Dear Diary:
Almost 80 years ago, my friend and I found free access to the Winter Garden Theater. It required climbing seven floors on a fire escape to find an open back entry to the theater.
The show was “Life Begins at 8:40″ and a complete sellout, but despite our arduous and breathless entrance, we took our “seats†with the calm and composure typically exhibited by overconfident teenage New Yorkers.
When the proper seat-holders arrived, we claimed naïveté, argued about who “lost†the tickets, faked tears and pleaded with the usherette - who ultimately provided chairs, which she placed behind the mezzanine.
Almost 80 years later we arrived late for “The Book of Mormon.†Now both in our 90s, we rushed up the stairs. Gasping for breath, we both fell, which immediately attracted the house manager. Realizing that we were unable to make the climb to the eighth-row balcony, he happily let history repeat itself and provided chairs, which were placed behind the mezzanine.
More theater experiences to follow, after my 100th.
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