When we're younger (ha, ha, than I am, I mean) we take health for granted. As the character Johnny Case in the play Holiday says (via playwright Philip Barry),"now, while I'm young, and feel good all the time." When I did the dialect work on the play at Circle in the Square, every time I heard Tony Goldwyn say that line (and often as I was feeling the old arthritis), I thought Barry's own life wisdom was in it, since it actually sounded too wise for a man too young to know what not feeling good all the time means. Of course Barry was creating a man of vision as well as an independent thinker, so it works.
This was a splendid production, directed by the brilliant David Warren, also starring the elegant Laura Linney as Linda. David's note at opening was addressed to "My own Henry Higgins!"--to me, he is, above and beyond his considerable skills as a director, one of the funniest people I have ever known. We had many wonderful laughs creating the world of the play, and I must say I have come to realize firsthand the healing power of humor--it's as real as any med, and good doctors know it.
