Saint Mark's Gospel

This just in from the performer: "Turns out I'm 100% Jewish, and they gave me a nice, smiley picture of Sarah Silverman to prove it! Not too shabby for a cradle Southern Baptist who now belongs to an Anglo-Catholic congregation in the Episcopal Church, and whose one-man show is entitled 'Saint Mark's Gospel.' Is it kosher to wish yourself 'Mazal tov'?" [NB: We realize that that's Natalie Portman. You get Sarah Silverman at the end of the quiz, but only if you're 100%, like "Saint Mark's Gospel."]

Hail and farewell, mon semblable, mon frère.

Now I know what those funny amber lights in the front row were all about! Also, I hadn't realized I'd gotten such a sunburn, so early in the season. The comments are very kind, and very welcome.

The Teaneck show was an absolute blast, with one of the best audiences a performer could ever hope for -- absolutely committed and attentive, eager to take part, and (best of all) not afraid to laugh at the jokes, of which Mark wrote aplenty -- and local management that made the whole thing easy and comfortable. We were even able to accommodate the setup for the next morning's patronal feast, turning a mass of musicians' chairs into a workable stand-in for the Temple in Jerusalem. It was really neat doing Mark's show in one of his own houses, with a nifty banner and Tim Wells's beautiful springtime decorations. But that audience: oh my! If you can raise a solid laugh with a line like "And the fishes," you've got a fantastic bunch of collaborators.

Just in time for Saturday's performance in Teaneck, New Jersey, comes this terrific performance of a choral version of Gerald Cohen's setting of "Dayeinu," the tune that provides the exit-music for "Saint Mark's Gospel." So a Good Pesach to Gerald, and to all our Jewish friends in Teaneck. Sorry for the schedule-conflict, but when St. Mark's Church wants to celebrate the eve of its patronal feast, and it falls on the First Day of Passover, there's not much a poor player can do!