Metaphysical connections
“I could dream it forever and still not do it, but when the time comes for it to be done, God, I want to be ready for it, to be ready for the moment of convergence between the thing done and the doing of it, between the thing to be made and its maker. At that moment, I am speaking for everyone; I am dreaming for the billions yet to come; I am taking the part of us that cannot be understood by God, and letting it bleed from the wrist onto the canvas. And it can only be made, because I have felt these things: my lust, my greed, my hatred, my happiness. So this is what it’s like.” From Picasso at the Lapin Agile by Steven Martin.
When two stage actors from New York came to Savannah looking for a photographer, none of us had any idea the fortuitous coincidences that would follow. Cate and Scott met off-Broadway while staging Picasso at the Lapin Agile, a brilliant little play (written by Martin himself) about the exchanges between Picasso and Einstein in a fictional 1920s Paris cafe. I have long been a Steve Martin fan, especially his older standup comedy writing, so when I learned that we shared this common connection I knew we would hit if off. I immediately bought the script and devoured the dead pan wit and searing intellectual insight. As a once-aspiring stage actor myself, I knew this wedding was going to be a blast.
All the world’s a stage…
The setting for our narrative was Bethesda’s Whitefield Chapel, a quintessentially quaint chapel along the marsh outside of Savannah. Once we arrived for the preparations, we were surprised to find the bride’s room to be a sound stage. I was concerned Cate would find this to be out of character for a Southern charmer location, but she was right at home under the stage lights and fell right into the part. The chapel did not disappoint and the ceremony was full of life and exuberance. After a trolley tour to downtown Savannah, the show continued to Garibaldi’s Restaurant, for more dancing and laughing. I was happy to fall into the magic of the evening, spellbound by lights, mirrors, and perfect delivery.
