You have to be of a “certain age” to remember the NASA countdowns and those magic words: “We have lift-off…”

Last Friday night, the curtain lifted on our 91^st Consecutive Season. The eyes of all the past presidents stared down from their photos on the walls as the cast and crew gathered in the Green Room prior to curtain. Think about the history: What was the first show of the season like for each of those presidents?

“Regrets Only” is a great show!  The audiences love it!  Come and see it. Bring your friends, relatives and even your lesser enemies. There are only three performances left!!  This show deserves a sellout closing weekend.

Have you caught my curtain speech? It seems to be going well. Actually it serves as a bit of a warm-up act for the play. The accidental tie in with the “coffee mug” gets three laughs, one for the “magic hand” (Stage Manager Mark Carley), one for the curtain speech, and one for the big payoff for Maureen Cook in the second act!  One of the keys to comedy is the “three repeat set-up.”

I read a piece about the Managing Director of Meadowbrook who gives a curtain speech at every performance. It includes lots of shtick and has become part of that theater’s tradition.  So much so in fact, that when he took a few nights off, the audience missed him and wondered what happened!

OK, did you get your season tickets? Last chance now…

Oh, and pay your membership dues, too, sheesh!!!

Next up Company!  The fantastic cast is already hard at work mastering the mystery of Sondheim!

Set Construction Call!  – Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings, 7 p.m. Every hand is appreciated! If you don’t know how to do it, we’ll teach you.  If you do know, bring a friend and teach them!  Basic carpentry skills are something everyone should learn by their 30’s.  I know this to be true because I read it on the Internet!

Good News– The roof leak over east electrical lobby is not as bad as it first seemed!  There is No evidence of interior water damage.  Bad News –While looking into the roof problem, we discovered a new problem with the wood siding on the north wall of the theatre, some boards rotting, others peeling up. We had to contact maryland waterproofing company to repair it which they did quickly.  How about a fundraiser for facility maintenance and repair, maybe buy a brick, buy a shingle, buy a light bulb? On-going facility maintenance will continue to be a challenge for us. Every home owner understands this.

As Roseanne Roseannadanna would say: “It’s always something.” (Of course you have to be of a certain age to remember Roseanne Roseannadanna, too.)

–Gary Mach