met an actor; got claw marks

so last night i went to a play called ghost stories. and well, it scared me senseless.

you know something's up when the website's home page says 'warning: please be advised that ghost stories contains moments of extreme shock and tension. the show is unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15. we strongly advise those of a nervous disposition to think very seriously before attending'

now if you know me well, you know i can't do horror movies. my sister's scarred me for life when at a very young age they brought home the exorcist...but i digress...

i went with several friends and sat at one end between a total stranger and my friend aleksandra (followed closely by her paramour hoho). so i thought...great...strange man sitting next to me and ola will have hoho to protect her. i'm sitting here like a beacon for fear. the guy next to me says 'are you a plant?' and the fear factor rises because i think 'crap, now they have plants in the audience to scare people during the play and since i am a beacon, i will, of course, be picked'. and so the play starts with a bang...cut to black...terrifying screaming (clearly a possession type sound) and on walks our main character.

now i'm not going to tell you much about the play because it would ruin it if you ever went to see it. basically we have our main character, a dr. in parapsychology, who is giving us a lecture on the paranormal and wants to share with us three stories that have stuck with him through his research.

course, he primes you up with 'real life' examples set to scare the crap out of you...

anyway, what happens is you witness one very freaking scary play...made that much less terrifying by having a terrified polish woman sitting next to you, grabbing your arm (and NOT her boyfriends), scratching it so not only it turned red, but one actually drew blood. but i'm thankful. the sharp sting came along with her screaming, grabbing me and  yelling 'SORRY' simultaneously, thereby making the play actually seem like fun. almost.

thank god i worked in theatre because it helped me cope with what we saw on stage. the stage crew were fantastic at hiding, and the direction allowed for some blinding the audience techniques so you couldn't see too much of the stage as they primed you for the next big scare. very good at dangling the bright shining object and drawing your eye away from key parts of the stage.

anyhoo...two funny things happened after the play.;

one - i met the star/writer/director, who i recognized almost immediately, as andy nyman. if you've seen the original death at a funeral, you'll know him right away as howard...the hypochondriac who helps uncle alfie use the loo. he's very short...i think i can look him in the eye, but super nice.

two - i was on edge more than i'd care to admit...while in the loo at the pub later, i went to get some soap to wash my hands and accidentally started the hand dryer, making me squeal just a little and jump a good half foot. lucky i had already gone pee. :)