The Show Did Not Go On, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, I am sorry not to have reported the following sooner, but before I get into that, let me start with a recent experience I had this morning, when we almost had--"Quelle Catastrophe!"

There I was, up at the crack of dawn (ie; 6:15 AM), making my way into the kitchen, barely awake. Monsieur had assured me he had set up the coffee maker the night before. I go to turn on the light and--NOTHING!!!!!!! WHAT?????????????
Panicked, I summoned Monsieur from his sleeping quarters, who was less awake than I. There was brief moment of panic....where...we thought...the coffee maker, which was barely a year old, had given up the ghost. Do you know what I am like without my morning coffee??? It is not pretty!!!!!!!!!! True, I could dash outside for one, but the immediacy factor is SO important.

Finally some tugging and plugging was done, the maker kicked in, and disaster was averted.

If only the disaster of Wednesday night could have been averted!!!!!!!

Imagine--a full house gathered for the 100th performance of the current revival of "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." Backstage is chaotic enough before the start of any performance, but imagine when a stagehand going into cardiac arrest, or in it, already, is discovered. They call 911, the ambulance shows up, and the stage manager, over the loudspeaker, announces to the awaiting audience that there will be a delay. Fifteen minutes go by, thirty. Finally, at 8:50, a visibly shaken Daniel Radcliffe and John Laraquette, in street clothes, announce the cancellation of the performance, due to an unfortunate basckstage incident, involving a member of the company. They did not say, but it was the unfortunate stage hand, who was rushed to St Luke's Roosevelt, but pronounced DOA.

Because of family, the unfortunate young man is not being identified. And I can certainly understand not being able to perform. Hell, now that theater, for the rest of the show's run, is going to be haunted by this tragedy. The sad thing is, while it is SO unfortunate that this person died so young, how many others are walking around backstage, or anywhere else, on stuff they should be off of???? And I am not talking about coffee, darlings!!!!!!!!!!! If this is not a wake up call for druggies, I don't know what is.

The only show I can accept drugs backstage at is....HAIR!!!! I mean, come on!!!!!! But when HAIR played its recent successful run, there were no drug deaths, though I did have to wonder why Allison Case, the greatest Crissy since Shelley Plimpton, dropped out of the show mysteriously, and seems to have disappeared. She can still be heard on the cast album.

The Raving Queen extends condolences to the 'HTS' company, and the unfortunate family of the unfortunate stagehand. If anything more develops, you will be certain I will report on it.

But for now, to all those working the Great White Way--nothing stronger
than caffeine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!