Paul Lucas passed away this week. We knew each other for over 15 years. We would see each other at plays, talk in the lobby, occasionally have coffee. The first time I met him was at the MFA reading of my play BLEED (dark comedy about a guy who bleeds to death.) The graduation reading/showcase was open to students, families, and industry. 6 ppl came to mine. Total. There were more people on stage than in the audience. Paul brought 3 of the 6 ppl. I had never met him. I wondered 'who is this guy in a bow tie and how can I thank him?' After the reading we went out for drinks and he introduced me to his friends...who were also producers in the industry. He had brought more people and more industry to my reading than the school...and I did not know him. And now he's paying for my drinks, introducing me to other people, encouraging me. I was blown away.
Later on, Paul asked me if I wanted to pitch a tv show to IFC. WHAT?!? I prepared a treatment, practiced, and shook off the nerves. I still thought 'WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Is this a con? Is he going to ask me for money?' But no....he said he liked my voice and the way I thought. He just wanted to support me. So we pitched at show at IFC. I tried to return the favor by reading Paul's plays, attending readings, showing up for him. But it was more than that...he was the first person I met right out of school who said 'hey, don't give up. I don't know you but I want to support you.' He liked my weird play about a dimwitted loser bleeding to death over the course of a day. He said it reminded him of life...that it was existential and absurd. And many of our future interactions had that same absurdist bent to it, as if saying 'this world is so strange and violent, and cruel and absurd. Let's just drink some coffee...or pitch a show...or lament at the state of things. Let's just...be. For a moment. Breathe and be. The life is so short. Let's just press pause...do you like my bowtie? Have you seen any new musicals?
The last time I saw Paul was at the hub of NY theatre: the Signature Theatre lobby. I was waiting for a friend. Paul was waiting for someone else. Our final interaction was like all the previous ones: funny, weird, light, conversational, fraught with the feeling that he wanted to say...but couldn't. So we just shared that moment. We planned on meeting again when this was all over. I just didn't know what he meant by 'this.' Now I do. Goodbye, Paul. I'll meet you in the lobby when this is all over with. We can talk and have coffee and talk about your bowtie. It's all so strange and sad. That's all I have right now. Goodbye my friend. See you soon.
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