? Are you are you still writing are you-- what-- what's going on?
-No, I don't have time for that right now, -Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,
Congratulations on all your success though,
Thank you, Thank you, Yeah, that's-- that's mostly luck, Right?
Okay,
Do-- do you ever see anyone from the group anymore?
Oh, yeah we hang out from time to time,
Um, Graham just wrote a play and it's gonna go up soon, Did you know that?
No,
Right, why would you care?
[man] Felicia, we got to go,
[Felicia] Hey, how are you? Oh, it's so good to see you,
Hey the sign looks great, I saw it on the way in, It's so good,
I know, Can you believe it?
They finally went ahead and did it, They finally put my name next to theirs,
Congratulations, I'm really happy for you,
God knows they made me work for it,
I'm great,
This is what I wanted,
Good, But I feel like you can take it easy now, right?
No, no, they make me partner and then they slam me with work,
They-- they're bastards,
-Famous old curse, -Curse, what do you mean curse?
May you get everything you wish for,
Enough about me, Tell me about your play,
[people laughing and cheering]
It's good, It's so good,
I am really accomplishing a lot and I feel, feel good about it,
Good, I can't wait to read it,
Me too,
I'm dating someone by the way, You will be happy to know,
Oh, I am very happy to know this,
Strictly a rebound,
Why don't we go out? Us four,
Maybe come over for dinner next week? You guys can meet him,
Yeah, yeah, I'll ask, I'll ask Hal,
-All right, -Okay,
-Hey, -Hey,
-Hello, Zane, -Zane?
Just Zane,
Hello, Zane,
Hal,
Hello, Hal, Zane,
Hmm,
Yes, this is-- this is Zane,
Hello, again, Zane,
Hello,
Errol,
-Hal, -Hello, Zane,
Errol, Hal, meet Zane,
All right, Now if someone were to just introduce me to myself, I think we'd all be set, huh?
[Zane] You move on rivers of ice,
of sunshine,
of reflection,
[Zane] Have you ever felt like that canoeing?
Canoeing, no never been, Never been canoeing,
-[Zane] Oh, you've never been, -Mm-hmm, Mm-hmm,
[Zane] Oh, no kidding, What's stopping?
Uh, just never been in a canoe,
-It's-- -I think canoes are--
You know, oneness, wholeness,
Tell them that story you were telling me yesterday
when you went on that trip with your friends-- with your friend--
-[Zane] To the-- -[Jana] Ryan, I think,
[Zane] To the rocks? The rock-- the appreciation journey?
-[Jana] Yes, -[Hal] Oh, sounds like a good one,
-[Zane] Wow, breathtaking, -[Hal] Mm-hmm,
Can't believe how out of the loop I am? It's pathetic,
Cause you spend all your time in the basement,
Oh my God! Oh my God!
What? What is it?
It's Hiromi,
Hiromi has got a layout and her picture in this,
Man, she said she wanted to do it and she did, Look,
-Hiromi is a photographer? -Thought her everything she knows,
You gotta hand it to her, When she puts her mind to something--
Look at this, that's just stunning,
Look at it, The-- the-- light values, the composition,
Come here, let me see that,
Man, I told her she could do that, and now look, Look at my Hiromi,
Hal,
-Hal, -Yeah,
You know those pictures are ass,
What are you talking about? You just-- you don't know how to look at them,
Come on, Tell me I'm nuts, Is that a picture of a toe?
Yeah, it's Hiromi's toe, I'd know that toe anywhere, It's just epic minimalism,
Come on, Is that her armpit?
So daring!
So bold!
Please,
Hi, I'm gonna pay for that, You know what? Keep the change,
Thank you so much,
Thank you,
[Errol] Hal,
[Hal] Errol,
[Hal] Really?
[Errol] I feel like you've been trying to pick fights with me all week,
Not trying to pick fights with you,
You're just--
You're just so judgmental, like everyone all the time,
You're judging everyone about everything all the time
and it's really exhausting,
There's nothing wrong with being judgmental,
That's first, Well second of all, if without judgment, how would we make any choices?
Oh, brilliant, That's fantastic,
You used to be supportive of my choices, How-- how about that?
Yeah that was before I met your choices, like your ex-girlfriend, the toe,
Oh God! You know what just-- you know what?
How about you just look at your life? Yeah, take a look and look around,
Yeah, look at this, Look at this chaos,
Jesus, the dogs, The dogs, Oh my God!
You don't have pets, You have hostages,
Do you hear yourself?
You're angry with me, You are,
You're angry with me all the time and I try o confront you about it
and-- and you deny it,
You say there's nothing wrong,
but you are spending more and more time in that underground lair
-and you don't spend any time with me, -Okay,
I feel like I don't know who you are anymore,
Great, That's it then, Conversation's over,
-What are you talking about? -You mother always said "Don't talk to strangers,"
Oh, shut up,
That's it,
-Where are you going? -Somewhere safe,
Somewhere without all this hostility, Jesus Christ!
[announcer] And now we look at a new play that opened this week
at the Viola Spolin Theater,
Carousel Town by Errol Larsen ,
Carousel Town is a whimsical, touching and romantic portrait of a dreamer named Diana,
Her search for love and, more importantly, acceptance
is doomed by her inability to accept it,
It's a good try, but we both know that's not what a rainbow looks like,
[announcer] Larsen paints a picture of a woman who is more comfortable with rejection,
Though she longs for a richer life, she cannot help but function from her defects,
Diana sums up the tyranny of this condition when she says,
"The past is an animal that feeds on the present,"
[phone vibrating]
Hello,
Yeah, yeah, I'll be right over,
I just feel so stupid,
Come on, Don't say that, You're not stupid,
Everyone gives it a shot, you know, And most of the time it doesn't work out,
It's not like you two were gonna get married,
God, who am I kidding?
My aromatherapist tells me I have way too many expectations,
Yeah, you needed an aromatherapist to tell you that?
I could have told you that without having you smell anything,
I always feel like I'm at a crossroads,
but my fear is that the crossroads is behind me,
That I already chose and I didn't know it,
And everything that's happened since is a result of that,
Do you ever feel like that?
[Danny laughing]
What are you laughing at?
It's this Ethan Martin movie on TV called like Walking into the Night
or something that's really funny,
Do you mean Long Day's Journey into Night ?
[man on TV] Like the veil of things as they seem, drawn back by an unseen hand,
For a second you see, and seeing the secret, are the secret,
I got a secret!
[buzzing sounds and audience laughing]
What does that mean?
Seeing the secret, are the secret,
[clinging]
[Hal] I picked you up some Chinese food,
I've got that twice stewed chicken in the soy sauce that you love so much,
Did you, um,,,?
Yeah,
Yeah, I read one and then I had to stop,
Uh,,,
Some of them, they are from before,
But others are more recent,
I don't-- I don't know what that means, So,
I just-- I felt there were certain things I needed to look at, Jana too,
You-- there were some things that you needed to look at? What? Look at what?
Feelings,
You needed to look at your feelings for Jana? Is that-- is that what you're saying?
-Cause I-- I don't-- -Yes,
I don't know where that's coming from because we are all here, together, all the time,
-And you're telling me that you two have been seeing each other, -So listen,
We got together a couple of months ago when you were out of town,
-we were worried about you, -Spare me,
Listen, we were worried about you,
We got together and we were talking about you and we started talking about us,
-Started talking about the past, -What past? What-- what past?
You guys-- you guys went out on a couple of dates, Twice,
She wants to get married,
What?
She,
She-- she wants to get married?
Are you-- are you telling me that the two of you have been--
Did you just break up with her a couple of weeks ago?
I told her that we should cool it because of you,
Okay? I didn't want to hurt you and--
Oh my God! Oh my God!
I cannot believe that you two have been seeing each other without telling me,
Well, I'm telling you now,
I'm coming from a very honest place,
Oh, wow!
Congratulations, you have somehow turned being honest into some kind of achievement,
Okay, look, Your hurtful sarcasm isn't helping,
but I understand I've hurt you, so, I am here to listen to you,
okay, if you need to get it out,
Good, so you can be my therapist,
Do you know how amazing this is because you and my best friend have been--
You've gotten engaged behind my back,
and now, if I don't speak to you in your way, I am in the wrong?
Is that what you're saying to me? Do you know how absurd this is?
Hey look, actually, this is good, All right?
This is-- this is-- this is good, Let's get-- let's get it out, Get it out,
I don't want to get it out, Hal,
I want to bury it deep in the Andes where-- where shameful things go to die,
Do you not think that you could have been honest with me before?
This is hard for me, too,
Yes, I do, I think we can settle, but I just--
I'm not gonna take less than we agreed, I'm just not,
Not a good time,
It'll just take a second,
that is if the other Huns can figure out a way to capitalize
on human frailty without you for a moment,
George, I'm gonna call you right back, Mm-hmm,
-Thank you, -Were you gonna tell me?
Of course, I was going to tell you,
-It just happened so fast, -That's funny,
I remember goose stepping around the reservoir
when you didn't feel ready to tell me because it was very complicated,
That's when it started,
Oh, Hal said it started a couple of months ago,
You guys got together because you were worried about me,
What does it matter?
It matters because the truth is important, Jana,
I can't talk about this right now,
I am working, and you are not coming from a good place right now,
What is it with you two?
Come on, I mean, you can't communicate anymore,
It's like you're suspended in this language,
any time a real feeling comes up you hide behind these phrases
that don't mean anything,
I am hurt and I am pissed, Goddammit,
Yep,
Look, this is just something that happens, okay?
We can't control our emotions, We're not like you,
Like I-- I can't just turn my feelings off at the drop of a hat,
You're not supposed to be in control of your emotions, your feelings,
you're supposed to be in control of your actions,
but you, you let your feelings justify everything,
Well, I'm sorry that my life isn't as neat and as controlled as yours,
I like to live on the edge,
Well, without a center there can be no edge,
-[Graham] Thank you, -[man] Who composed the music?
[Graham] This kid, It was all done original--
the original music through our-- one of our producers, Andrew,
-Do you know Andrew? -No, I haven't met him yet,
[Graham] Errol,
What are you doing here?
I came to see you,
Well, we're headed to Blake's, why don't we wait for you?
Uh, yeah, Thanks, Would you, uh? Yeah,
Oh,
You look great,
Oh, I look like I got dragged behind a wagon,
I wrote a play,
I know,
Wow! This is-- this is wonderful,
-Congratulations, -Thank you,
What's it about?
It's about a guy and a girl,
Um,,, And one day time does a tricky thing and stands still,
And they're able to say the things they needed to say,
What kind of things?
Oh, they don't really know what to say so, they say everything, I guess,
-But hey, I should thank you, You were-- -Please don't,
No, you know, you encouraged me to write this,
And um, watching you work was just amazing,
It was really, really, inspirational,
-Graham-- -I called you about that Chester Beach exhibit,
-but you never called me back, -I know, Sorry,
-Did you go? -Yeah, yeah, Did you?
No,
Years from now when you look back on our time together,
I'm afraid you will think poorly of me,
That I was some stupid girl who didn't know what she had when she had it,
Someone who didn't have a heart and borrowed yours,
so she could write with feeling,
And, sadly, on all counts, you will be right,
I--
I was wrong and damaged and hurt,
And I didn't know that before,
But I see it now,
I am so very sorry that I took you for granted,
I threw your love away and I want you to know that I know it,
I saw all that stuff and it didn't matter to me,
I loved you in spite of it,
You did and that's what made it hard for me to accept,
You were the best thing ever and I blew it,
[man] Graham, We're waiting,
I'm sorry, I have to go,
[Errol] Graham,
Thank you,
It starts in--
Um, for the people in our lives, and um, the roof over our head, and food,
-Amen, -Amen,
Maybe if--
[chattering]
-It's a light box! -Yeah!
Lie down,
Down,
Buddy,
This is so-- come here, Oh my God, this is so good! This is so--!
-Pass this out to everyone, -I can pass them out, but--
-Thank you so much, -But you can come upstairs,
No, I'm going to get going, but thank you, Thank you again,
-No problem, -Oh, it's really, really good to see you,
It's really good to see you too,
¶ I'm discontented With homes that are rented ¶
¶ So I have invented my own ¶
¶ Darling, this place Is a lover's oasis ¶
¶ Where life's weary chase Is unknown ¶
¶ Far from the cry Of the city ¶
¶ Where flowers are pretty Across the stream ¶
¶ Cozy to hide in To live side-by-side in ¶
¶ Don't let it ¶
¶ Abide in my dreams ¶
¶ Picture me ¶
¶ Upon your knee ¶
¶ With is tea for two ¶
¶ And two for tea ¶
¶ Me for you And you for me ¶
¶ Yeah, no,,, ¶
¶ Nobody near us ¶
¶ To see us or hear us ¶
¶ No friends or relations ¶
¶ On weekend vacations ¶
¶ We won't have it known ¶
¶ That we own a telephone ¶
¶ Dear, day will break ¶
¶ And you awake ¶
¶ And I will bake ¶
¶ A sugar cake ¶
Well that's good, Thank you for coming again,
It is-- you know, I'm sorry that Graham couldn't make it out,
-I don't think he's going to come, -Yeah,
¶ ,,,See ¶
¶ We will raise a family ¶
¶ A boy for you ¶
¶ And a girl for me ¶
¶ Can't you see ¶
¶ How happy we would be ¶
[doorbell ringing]
[people chatting]