WEATHER

Last night my good pal Mark and I went to see Hamlet at the Delacourte Theater in Central Park.

You know the part when the Players show up and then Hamlet does that "What's Hecuba to Him or He to Hecuba" monologue? Well, that part usually does not include a tornado. I don't think that's what old Bill had in mind when he penned that scene. Nevertheless, that's what happened last night. First, the wind started. And, it was LOUD. Then leaves and branches started swirling into the theater, through the audience and onto the stage. People started getting up. Lots of people were leaving. All the while Hamlet is dutifully doing his monologue, so into it, playing off of nature. You could tell he was loving the drama of it all. Mark and I started worrying about the lights that were hung directly behind us. Are they secure enough for a tornado or are we soon to be decapitated? Then, as soon as Hamlet finished his monologue and the next scene started we here "Actors. Actors please leave the stage for safety" over the PA. Everyone was instructed to leave the theater.

Mark and I decided to wait it out a little to see if they would continue the show after the storm. We waited a few minutes and then decided that if we were going to wait we might as well have some wine. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as we paid for our wine they announced that the show was cancelled for the evening. It put me in the mind of the time that I went to see Big Top PeeWee with my best friend, Midge. We bought popcorn, coke, and twizzlers and then, because we were the only ones in the theater, they cancelled the movie. They waited until we AFTER we had stocked up on concessions to tell us that there would be no movie. It's exactly that kind of sketchy practice that drove the Panorama Theater right out of business.

So anyhooz, we saw all of the build up and none of the blood. Were going to try to get tickets for tonight's show so that we can see the end. What does this have to do with Bel Air? Absolutely nothing.