A Compleat Coincidence

So, long ago in a galaxy far away, when I was still in college, I was in a play. That play was "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shakespr (abridged)." Efrex had taken me to see this show off Broadway and we loved it so much, we recruited our friend Ron to play the third role. And our performance was a hit... everyone that I talked to loved it, and we got a really good review in the school paper the next week.

Since that time, every time I see that there will be a performance of this play, my curiosity always gets to me, and I find a way to go... I saw a really good performance several years back off broadway. I saw a really terrible version at Johns Hopkins a couple of years ago - they were a bunch of chickens; apparently, they thought having a guy in a wig and a skirt during the show was too risque.

Anyway, I saw in the paper on Friday that there would be a performance of Compleat Works at the Gaithersburg Arts Barn down the road. Again, my curiosity got to me and so we went. LS, SP, JS and I, off to the play. JS hit me during the first couple of minutes of the show, as I was mouthing dialog (I couldn't help it!!). The first act went by smoothly, without incident, and I felt it was pretty good... and certainly some parts updated from when we did it way back in 1996.

The entire second act of the play is a performance, so to speak, of Hamlet. During the "Get thee to a nunnery!" scene, there is an audience participation interlude. A female member of the audience is chosen to play Ophelia... all this person has to do is scream (twice). During the time leading up to this part of the play, I was sitting there thinking to myself, "Wouldn't it be funny if they pulled me?" Well, I think we all know where this is going... Yes, they actually pulled me! JS was laughing as they were approaching our row. Oh, boy, this would be fun.

I think I actually shocked them with my first scream. A whole audience participation section is set up as a build up to the second, supposedly, better scream. While the setup for the rest of the audience is taking place, one of the actors comes by to basically reassure me about what was going on...

Gary: Just 5 more minutes and you'll have to scream again.
Me: I know, I did this play.
Gary: What?!?
Me: Yeah, and I played your part...
Gary: ... so, how are we doing?

While standing on the stage, it took all that I had not to start mouthing the dialog or do the little pantomimes that went with the dialog. It was also really funny to have the actors trying to reassure me while I was standing up there. Well, after the show, while walking out, another of the actors (the part that Efrex played) was sitting in a chair. As I pass, he looks at me and says, in this shocked voice, "YOU DID THIS PLAY!?!?!" Apparently, while the three actors were backstage recounting funny experiences in during the show, Gary told the other two about our exchange while I was on stage. Gary and the last guy, Kevin both came out, recounted again the conversation we had, laughed and shook my hand before I left.

Sometimes it's the small coincidences that make things memorable. What are the chances that they would have picked me, someone who actually performed in the play, to be their screaming Ophelia? What could have been just a fun afternoon became an ultimately memorable one.