DARK MONDAYS

On this white Friday in Pittsburgh, I’m thinking about the dark Mondays I spent working at a certain New York playhouse, attending its phones on the box office manager’s one day off. I’m remembering how unbelievable it was that this space, on Mondays so dim, so silent and empty, had—just 12 hours before—housed such noise, such laughter, such crowds, such egos, such antics, such conflicts, such commerce, such fanfare, such dazzling lights.

WEDDING AS STAGE SHOW

When the bride and groom are having their first dance, and there's a room full of their nearest and dearest standing around watching them, I always wonder--what are the bride and groom thinking most about? Is the fact of each other and their recent leap of faith the most compelling thought? Or are they too aware of the hundreds of eyes on them, the spectacle of their waltz, the image of black and white perfection into which they now congeal, in the minds' eyes of their audience?