October 1969

San Francisco. The Marines Memorial Theater.

The Summer of Love has passed into the Autumn of  Amusement!

San Francisco is ALIVE with flower power, tie dye, free love , vegetarianism, long hair,  wide bell bottoms . I have never seen anything like this. I have just come from TEXAS, where hippies still have to run for their lives.

Even Willie has short hair!

I have been in the National production  of “ Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well…”for just over two months now. I have my Equity Card. I am in deep, SERIOUS love with the leading man My first time to really be in love with anyone but myself.

I am having the time of my life.

So one Saturday, between the matinee and evening shows, a dear friend and  a fabulous actress working at the American  Conservatory Theatre, comes  over to join us for dinner between shows. She brings her famous pumpkin bread. I like pumpkin bread. I find out it is NOTORIOUS pumpkin bread,

Nutmeg is not the ONLY spice in this pumpkin bread. Need I say more????

Any way, I decide about half way through the second show, to have a slice, thinking it will  come to life as soon as the show goes down. (This is the 60’s right? When THC is a Vitamin.)

I neglect to take into account  the ADRENALIN of performance. How it speeds up everything, including digestion.

So I come out to do my REALLY BIG , REALLY  COMPLICATED, REALLY FAST 11 o’clock number “CAROUSEL”.

And my, the lights are lovely!

And wow, the music is terrific!

And gee, my shoes look so sparkly!  You get the drift,.

I make it through the song, only a half a measure behind the band, without swallowing my tongue  and utterly terrified.

And to this day, I have never gone on stage with anything stronger than  a lemon cough drop in my system. Fools and little children….

Brel Stories, Stories from the Road