March 7th

I am so glad to have two shows today. That means I don’t have to figure out what to do with myself. It’s all pre-decided for me…a no-brainer.

Lots of friends came back to see me. Reverend Debra Haffner came with her 15 year old son, Greg. Debra had seen the show at the first preview, a month ago, and said how the play and performances had grown clearer and more powerful. She was on the “Today Show” yesterday to talk about her new book on being a 21st Century parent. She ran SIECUS for years and has many written a number of wonderful books on adolescents and sexuality.


Rev Debra Haffner and her son, Greg.

A friend from long ago when I was married and living in France, the actress Patti D’Arbanville, came back. I hadn’t seen her for eons. She still looks great. She was part of Andy Warhol’s team of actors.


Patti D’Arbanville

Dee Bent, the mom of Simone, my daughter-in-law came with two women friends. She will be back for opening night with her husband. Dee is beautiful and smart, like her daughter. She’s from Costa Rica.


Dee Bent, my daughter-in-Law’s mother, who is coming again with her husband, Boswell, on Monday

When they all left, I had a nice nap with Tulea on my couch.
Anne Stechi, a friend from Atlanta who lives in my building, is coming tonight.

I decided today that I will go to all the good museums in the city over the next month. That feels like a worthwhile goal. I will start with the Metropolitan, then Museum of Modern Art, then the Guggenheim and, my old favorite, the Frick. I’m sure I’ll get recommendations from other bloggers about what else is worthwhile. It’s fun developing this community of people I don’t know.

A gorgeous bouquet of peonies just arrived from writer/director Richard LaGravenese. I got to know Richard when he created wonderful scenes for my outrageous character in Monster-in-Law, like the one where I fantasize jumping on the Brittney Spears-type character at the beginning of the movie. We became friends. I know he will like this play because he is a spiritual person.

Wonderful audiences for both performances today and packed house.

See you tomorrow.

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46 Comments

  1. aww Jane you look so beautiful in the photos, and I’m glad you still enjoying yourself, aww seeing some wonderful museums- HAVE FUN.

    ha Monster-In-Law was amazing i loved you in it, you made the movie. Thing is I know someone that was just like the character you played in that movie, and it made us laugh so much that we were crying. You did an amazing job.

    YOu do amazing jobs in everything you have done. I’m sure this play is truly out standing, and if i could i would come up right now at this moment and come and see it.

    take care Jane, and keep writing.

    <3

  2. How wonderful that you can visit these places and hopefully the weather will be great for most of your visits. Please take plenty of photos (I know I don’t ask much do I) for those of us who will probably never visit there in person. I look forward to some great blogs.. . . Di

  3. Oh, I love Patti Dar\\’Arbanville! She was in a few episodes of RESCUE ME, and used to be on a soap I used to watch GUIDING LIGHT. I also remember her from “the old days” – the 70s (my favorite years). She’s as beautiful as ever.

  4. If you have the time I would recommend DIA:Beacon. The space itself is stunning: bright and spacious (an old Nabisco building), the train ride there is lovely (along the Hudson) and the permanent collection is amazing (if you like modern art): Serra, LeWitt, Richter, DeMaria… This is a must trip for me whenever I have a friend in town. I took my mom there when she visited from Europe last year. She loved it.

  5. I’m not sure if you know her personally but Betsy Palmer (your dad’s co-star in The Tin Star & Mister Roberts) is living in NYC again.
    I was in contact with her last in Nov 07 & like the horrible friend I am, haven’t been in touch again. 🙁 Has she been to see the show? If you see her please give her an extra squeeze from me. 🙂
    xox

  6. Saw the show this week. You are remarkable. I recommend visiting the Whitney and the Neue Galerie. Have a wonderful opening!

  7. I would like to suggest you to seek out Alaska House. I believe it is in SoHo. The Gallery exhibits work by contemporary native artists. It was conceptualized by the wife of David Rubenstein, of the Carlyle Group.

  8. Jane,

    Yes your Monster-in-Law character was outrageous but perfectly executed.
    We may not know you personally,but we sure have the honor to be a part of this personal journey,but educated on so many wonderful causes. You could write a book just on the people you know. I’m
    getting ready to watch your promo on the 11
    o”clock news. Cannot wait to see this play!!

    Roseann

  9. I love MOMA. There was a time when I was fortunate to be in New York almost every 2nd week for my work. It is my one regret that I did not visit every one of those Museums you mention. I always had the intention but it didnt translate and I consoled/fooled myself with “next time”. It’s almost meditative for me when I am in a Museum. Seeing an interesting installation at a gallery also has the same effect.

  10. Prior to seeing the play tonight, I had the pleasure of hearing you and Moises discuss it at the Times Talks event, and it made me very excited that I would be seeing the play with my mother. Before knowing what the play was about, and frankly about a minute after I learned you would be doing a play in New York, I knew I had to see with my mom. I had no idea it would be such a brilliant piece of theatricality, from the grace of the sets to the humanity of the writing to Moises’s deep, empathetic understanding of the musical mind to its beautiful relationship between mom and maturing daughter, nor did I know how special an evening it would be for me and my mom. I just knew that we both adored you, and it would be a wonderful thing to do together. I recall you speaking about the difficulty in translating your filmic acting to the stage (and vice versa) and even as I am typing this, I am still amazed by how you managed to give such a subtle nuanced performance and still fill a stage as grand as the Eugene O’Neill. You are a unique performer. I have learned so much from you as an actress, a writer, and a woman with compassion. Thank you for being an inspiration for me. (I shall try to calm my nerves now as I hit “Say It”). Daryn

  11. Sound like your having the time of your life,I did not know that was a Fantasized spot in the film Monster-in-Law, You really was jumping on on Brittney Spears,was you Knot?
    I spend six days a week at a museum a interest of mine, I try to be around Art as much as I can,some of the best times of my life was working my way trough the University in the Fine Arts Library. After earning my Degree in Painting I sometime think I would have been happier not going into media. I love your blog posts and tweets ,keep it up.
    with my love and care,
    TIm

  12. I’m so glad you are enjoying doing your craft again. You are an inspiration to all of us 60+ who also feel like we are still going strong. You represent us so well to the rest of the world who just isn’t up to date (yet). Thanks Jane!!!!!!! 😉

  13. Just came home after seeing the show with my daughter tonight. I am still on a “high” and totally amazed at the performances and the message I left with. It was clear to me the transforming affect when one addresses his fears. There is an intimacy and victory when we move forward to those areas of greatest anxiety. My daughter and I have a beautiful friendship and love but this experience tonight truly bonded us even more.

    There is a book by Peter Scazzaro called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and addresses the question ” can one be spiritually healthy without emotional health?”. The book deals wiith going to those areas of pain, identify them and deal with the emotions so we can totally enjoy both spritual and emotional health and every blessing that each day brings.

    Thank you again for opening your heart both on stage and off. You give me such inspiration to see the beauty in the journey…and for sharing with such grace.

    Jill Allen Strauss

  14. Hi Jane. When I have travelled, and to a lesser extent at home, I have found it very rewarding taking the time to meet some of the people from my “community of people I don’t know”. For me that is Twitter. I’ve met some lovely people whom I would never have met otherwise. For me the people I don’t know, have become people I do know, and I now enjoy our ongoing Twitter relationship even more.

  15. The Tenement Museum is one of my favorites: http://www.tenement.org/

    When you visit the Met make time check out the Temple of Dendur in the Egyptian wing, and the nearly life-size Joan of Arc painting on the second floor — true expressions of life and beauty.

  16. You should check out the NY Lower East Side Tenement Museum where you can tour old tenement housing set up as the past. Really neat, plus it’s close to Katz Deli!

    Break a leg for opening!

  17. Bravo Jane! Quelle merveilleuse idée de faire jouir de ta présence ceux qui t’aiment et admirent malgré l’éloignement
    Avec mon affection fidèle.
    Elizabeth

  18. It’s fantastic that you’re playing to packed houses already, and that so many friends are dropping by.

    In Monster-in-Law, your character Viola Fields not only fantasizes about leaping on the airheaded teen singer you mention… she actually does it.

    And quite right, too. 🙂

  19. I was at the 2PM Saturday. Excellent. I was watching On Golden Pond when I received an E-Mail for 33 Variations. Bought Ticket rite away. Did not know the story. I found it extremely interesting. And Loved it. Plus what a beautiful day to spend in NY. Great to see you live on stage. Have a Great One!

  20. Jane, it’s really quite marvelous that your friends and loved ones attend just about every performance. You have such a large support system, and it’s great that people are there every day to cheer you on!

    My museum recommendation is: National Museum of the American Indian. It’s at the George Gustav Heye Center (located in the Old Customs House across the street from Battery Park).

    I hope today’s matinee goes well!

    All my best,
    Amanda

  21. Jane,

    I know it may sound corny but if you get the chance, you really have to see Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. You may have been, but really it is AMAZING! The wax figures are freakishly real, to the point where you almost don’t want to stare for too long because you think they’re going to attack you. I heard about it from a friend and thought to myself that the figures may be on display on a stage or behind rope with a “Please Do Not Touch” sign. To my suprise, I was wrong. There must be 15 rooms or so FULL of celebrity wax figures standing right there on the floor. Truely amazing. You can put your arm around them and take a picture. Some are on couches so you can sit next to them. Every room is different. Some are very touching, Helen Keller, The Pope, Rosa Parks. Some rooms are full of fun people, Julia Roberts, Sharon Osbourne, Bette Midler. They look so real. I stared at Janis Joplin thinking…”She’s right here! Who said she was dead? She’s standing right here!” Anyway, i’ll stop going on and on. It’s a really fun place, but you’ve got to take someone along to enjoy it with. And, so they can take your picture with your favorite wax celebrity! Haha! Heres the website:
    http://www.madametussauds.com/NewYork/

  22. Hi Jane.
    I’ve been an admirer for many years of your work. I’m hoping I can get to NYC to see this play. I’m A.D. of a small professional theatre in Peterborough in Canada and the play sounds remarkable — and I’m always looking for exciting new work!
    I just wanted to suggest the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, if you haven’t been there. It’s the most remarkable (and moving) museum I’ve ever visited. I’ve been back a couple of times on trips to NYC.
    Wishing you all the best,
    Randy

  23. These backstage photos of your pals visiting you is one of my fave features of your blog. Can’t wait to see the Redford pic. 🙂 Patti D…boy, if she hasn’t had an interesting life…she looks great!

  24. How exciting to see a picture of my daughter, Debra and grandson, Greg, on your blog.

    My wife, Barbara and I were also at Saturday’s matinee. We loved the play, your performance and the ensemble acting of the rest of the cast. It was a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Thank you.
    Saul Haffner

  25. I saw 33 Variations last night (03/07) – fabulous. What a great antidote to the economic wreckage and uncertainty that surrounds us! And as a “stage door first timer”, I was delighted to be able to get your John Hancock on my Playbill. Thank you for being the tremendous entertainer and artist that you are.

    Am with you on the Frick. Also like checking out the Asia Society and Rubin Museum exhibitions when looking for the Asian aesthetic.

    Godspeed.

  26. Jane, thanks for taking the time to do this wonderful blog and sharing the intimate details of your day-to-day experiences. You truly are a beautiful human being and a inspiration to women all around the world. I have an autographed copy of your book, written with the same sincere, authentic voice as this blog, and a beautiful 8 x 10 glossy, which is one of my treasures. Love that you nap with Tulea. God Bless you and little Tulea!

  27. Love Museums as well. Take me on your journey, if not physically, at least with your post. I wish more people read your post, as you have highlighted some great causes, introduced us to amazing people, and now we are off to the great Museums of NY. As I work and own a small business I have to be mindful of spending, however, Museums, provide great value for what they offer. They really expand your mind and creativity. I come out of a Museum feeling inspired. Most of us have jobs that perhaps do not demand much creativity, but going to a Museum just charges you up, puts a hop in your step, and makes you see the World in a such wonderful light. I live in Toronto, Canada and, on Friday nights it is half price at the ROM(Royal Ontario Museum). So a couple of Friday nights ago, date night was a night at the ROM. It was amazing, got lost in the space and the exhibits. I am sure that perhaps the
    Museums in NY may have something similar. Perhaps now is the time for us all to reconnect with our past and our culture. The other thing I found is if by chance you get a space that does not have many people, and you sit and feel the stillness of the space, and just take in the splendour, it is an amazing experience. I know you have read Erkert Tolle, and when he mentions finding stillness in nature, a similar experience can exist in a Museum. Thank you once a gain for sharing your Journey.

  28. Try to fit in the Cloisters. They have beautiful Medieval Unicorn tapestries.

  29. Happy International Women’s Day! (March 8). You look great!

  30. My preference is for hand made art (quilts, stained glass, pottery, etc.). The American Craft Museum at 40 W. 53rd St. has wonderful exhibits. However, based on the web site (www.americancraftmuseum.org), I think it may have merged with the Museum of Art and Design. Also, don’t miss some of the small galleries in SOHO and the Village.

    You’ll LOVE the Frick. It is (in my opinion) a more intimate art space than most typical museums that have high ceilings and bright lights. Although I haven’t been there in a while, I recall that the darker lighting made the art experience more personal — even in the larger spaces. And the architectural style of the building is just wonderful.

    Have a Great day!

  31. I just finished watching “Julia” for probably the tenth time, but not recently. You and the amazing Vanessa Redgrave and Jason Robards. What was that like? And what was it like for you to play LillianHellman, an icon of the American theatre? All I kept thinking in the beginning watching you smoke incessantly and knock back the scotch was how much of a stretch it must have been for you in so many ways. I’m glad I spent the better part of my Sunday afternoon watching it. Break a leg tonight!

  32. Ms. Fonda: Glad to read you will be heading to the museums in NYC, and that the Guggenheim is on your list. I wrote a brief review of the museum’s current Asian-themed exhibition, which is interesting and informative (it will be there through April 19). Read all about it here: http://olympicringsandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-heart-new-york.html and here: http://olympicringsandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/01/culture-and-stuff.html

    Glad you read your Twitter posts, too — it is fun to know so many fellow-Atlantans are getting into it. Best regards.

  33. Don’t forget the Whitney. Fabulous for American Art

  34. Happy International Women’s Day

  35. Dear Jane,
    It took me some time to finally make a decision to write you.
    I had the honor to see “33 Variations” as a preview on February 21st and must say I am still shocked as I saw basically the story of MY LIFE.
    I was born in Bonn and grew up listening to Beethoven as my mother has been a lyrical singer (she is Japanese!) While I was playing the piano and being strongly influenced by ‘the 3 B’: Beethoven, Brahms and Bach.
    And yes, there is the statue of Beethoven in front of the post office in the center of the market place!
    To add an even more personal note to your play, my mother and I have had a difficult relationship since I was born and she is still in Germany, alone, and I am in New York, by myself. She is not seriously physically I’ll as you in the play but has been going through similar mental illnesses and I went through moments of ‘despair and hope’ as your daughter in the play does – being so far away, unable to help her.
    I probably cried throughout the entire duration of ’33 Variations’ and am full of gratitude to Moises Kaufman and you for having transmitted this wonderfully deeply emotional story to people like me.
    Ich danke Ihnen aus vollem Herzen.

  36. The first scholarly museum of art and the Bible in the is located at Broadway and 61st Street in an expanded and redesigned facility on the site of The Gallery at the American Bible Society. The Museum of Biblical Art (MoBiA) represents a new model in American museology, one that emphasizes the original functions and meanings of objects growing out of the Christian and Jewish traditions.

    …could be worth a putter.

  37. a little more onThe collections of the Hispanic Society
    are unparalleled in their scope and
    quality outside the Iberian Peninsula
    http://www.hispanicsociety.org/hispanic/collections.htm

    http://www.hispanicsociety.org

    (entrance on B’way between 155th & 156th)
    613 W 155th St, New York, NY 10032
    (212) 926-2234

  38. I am enjoying your blog so much.

    But still dont understand how to twitter.
    LOL

  39. you must try to get to the Museum of the City of New york…way uptown @103rd but totally worth the visit!

  40. Break a leg on your opening night!

    I anticipate wonderful reviews for you!

  41. Jane, you are an amazing woman… I love your blog and twitter… I have ALS, now since 1995, I am still going strong… If you want to know more, please go to my web site, by clicking my name above…

  42. Break a leg Jane, cast and crew!!

  43. Others have surely mentioned this, but as you are museum hopping also check out the NEUE Gallery in the 80s. There are always wonderful exhibitions and the cafe is great. It is right near the MET

  44. hey Jane–
    there’s so much to enjoy in New York—if interested–I have a friend who owns a small tour company and he gives the most fascinating tours of Manhattan—it’s called ‘Buzz Around New York’ and his name is Jim Dykes–212-928-1640. He really takes you back in time as you glide along some of the cities more historic streets…just a thought—break a leg with the show–I heard it’s great!
    Lisa

  45. Hey, I just started at the Cooper-Hewitt and the felt show is really surprisingly fascinating. If you come by on the right day, I’ll give you a tour. =)

    R

  46. Enjoyed reading your blog.
    Thank You and Best…

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