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Dear Garrison, Once again a

December 22, 2005 |

Dear Garrison,
Once again a wonderful show in a wonderful town Saturday night in the Town Hall in Manhattan. We were fortunate to run into you "apres-show" at a restaurant nearby. You were gracious in stopping by our table, autographed the program for my son, but as you ambled away a horrible thought passed through my mind, will success and stardom on the big screen next year take you away from us, your small band of loyal followers? You walked into the restaurant solo (since apparently your dinner guests had already arrived) but after your blockbuster hits the big screen, will you be traveling with (gasp) an entourage?!?! Say it ain't so...

Hoping you never forget your roots,

Mark Coller,
Staten Island, NY

Mark, I'm too old for stardom. Either it happens when you're young or it won't ever darken your door. Lindsay Lohan, who was in that movie, is a major star, her every public appearance reported to her avid fans, and she had an entourage with her in St. Paul when the movie was shot, but since it was St. Paul, she didn't need one. Lindsay walked up and down the street and around the block all alone and no paparazzi followed her. Perhaps this made her uneasy. I don't know. When I saw you that Saturday night at Osteria al Doge, I was on my way to join Meryl Streep for dinner, who was with four of her Vassar classmates who had all come to the show that night. There isn't a bigger movie star in Christendom than Meryl Streep, but evidently she walked right past your table and you didn't see her. She is smart and funny and down-to-earth and she's still pals with women she went to school with, and if that's movie stardom, it doesn't look bad.

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