I was just sitting here,

I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when I realized that I owe everyone one big fat (very VERY late) WEEKEND UPDATE!

Last weekend actually started on Friday, as my friend Lee and I took a drive up to our old summer stomping grounds, Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in beautiful, scenic Loch Sheldrake, NY. Frequent readers of this column already know what Stagedoor is, and what it means to me (and if you’re not a frequent reader – welcome! Go read the Archives.) We hadn’t been back since our last summer there (10 years ago), and as this was also the 10th anniversary of Jack Romano’s passing, it seemed like if we were ever going to visit, this was going to be the year.

So off we went, going too fast up Route 17 (the Quickway – hey, if you’re going to name it “The Quickway”, you should EXPECT people to speed!), and the closer we got to exit 100, the stranger it felt. I had been up that road before, as Rt. 17 is also one of the most direct routes to Syracuse, but the drive felt more surreal this time. Having made great time (barely 2 hours from Lee’s apartment on the Upper West Side), we stopped for a quick bite at the Liberty Diner, one of our old haunts and the last chance for a decent burger for about a hundred miles going west, then proceeded onward to camp.Past the old Jamesway (now an Ames, although I think they’re going bankrupt too…), past the old Browns hotel (now condos), past all the little shops frequented on performance weekends, and finally, the turn for Karmel Road. (Wait – Karmel and JACOBS Road? The Hell?)

And there it is. Stagedoor Manor, damn near exactly how I remembered it from ten years hense. Sure, the place had had paint jobs since then, and the faces had nearly all changed, but for all intents and purposes, it was like walking into one of my old photos. That’s not to say things haven’t changed – there’s now an outdoor theater, and of course there’s the little matter of the Barn Theater being reduced to ashes. But still, with all the differences, I felt like I was somehow home again.

As I said, the faces had nearly all changed – campers, counselors, staff – but of course we still have some friends up there. Carl Samuelson, the gregarious owner of the camp, welcomed me back with a big hug, and quickly directed me to the patio outside his house to show me the plans for the new 300+ seat theater being erected on the site of the old Barn. Let me tell you, this is going to be one impressive facility when it’s ready. But I digress.

Michael Larsen, our former director/musical director/guru/master of all things musical theater, took us around, showed us the “sights”, including the remains of the Barn. You never realize how strongly you can be connected with a building until it’s gone. It took me a few minutes to process everything.

Anyway, we saw some familar faces (hi Konnie! hi Debra!), met some new friends (and friends I didn’t even know I had – long story), enjoyed a performance of “Merilly We Roll Along”, and just generally got lost in nostalgia. It was fantastic. And over much too quickly. We took a quick ride into “town” to see what was still standing 10 years later, and what had collapsed from age – for those of you who are wondering, the Beachcomber and the Hippodrome are both still open for business, and the sign for Motel on the Lake (Dump on the Puddle) is still there, but the old corner general store is gone. (Literally – building and all.) By 9:30, the gas tank was filled, the coffee was procured, and the city was 90 miles ahead.

I did take some pictures up there – I hope to have them developed shortly, and (assuming they’re any good) uploaded soon after.

Saturday saw the celebration of Darren‘s 25th birthday. Dare I say, Laser Tag is a load of fun. When else can you shoot the hell out of close friends with only minor consequences? =) Hopefully Darren was able to forget his troubles (see his blog if you don’t know what I’m talking about) for one night – I know I sure enjoyed myself. Of course, thinking about Darren’s birthday made me realize that MINE is just around the corner…

Finally, Sunday continued the theme of Old Friends (see how I tie all this cunningly into the visit to Stagedoor? Eh?) with a trip to Michelle’s house to fix her new computer, which apparently was throwing a major fit about something. I hadn’t seen Michelle in about 4 years, although it’s astounding how quickly one falls back into old habits. Following an enjoyable fight with WindowsME, it was movie time – bringing me to a…

Quickie Review: JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK
Damn. A perfect way to cap off the weekend. I am a relative newbie to the works of Kevin Smith, having seen all 4 of his previous films for the first time in the past year, but I think I can safely say that no filmmaker (modern or otherwise) speaks to me as an audience member quite like Smith. Maybe it’s the Jersey connection, maybe it’s just the fact that his films are very accessable, even when broaching controversial subject matter (Chasing Amy, Dogma), but it works for me. Anyway, back to J&SBSB – easily the funniest film I have seen in a very VERY long time. (Like I said, it’s a quickie review.) Definately worth seeing again (in fact, I think I will), and an immediate buy on DVD when it comes out.

Sunday night ended with a retreat to Darren’s house to watch the second half of Dogma and discussion of careers and life in general.

Overall, a pretty busy weekend. Busy, but immensely satisfying.