old woman

New York is one of those places, that even after almost 14 years, you can be constantly reminded of the gifts it throws at you. Today was one of those days when on a whim I strolled over to the BAM in hopes of finding a ticket to a sold out show of Bob Wilson's The Old Woman starring Misha (Baryshnikov) and William Dafoe. And with some patience and luck, for less than $40, I got an orchestra ticket 10 rows from the front.

To watch a Wilson play, one really needs to surrender to his absurd dreamscape. His mastery of light and abstract design, sound and movement is always perfection. It was not until after that I read it was based on a Daniil Kharms book by the same name during the post WW1 Russian surrealism. You can read more about it here. But really the main reason I went to see the piece was to catch a glimpse, in person, of my childhood idol, Baryshnikov. "I'm a performer. I go on stage and make a fool of myself" he once said and tonight was no exception, not only for him, but also Dafoe. They played off each other as a madcap couple, where one was graceful, the other comic, tireless in their mature age. Inspiring to see how two artists carry their art throughout their lives.