Con 2013 Lucy Lawless Convention Report

by KTL


Well, let’s just start with Lucy, shall we?


Lucy is always the last guest—I mean how do you top having the woman who brought Xena to life come out and say howdy to us? (Actually we did experience that one year—Lucy had to be there on Saturday rather than Sunday. And it truly was anti-climatic, at least for me. It was like, “Hey, ‘Xena’s’ already been here—how come we’re still here?”)

Every con I’ve been to I’ve noticed that when Lucy is coming up next, there is a palpable rising anticipation in the hall. People show excitement in their faces and in their posture. A lot of people suddenly arrive even though something else was on and they hadn’t come to the hall for that. There is a longer than usual line in the bathroom of people rushing to get in and out before Lucy beats them into the hall.

As the break time after the last event gets close to ending and the start time for Lucy’s time approaches, people walk into the hall fast and quick check the stage. Other people gather at the door and peek in. When they see the stage is still empty, they turn back to their friends and excitedly chat and laugh. Many of them re-gather restlessly in the hallway outside the theater, chattering and giggling with friends. Some pace along alone, absorbed in their interior thoughts and apparently just not able to stand still or come in and sit still as they wait because Lucy is coming, the woman who brought Xena the Warrior Princess to life is going to be standing on the stage in front of them any minute now. A lot of helpless, delighted grins flash out and stay goofily on people’s faces as they wait for Lucy to appear.

And then finally it’s close enough to start time that everyone wants to be sure to be in their seats before Lucy comes on and the doorway gets clogged with people massing their way into the hall.

And yes, there are some people who do NOT go through these dances of excited anticipation over Lucy’s appearance—but I am talking about the ones who do.

AND there’s also a lot of this going on when Renee is due on stage too. But of course, Lucy usually shows up at the end of Renee’s alone time, then Renee goes away while Lucy’s on stage, then she returns and they are both on stage together. And, as I’ve said before, the two of them together is pure catnip for many of the fans.

There are a lot of total newbies this year and based upon comments I heard both before and after Lucy’s appearance, and in fact, all through the days before Lucy's appearance, Lucy being here was a big pull for many of the newbies to come to a con.

So Luce comes out, wearing just some regular clothes, nothing very fancy nor kind of awful either. (Although it has been a while since she showed up in awful clothes.)

The audience leaps to our feet and starts wildly applauding, hooting, cheering, HUGE smiles beaming up at Lucy.

“Hi guys”. She said something about “rock” and either she added or I clarified for myself, “ROC that is”. (Which for total newbies is an I believe fan created nickname for “Renee O’Connor”.)

Note: as always, I sometimes use quotation marks but this doesn’t mean it’s a direct quote—it’s just a way to show that I’m attempting to faithfully transcribe what someone said. Some folks write me back with links to pirated YouTube cell phone uploads that show proof of some of my stumbles away from reality on these, but the quotes are not usually (though yes, once in a while) TOTALLY wrong. I have however had some good laughs over my misfires after watching the con appearance DVDs later on.

“I feel so unprepared this year”. Lucy talks about it being a huge year. “Finished Spartacus. Dipped into my community. It was an odyssey of barbecued meats. I was in the worst funk after partying with the woman in my area.”

“I went and occupied an oil rig for four days. Got arrested. Went to jail. Not for very long. A few hours. It ain’t no hotel. Nobody changes the sheets, nobody turns down the beds. There’s a camera watching your every move. (There’s a toilet) with no barriers (between the user and the camera). I decided not to use it. Fortunately, after four days on an oil rig, I was dehydrated.”

I THINK she said she’d maybe done a little singing with “amazing people in a back-up band”.

“I went back to university. I SO recommend it. Learn something you’ve always been interested in.”

“So yeah, that’s been my year”.

She talked about doing tap dancing—I think Sharon Delaney had talked her into doing that. When some of us of course screamed out that she should do some tap dancing for us she replied that she wasn’t very good at it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me”.

She talked about doing a play. That it could be a musical. I think that someone called out something about her tap dancing in it. She laughed and said, “I’ll learn to tap”. Then she added, “There is no tap dancing in it”. (So it sounds like her being in a show might be a possibility?)

She said she had taken a tap dancing class with Sharon. One lesson. Then she said that was a lie—she’d had two lessons. But that “If you saw me, you’d think I’d only had one… A LONG time ago.”

Then Lucy said, “I have a friend”. And then asked us, “Who is my friend?” And seemed to be indicating that the friend would be joining her on stage.

Well, this year Renee O’Connor was at the con but she only offered one of her “I Am Aware” workshops. Creation had announced that that was all she would be doing at the con and that she wouldn’t be appearing onstage.

However, at the con, a number of fans kept assuring each other that surely Renee WOULD be on stage and the bets were that surely she would be on stage with Lucy.

So when Lucy said this some people in the audience began to buzz excitedly. Lucy continued to talk, “Who is my friend?” Lucy said, “I have…Rob. And Marissa”. At least one person called out, “Renee!”

However, it was indeed Marissa who came though the curtain. (She looks GREAT by the way…)

Marissa was carrying a pile of clothing. Lucy told us it was crew stuff. “I’m sharing out my drawers”. (A kind of hushing sound from sudden intakes of breath rippled through the room. But then reality zoomed in and we all realized Lucy was talking about bureau drawers, not her undies).

The first item of clothing was held up and I think it was Marissa who said, “A crew shirt none the less—and it’s been in Lucy’s house!” Then I have spelled out, “M-I-K-E-L” which presumably someone said. Not sure if that was the name on the shirt or if it was the name of the fan who got it. Then Lucy yelled out “The girl who cried the most at the last convention! She bawled when she met me last year and I was embarrassed by that. To Rae—who cried…”

Then I have written down, “Cry, cry, cry. Poke”

Lucy pulled out another shirt. She laughed and said, “I actually have worn this one”. Then either she or Marissa said, “Which makes it better!”

A young woman came up to the microphone and told Lucy it was her first convention. Lucy said, “Where you been, sister?” (Of course, what she actually said in that New Zealand way was, “Where you bean, sister?”)

Next note says “Two jobs” which I’m assuming a fan said. Because then Lucy says, “Come up here, girly”.

Lucy: “I would LOVE to have an original question”. Nobody said anything for a moment. Luce: “Just throwing that out there”.

She was asked which weapon she would like to have.

“I want that big long stick that Renee had. Keep them further away from your body—that’s what you want.”

Next fan: “What was the hardest show you did?”

“Something involving crucifixion”.

Then she told again the story of when they were filming the ep “The Ides Of March” where they are being crucified in snow. (Not real snow, I don’t think). But Renee got really cold and was actually sliding into hypothermia. But kept saying she was fine, just fine, feeling just fine as she was slipping beyond shivering into the death spiral of the frozen.

Okay, so then I have these notes of Lucy’s words. “Pete’s girl. Maple scone. I’m not allowed there anymore.” I thought she said (and wrote down), “I’m 411”. Which as I wrote it, I remember thinking, “She’s information?”

Then I have Luce scolding, “Don’t ‘AWWW’at me.” Then imitating us, “Awww. She’s 44”. (So NOT 411)

Then some fan I think brought up something about a “mean farmer”. Lucy asks, “Did *I* play a mean farmer?” But then it was clarified (either by the asker or by crowd comment) that the fan was talking about Kevin Smith in “Ares’ Farm”.

Lucy said, “I was an extra in (that one)”. Pause. “So I did my best acting in it”.