Some fun RIP JD pictures to get you through the last day of the work week...

Sara plays Randall.
Darren plays Katie.
Kyle plays...dead.
Come see RIP JD: A Celebration of Death tomorrow night at 9:15 pm at the Brick Theater.

Catcher in the Rye: Number 4 book with a Psycho Fan Base

Check out "Kids in the Class" the first scene in RIP JD to see our take on the reader and their serial killer impulses from Catcher. Check out all five books that Cracked featured. http://www.cracked.com/article_18568_the-5-greatest-books-with-psychotic-fan-bases.html
The Classic Book

It's doubtful that, by telling the story of a whiny 17-year-old reminiscing on things that happened to him when he was a whiny 16-year-old, J.D. Salinger intended to give sweaty man-birth to a new gospel. It was just a story, and a rather simple one at that: It's a few days in the unremarkable life of Holden Caulfield, a teenager who pretty much hates everything (like every teenager) except children (like those creepy camp counselors).


Camp counselors ruin everything.

The Offenders

Apparently Holden's self-centered whining makes people want to kill celebrities. And not in a small scale, "fuck those guys" kind of way. No, in a "call the national guard, everybody is dead oh god they're all dead" kind of way.

Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon five times outside the Dakota apartment building in New York, claiming Catcher in the Rye was his inspiration. After committing the crime, Chapman even pulled out the book and started reading while still steps away from the murder scene. He signed, "This is my statement, Holden Caulfield" on the inside cover. So he either the chubby adult murderer thought he was Holden, or he thought Holden was real and could absorb all knowledge imprinted upon his book. When both options for your mental state are that crazy, it doesn't even matter which one was the case; doctors just diagnose you with "clinical craziness."

Robert John Bardo stalked a lengthy list of actresses before murdering Rebecca Schaeffer in 1989, also while carrying a copy of the book. A copy was also found in the possession of John Hinckley, Jr., the attempted assassin of Ronald Reagan. And those are just the celebrities; you know, the important people. The novel has been linked to a number of lower-profile murders over the years since its release.

Why the Bullshit Interpretation is Exactly That

It's been speculated that Chapman killed John Lennon in order to preserve his innocence--which is odd considering Lennon was like 40 years old at the time. Not exactly an age of wide-eyed wonder, 40. If you see a 40 year-old man riding a big wheel and asking why the sky is blue, you don't shoot him to preserve innocence, you ask around to find his caretaker and make sure his helmet is on tight.

But even if Lennon was about to enter puberty at the age of 41, the book doesn't support that action: Holden, while initially wanting to protect children, realizes that he's no role model, and they're all better off left alone anyway. Sure, some of 'em will fall off that cliff, but how else are kids gonna learn not to play in rye?

Monday Meet and Greet with Erin

Erin is a writer/actor/director and co-founder of PFTCo. You can catch her this month in RIP JD: A Celebration of Death at The Brick Theater.

Today, you can judge her based on her responses to these very important and revealing questions. We're all about hard hitting journalism here, people.

> Where are you right now, specifically?
On my stoop outside my apartment in Williamsburg. I claim it as my own, even though I am certainly not the only tenant in the building. If you had a stoop as amazing as mine, you would demand full rights as well.
>
> What are you wearing?
My Brooklyn Bowl uniform. I have to go to work in about five minutes. I'm stalling.

>
> What do you wish you were wearing?
Pajamas. Making plays, taking names, breaking hearts, yelling at Ross, these activities require lots of energy. I could use a nap.

> When is the last time someone clapped for you?
Yesterday June 6th- at RIP JD.

> When is the last time someone boo-ed you or should have?
> You know it's been a while since I've heard anyone boo anyone and it's such a bold statement. Can we bring booing back the way Justin brought back sexy? ...Also, I should probably be booed for writing monologues that suggest JD Salinger was a rapist. And perhaps I should be booed for making a Justin Timberlake reference.


> Who is your least favorite Plastic Flamingo Company Member?
Jonathan White. Harder questions please.

> I would have been a star if I were born ____________
On any other day besides Friday the 13th. I blame any misfortune on my bad luck birth date. Sometimes mother's can be so selfish.

> What are you reading right now (and don't lie)?
I haven't read since high school. ...Wow that joke is a lot funnier when Ariana makes it in RIP JD: A Celebration of Death playing this June at The Brick Theater. http://www.bricktheater.com/toosoon

> If you weren't working in the theatre, what would you be doing?
Marketing and advertising, clearly.

> Are you comfortable sleeping your way to the top?
The top of what?

> If you could live in the world of any play what would it be?
Rent. Minus the needles and that Christmas song they sing 60 times. I want to live in Alphabet City in the early nineties and wear combat boots.

> Based on the day your having, who should adapt it into a show?
Tennesse Williams. Everything sounds better when it's said by him.

> What is your favorite Plastic Flamingo fuzzy memory?
> You just asked the most nostalgic company member that question? Here are some highlights.
> -Directing with the Dream Team on Buddha Nosh.
> -Standing backstage during Apocalyptic Revelations and hearing the audience gasp when the Barranger/Lindsay reveal happened.
> -Getting painted on/painting other people in Theatre Row Studios and the Here Arts Center...and then dealing with the strange looks on the subway rides home.
> -Prosecco first reads with Ross
> -Company meetings at COSI and stuffing my face with their amazing free bread.
> -The after party of the Finger Paint read at Diane's apartment. If you were there, you know why....OK and that's my cue to stop.

RIP JD Promo Video

Karen Marshall, you rock Plastic's world.

Starring:
Darren Mallett
Kate Luckinbill

and Erin's bedroom