Blown Away

I saw A Steady Rain on Thursday evening.

It stars, as you undoubtedly know, Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. They filled the seats. They are A-list actors.

Last week in previews A Steady Rain became the highest grossing non-musical play in Broadway history based on a comparative week's receipts because, let's face it, of Hugh and Dan.

It blew me away. I didn't get to spend my hour and a half (no intermission) watching Hugh and Dan. I got to spend it with two stressed-out, over-worked Chicago cops named Denny and Joey whose lives and decisions were thrown in my face.

Hugh Who? Dan Who?

It was all Denny and Joey.

I rarely -- if ever -- get sucked into a play. Movies, yes, I'm fair game for those. Books, absolutely. But plays, while I love them, not so much. Maybe it's due to my bad eyesight. I can never get close enough to see what's really going on.

I had a good seat Thursday night -- and that helped. But it was, frankly, the actors who drew me in, who made me forget who I thought I'd come to see, and who became those cops.

Pretty amazing.

Well worth the trip, research aside. But in the aftermath, I discovered that subliminally I did some research as well -- about intensity and focus and motivation. Things that will help me not just on George, but on all the heroes to come.

There is talk that it may go to London next year -- with Dan and Hugh -- they hope. I'd be interested to see how Londoners (and those further north, from, say, Lincolnshire, who live with C.A.T.S -- like, um, Sid) react.

It's a very American play, for all that Hugh and Dan are not. The sensibilities are American and the cops are definitely American. It will be interesting to hear what people think. Maybe they will only go for Hugh and Dan and that's all they'll see.

I hope not.