We met at Cafe' Pick Me Up at 145 Avenue A in Manhattan. He spotted me by the color of my scarf. We walked to a table in a quieter section of the restaurant. We had been best friends for 20 years. Tonight I was Maddie and Johnny and I were both drug users. That was the script and we played along.
Me, a heroin addict? Only in NYC...and only for one night.
A few weeks ago, my friends and I went to see the play "Street Limbo Blues*". See is a definite misnomer. We participated, we acted, we laughed our heads off. I was Madison (Maddie) Jones and was given a 2 paragraph script informing me that the actor I would be paired with for the night, was my best friend, and that he - Johnny - and I occasionally used heroin together. Johnny came by a few minutes later to pick me up and then just like that, Keri left and Maddie took over.
I felt so sorry for Johnny. He was sitting in front of me, looking really troubled. He was wringing his hands, fidgeting, rubbing his head. Poor Johnny. He was stressed. He had not scored a hit in a while and was so tense. He said he just needed a little something to settle him down, to even him out. He asked me if I needed anything. I decided to go against the script and told Johnny that I had quit and that while it was tough, and withdrawal was a killer, I was making it through. Johnny gave me the obligatory "good for you" nod and smile and then asked me to accompany him to get some drugs from his dealer. Maddie said yes, and we exited the restaurant.
Johnny asked if we could stop for a bit, so he could smoke a cigarette. While we were standing outside chatting, Keri wondered what would happen if anyone she knew spotted her chilling in the streets of NYC with this random, stressed out guy. Maddie didn't care, she kept acting. Johnny was thanking me for introducing him to a photographer friend of mine, who had enabled Johnny to conduct his first photo exhibit. The exhibit was set to occur the next day. Johnny had given his pictures for the exhibit to a friend and needed to pick them up before the exhibit in the morning.
A few moments later, my friend (in real life -
Sejal -who went to the play with me) was walking down the street with the actor she was paired with. They decided to stop and chat with us, all of us in character, and I went on to have one of the funniest 20
mins. of my life.
Sejal's actor was a total loser. He was twitching, very high on something, and had somehow lost Johnny's photographs - the ones he needed for the exhibit - on the N-train. We gave the loser friend major grief about his mistake. I loved playing the role of Johnny's pissed off friend. I started to demand money to make up for the lost pictures. The loser friend dug deep into his pockets and came up with $5. The more we made fun of him, the more he twitched and said nonsense.
Sejal and I were part seriously acting, part cracking up on the sidewalk. Johnny and total loser friend eventually had to laugh with us.
Our overlapping scenes quickly ended when Johnny remembered how badly he needed to get high and so we said our goodbyes and walked a few feet away to a dive bar, where Johnny was scheduled to meet up with his dealer.
We walked into the bar (can't remember the name) and the stench was overwhelming. Stale air - stinking of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Johnny and I sat down at a booth near the door where the drug dealer had set up office. Mr. Dealer was a tall, fully
tattooed, muscular guy in a white wife-beater. He was accompanied by his pretty girlfriend, who was chewing on a slice of pizza. I wasn't sure if the girlfriend was a real one, or an actress, but she didn't do much except nod, chew and swallow her pizza. Johnny immediately started to beg for drugs. He had no cash and tried to convince Mr. Dealer to loan him a hit until pay day. The dealer was having none of that and Johnny got desperate. So desperate that he looked over and asked me to vouch for him and to tell the dealer that he was indeed good for it and would pay for the drugs once he got his paycheck. Keri did a double take - what was going on here? Me, supporting someone trying to get a hit?! Maddie just nodded at Johnny and told the dealer that Johnny would get paid in 2 weeks. Mr. Dealer didn't care, and Johnny started to
panic. He had to get his hit. Johnny ended up
offering his favourite camera, which Mr. Dealer took as collateral. Once Mr. Dealer was assured of payment, he slid a clear packet of tablets across the grimy table into Johnny's hands.
Now armed with his drugs, Johnny couldn't wait to get out of the bar. We quickly left and crossed the street, so that we were again near the Cafe' Pick Me Up. While outside, we met up with another one of Johnny's psycho friends (an actress in the play) and they both went on and on cursing at each other about who was the more terrible friend. It was tedious listening to both of them bicker. Apparently psycho friend had begged Johnny for some drugs one night, and he gave her access to his stash. Then, while he was asleep, psycho friend completely depleted Johnny's entire supply of drugs and he had never forgiven her for that. Johnny himself grew tired of the yapping, especially since he really needed a fix, and so he and I walked further up the street, away from psycho friend, and Johnny started to ingest his pills.
What happened next? Of course Johnny boy overdoses and I am left staring blankly at him as he convulses on the street. Psycho friend sees us, runs up and starts screaming. She yells at me to call loser friend (actor from earlier scene who lost the photos on the N-train) and shoves her cell phone in my face. I am a bit shocked and begin to wonder whether now would be a good time to
LOL at the ridiculousness of it all, whether this could actually be a true overdose, and I also think about what I would say to explain this noisy, messy, absurd scene to any unsuspecting passer-by.
Maddie takes control and I grab the phone from psycho. She's already dialled loser friend and so I talk to him, as I stare him straight in the eyes - he just so happens to be across the street, walking towards us. Maddie puts on a grand performance: I hear myself yelling to loser friend, that Johnny is overdosing and we need help - hurry!! Meanwhile, poor Johnny is sprawled out on the streets, shaking,
vomiting (well, making the necessary noises) and doing all the things you would expect of someone who has just overdosed. Loser friend is now beside us looking scared, and psycho friend is kneeling on the pavement, frantically searching through her bag. She finally finds what she wants, looks up and then hands me a piece of paper - it is the program for the play - and just like that, our
performance is over.
Strange, captivating, unique, and truly enjoyable. Only in NY. In character, thankfully, only for one night.
*Street Limbo Blues is interactive and environmental theater where each audience member is paired with one actor. There is no stage. The show is one-hour in the life of a drug addict as he/she attempts to score. You and your actor take a journey through Tompkins Square Park and neighbouring bars where you experience the world of the addicted. The show is produced by Honolulu-based production company, Cruel theatre, and is directed by Taurie Kinoshita.
