Congratulations Nairobey

2/28

Nairobey. And David. And the dragon.

Saturday was one of those long days. A day long training session. Don and I focused on church vitality. (He said Sunday he was looking for a miracle….there are no miracles….) Then son Nate and I worked for four hours trying to get rid of adware…does anyone really believe that anyone would buy something  from unwanted ads that keep popping up and make you want to shoot your computer or yourself? ..I thought that didn't happen to Macs!...or the despicable people who pose as official Mac types and entice you to pay to remove for what they put on your computer in the first place…and a vanished wifi network…just disappeared.

Leaving me to go to the church to see what I could do to help Victor the Mexican accordionist and finish my service and other work I should have done earlier…

And then  I go up to check out the after party for Animals out of paper…the former off-Broadway hit by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. I saw Nairobey in the chapel before her final scene. This play really took me by surprise. It’s unique angle is origami as an art and as metaphor. (Not to mention the incredible origami work that literally covers the stage created by a veritable all-star team of origami artists like Christopher Yuki Otoh and Paul Frasco to mention only two. Even the use of red and white to match the walls was a sign of the detailed intention and attention in this production… ) It was clearly a work of the heart by Nairobey Otero and her creative partner David Beck joined by the boundless energy of Maneesh Sasikumar.

It’s always a shock to discover a jewel in your own house but Nairobey’s Animals …joins the resume of theatre productions that have taken life at West-Park. Fully professional in every way. And even got a mention in the New Yorker! (That’s two, counting Pantha du Prince of the Red Bull Music Festival  ..)

Earlier in the day, I had met Nairobey at the precinct to see videos of the man who stole her purse, wallet and cell phone. I held my breath hoping it was not someone I recognized. Not completely sure, but at least none of our community. (You have no idea how many eyes are on each of us every day…every visit to a bank ATM, every swipe of a metro card, all retrievable video…) Given everything she went through, it was great to see her smile and feel good about a great achievement. Rajiv Joseph himself had come tonight….

As the set being struck, Nairobey asks me if I want a piece of origami. I ask her to find one that represents her stay here with us. She pauses a moment, finds the right one. Smiling, hands me a red dragon’s head. Looks gentle enough, she says, but such sharp teeth.. something to remember  me by..and she laughs.

I take a cup of wine, my dragon’s head. More work to be done. Congratulations, Nairobey.