Masquers Playhouse president Bob Goshay is happy now. The theater's neighbor is acting more neighborly.

Just a week ago, things looked different. That's about when neighbor Tom Butt, a partner in the next-door landlord, threatened to deny an easement for maintenance.

Tom was peeved that the Masquers had voted against N.I.C.E.--and demanded in a now-infamous email to withhold access if Masquers did not change its vote to one in favor.

The well-connected Talk correspondent Walter Connolly first alerted the world to the email on this very site late Monday. But not until Tuesday night's City Council session, when councilman Nat Bates revealed it, did we know for sure of the email's gist.

Oh, the mayhem that ensued. Even Josh Genser, Tom's partner in Mariner Square, said to Bates that Tom had been "out of line."

According to Bob, Josh followed through a day or so later with a cordial phone call in which he assured Bob of cooperation and neighborliness.

In that call, Genser said he himself was the managing general partner of Mariner Square Joint Venture. Should Masquers need access, he wrote, the theater should contact him.

Work has begun on the wall.