I talked to Eddie Izzard - my all-time favorite performer - last night at Tampa Theatre.

OK, so by “talked to” I mean that I was able to ask him a question at one of his infamous Q&A sessions after the show - but still.

I have never been so completely star-struck. Actually, I’ve never before been at all star-struck. I’ve dealt with celebrities on and off for quite a while both in close partnerships and for brief dealings. It’s a necessary part of the life I chose for myself. Most of the people I’ve dealt with have been polite and personable but I’ve never been in awe of anyone - fame or none.  That is, until last night.

I even yelled back to him when he asked us all a question about what the name “Tampa” means.  I waited until everyone had finished screaming fallacies about cigars and strip clubs and the, from the third row I boomed … 

“Sticks of fire!”

I projected so well that I wish every past director and theatre teacher I’ve ever had was there to hear me.  Breath control exercises, my ass!

“Sticks of fire?” he repeated while pointing at me, before pulling out his iPhone to look it up on Wikipedia.  I got to provide a piece of the segue into the main part of his show.  I got to be “that one.”  I don’t think anything in the entire world could pull me down from my cloud!

During the Q&A I wasn’t polite enough to set him up for comedy - much to the chagrin of the 50 or so people packed into the lobby of Tampa Theatre last night. I asked him what I really wanted to know about - his dyslexia. It’s a subject that is so close to my heart and (conditions auto-immune aside) the one thing that helps shape everything I do so being able to ask him about it made an extremely special memory for me.

I attend an average of one major entertainment event per week (large venue - a ton more if you count small venue and local stuff - also, not counting work - I’m a very lucky girl).  No show - aside from shows I’ve toured with or performed in - has ever meant so much to me.  My jaw dropped farther, I laughed louder, I was more deeply intrigued, I thought more and I was put into an overall better frame of mind last night than I ever have been by any other performance.

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I’ve been both in a funk (for the last year, it seems) and pretty sick since last I wrote here. I received some questions about what I wrote about my health, medical tests, gastroparesis and the like and I do hope that I’m perking up enough to address those questions at the length I feel they deserve and to the best of my ability. I can’t find many personal accounts of people dealing with these same conditions and now I guess people are finding me when they perform a search. I’m more than willing to discuss my personal condition so feel free to drop a line. I’m no doctor but I can tell you what these things mean for me and I, as well as anyone, know what it’s like to make that personal connection concerning subjects that are usually written about in that sanitized medical jargon.

I really do hope to get to that soon.