I had an opening on this night. I couldn't go to it myself, as the character I was playing - myself, (basically) had gone insane, and was thus, "missing". Attempting to be famous and popular and, THE NEXT BIG THING, was too much for him and he flew the coop.
But, it would be very bad form not to attend my own opening. So, I dressed up as, "Walt", my Father, whom had somehow found out about the show to find me - apparently, I've flown the coop on many occasions, not unlike this one. I sort was making up a story while being the character.
Strange circumstances for one to be in. Firstly, you never know who is going to be at your opening. For example, I had met, Brian Simoni - someone I was probably related to indirectly. I had sent him a postcard a few days before, he lives in the Denver area - I just looked in the phone book for another Simoni out of excitement on receiving a new phone book - not that my life is that dull, but shiny objects come in all shapes. You know, what the heck, have a perfect stranger receive something odd and magical in the mail.
Well, Brian came to the opening, with his wife - he was the first person I met in costume and I hadn't really fleshed out the entire idea on how Walt was going to act. Turns out, Brian's a local artist and teaches art. Strange indeed. It was even stranger talking about myself and my family in the perspective of my Father, someone I haven't been able to actually talk to in years. I'm sure I made a good and lasting impression of being the weirdest person even to share the same last name as himself. Sorry Brian. We did wax poetic about Michaelangelo, whom also shares the, "Simoni" surname.
Then, you get the "fanatic" that wants to hug and kiss and make out with you and take you out later and get your drunk and have their way with you.
This happened to me before in Halloween, when I was dressed as Andy Warhol. I had started dressing up as Warhol many days prior and I was seriously becoming a bit weird on how far down the little rabbit hole I was going with the character. I would simply not break character. One young woman, bless her soul, simply wanted me that night. She would push me into a corner and try her damndest to kiss me. I would laugh and try to divert the actions. Again and again. Until the young woman (bless her soul again!), gave up, slammed me into another wall and stomped away. You see, Warhol was dirty, but mostly androgynous - and he just didn't kiss people. As soon as midnight rolled around and I could "legally" break character, I called her up, but she didn't pick up. I wanted to honestly make sure she was OK, as she had gone missing.
Back to fans of this night: Some were just very sweet - honestly wanting to take me out and then have their way with my lips. But, I'm wearing a fake mustache and guess what, I'm taken on the particular night. So, I have to act the part of many different things: I have to act as if I'm my Father, so I shouldn't be interested in someone that's twenty-one. But I also have to play along with any silly advances they make, so I have to turn into the Dirty Old Man - someone my Father never was, but it's the only thing I could think of to be the little flirt I am and keep character. I also have to remember the girl that has stayed up long hours helping me put up the show and whom without her help no show would be ready - but in character, that's, THE NEXT BIG THING's girl - I'm only his Father - but only as a character I'm acting, but I will not for any reason break character - it's a miserable affair. You basically piss someone off and I pissed her off very much so.
Other friends/fans are easier to work with - they just unleash their silly desires in the guest book, saying how much they want to get their rocks off with me. And it's sweet: thanks guys.
Finally, you have people that you have never met, wondering what exactly is going on. A few get the whole joke: "OK, he's 'missing', but here's his Father, who, incidentally, looks not a day younger than 25, underneath a wig and mustache - whose color does not match either with each other, or the wearer's natural hair color" (Incidentally, my hair, beard, back and pubic hair color all do not match - but a different story, altogether). A few others just get weirded out and a select few fall for it - but not many - the whole point was that you would see through all of this as a silly delusion. You cannot even began to accept this all under, &Suspension of Belief"
One of my stupid jokes of the evening was about how the only thing alex had to do to look like his Father was to wait a few years - and it's true, every day, I see my Father more in myself. It may be one of the reasons that I cannot look at myself in the mirror directly anymore - I want my own identity, not that of my Father, although there are endearing qualities of my Father that I welcome as to being a part of myself - just not... so soon! To me, that night, at least in part, was about bringing my Father back, even if it was at the expense of making me M.I.A.
