"Success Is Swell, And Success Is Sweet, But Every Height Has A Drop!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                      Darlings, when I dream a dream, it goes way beyond Fantine, and last night, maybe due to my medical ordeal of yesterday, I concocted this mixture of the present and the past.

                                        The location was a lakeside summer camp, with water walkways squaring in
an area  of the lake, and high diving platforms with steps, not unlike Camp Crystal Lake in the original
"Friday The 13th."  But the stairs were more like steps in a musical--think "Follies," above.  A group of
us were putting on a lakeside variety show, and the director was a former high school classmate of mine, whom I have not seen since our 25th reunion--Michael Jacobs. Who, in real life, has achieved some notable success in the biz, for which I salute him!!!!!!!!

                                          But in the dream, I was back to my younger--teenage or young adult--self, which means I was not treated very well during that period. People tended to either berate or ignore me.
In this dream, everyone was assigned a part in the show.  Mine was of a butler, whose sole activity was to walk down the steps to the foot of the lake walk, stand there till the end, and then walk back up again.  I remember feeling in the dream a mixture of bitterness and resentment--as Monsieur says, these dreams are always about trying to prove myself, and, in this case, he is right.  I was pretty disgusted with the role I had been cast in, especially as everyone else around me had good lines, and show stopping numbers.  I knew I was as capable--if not more--than they, but what should I do?????

                                           Then, the idea came to me, just like Barbra in the "Funny Girl" movie!!!!!!
No, darlings, I did not stuff a pillow under me to appear pregnant, but, when the dream had me perusing the Time Magazine story pictured above, I got the idea of doing a "Follies" motif. So, there I emerged, off the platform, in a red top hat and tails outfit, with cane to match, same as the white ensemble John McMartin wears in the show.  As I came down the steps, I did "Waiting For The Girls Upstairs."  When it was time for me to go back up, I did "Live, Laugh, Love."  When I got to the top, and was singing "Hey, up there?  Way up there?  Waddaya say up there?"  I heard the ghost voices answer, Hi!....Girls......Ben?.... Sally?......" and then the closing notes. The applause was thunderous and Mike Jacobs was shocked!  As I planned he would be!! !!!!!!!!

                                            What a dream!!!!!!!!  And why would I want to shock Mike now?  I am sure nothing I would do now would surprise him at all!!!!!!!!!    I guess it was just emotional toxins, working off the stress of yesterday!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Because, darling, like the song says, "Beauty can't  be hindered, from taking  its toll!"  You darn well better believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!