Georgie is getting to me. And I read the news release from a few years ago when the actual “Georgie” died. He appears to have been well-loved by his family, and indeed many in Buffalo as his father took him with him to many civic and business meetings. Georgie was like his constant companion.
I think the age relationship in the play is pretty accurate: Rudy is 12, Georgie is 13. He had Down Syndrome. He lived to be close to 60.
The playwright discusses how acceptance and tolerance were simply the norm: Georgie was part of the family and they loved him.
I want to convey that love in our production. Not just the love of Georgie, but of the entire family. Overall, even in the tirades and yelling and misunderstanding and embarrassment, there is love…and it’s very strong. Some have said that this play is about a dysfunctional family—I think I’ve said it on occasion—but when looking at the condition of today’s “family” by comparison the Pazinski family was very functional. They just didn’t know how to show it. I wonder if that was a 1950s thing, or a Buffalo thing, or a Polish family thing, or….maybe just a human thing.
Working on the list of props and furniture. (The TV story…I’ll write about that soon.) Also the music. 1950s…but what music? And the costumes. Advertising needs to get cranked up real soon. And how to get people to understand that we couldn’t exist without corporate sponsors. THANKS, Elite Therapy!
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