Dazzled

We made our way up to the Waterfront Playhouse the other night, where my socks would have been knocked off if I hadn't been wearing flip-flops.

It was the season opener -- a benefit to show off the new lobby and the new landscaping (done by Jon, our plant guy) -- and between goosebumps I kept reminding Robert how amazing it was to have so much talent on an island of 24,000 people.

About 30 singers did "A Lot of Night Music," a revue of Sondheim songs culled by Danny Weathers, the playhouse's artistic director. Carmen Rodriguez, who's glittering in the picture, did "Being Alive," from "Company," and was absolutely electric. I've never heard anyone, anywhere, sing better, which is saying a lot, and she sang the song as if she owned it. When I told her later how much I'd loved it (think the affect of Cyd Charisse, and the voice of Barbara Cook), she cried and I cried and we were both alive indeed.

But there were so many others with great passion and talent, too -- from Clinton Curtis ("Joanna") and Bruce Moore ("Something's Coming"), both home for a few days from Broadway, to Laurie Breakwell ("Some People") and Mary Falconer ("Broadway Baby") and Vicki Roush's "The Ladies Who Lunch." ["I don't call him Sondheim," Vicki said later. "I call him f-ing Sondheim." The song is hard, though of course a show-stopper.]

Randy Roberts, who appeared in full fig, brought down the house with a boffo belt-out of "I'm Still Here."

After the show, at the reception in the sculpture garden, Robert gasped when Mike McCabe, the strapping, bearded hunk who sang "Barcelona" with the tiny Nulita Loder, ran across the pavement to kiss his boyfriend hello.

"Oh, thank God," Robert said. "He's one of ours!"