FIRST NIGHT


I'm used to getting feedback on my work. My years of experience is mostly with agents and producers in the film/tv world. I've dealt with rejection, options that stall for years (or fizzle out), and sometimes, sending submissions into the abyss that is the black hole of the internet and never hearing a word.

Their responses, or comments, or notes when received usually go something like... "I liked it, but didn't love it. It's not edgy enough. Or, happy enough. Or, sad enough. Sad sells... this year. Can you give your hero x, y, and z to do. You know, up the stakes. Uh, that magic, maybe ground it in reality. Oh, and can you combine those three characters into one, because, well, you know, budget. And, casting. We need to find a place for so-and-so... Also, we hate the cat, or dog, or squirrel...

You get the idea.

So, excuse me please while I blush and turn into Sally Field, and scream, "They liked me. They really liked me."

"Like a glass of the best champagne sipped in a New Year's Eve toast, "First Night" is delightfully effervescent and promises good things to come. It tickles the senses without ever being too sweet. This clever twist on a Cinderella story features Maria, a heroine who is her own fairy godmother, stepping in to save the day...New Year's Day, that is...and bring a hapless crew of Philadelphia Mummer's to successfully strut their stuff down Broad Street. And what role will Hunter, that princely stranger she keeps bumping into, play in the big parade...and in Maria's life? With an entertaining cast of colorful South Philly cousins and former frat boys that keep us laughing all the way, you'll find yourself rooting for Hunter and Maria to finally exchange more than just phone numbers... and have more than one whirlwind "First Night" together!"

I need to recover. I may have to take a nap!

Carol Sabik-Jaffe