Ever since I read Adam Gopnik’s fascinating New Yorker profile of Yasmina Reza (seriously, she and Nicolas Sarkozy are like BFF because of this insider book she wrote about his presidential campaign), I’ve been dying to see her latest play God of Carnage. Back in 1998, the French playwright’s drama Art won a bunch of awards Stateside; God of Carnage is nominated for six Tony Awards, including a nod for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for James Gandolfini. That’s why I find this Page Six story so funny.
Allegedly there was a moment during last Thursday night’s performance when Gandolfini forgot his lines and had to start a scene from the top. But according to a PR flack for the show, “James choked on his own saliva and couldn’t speak, so he went off and got a drink of water and they started again.”
Ew. I’m not really sure why he thought that this version of the story sounded better — because you know the show’s rep had to say whatever Tony Soprano told her to. I’m trying to think if I’ve ever read about someone choking on their own spit before. Is that common?
Also: this confirms my theory that if Jame Gandolfini was an animal, he’d be a really cute, drool-covered bulldog.