But so then why does New York have to be such a dick and keep doing cool things without me? The Debate Society, my favorite group of play-making people ever, have a new show coming out. And it sounds amazing. Just look:

You're Welcome. from The Debate Society on Vimeo.

Before the Debate Society was the Debate Society, one of the founders, Oliver, directed and produced my Christmas spectacular, Christmas with the Flamingos. It was a miserable financial failure because I thought I could bring in way more people to see it than I actually did. My first draft of the play was unspeakably bad. I was supposed to have a co-writer but I didn't want to relinquish control so I tossed out everything he wrote and he probably still hates my guts. I became obsessed with explaining tiny inconsistencies that no one in the audience would ever notice and one night I got stoned and came up with an incredibly complex explanation of something meaningless that I was baked-excited about and I called Oliver up to tell him about it and he patiently listened to my ramblings and explained, "I don't think any of this matters to anyone."

And that was all before the play opened. Although we managed to eke out a somewhat entertaining show, it still ended up being a pretty emotionally-crippling experience. One night there were 3 people in the audience. Although that particular performance is a bit of a blur, I believe at one point I lapsed into an improvised rant about how no one was there and we were all wasting our time and I had to be saved by my costar before I had a nervous breakdown. It was a very trying experience of my own making and one that haunts me to this day.

All that being said, Oliver and I miraculously remained friends. And after Cofounder, his first production company, he hooked up with the incredibly talented Paul Thureen and Hannah Bos and founded The Debate Society. When I saw the first play they did, all I could think was, "HOLY MOTHERLESS CHRIST. How do I actually know people who are this talented?"

The Debate Society produces amazing works of art. Their shows are meticulously crafted, brilliantly staged, acted, and directed, insidiously clever, and laugh-out-loud funny. Watching one of their shows, you get the rare feeling that you are watching something that will live forever. I do not just say this because I know them. I am floored by their brilliance.

So, if you live in New York, or are visiting New York between February 4-27, you have no excuse for not seeing this show. You will not be disappointed.