Matinée

Most of the actors I've met over the years dislike matinées. It just seems wrong, somehow, to be doing theater in daylight.

And it seems definitely wrong to be hanging out backstage when the temperature is in the vicinity of 108°F. We are all dressed for and English Spring, with men in suits, a butler in a tailcoat, and women in long-sleeved dresses, and, in some cases, sweaters.

At least it's not "House of Blue Leaves," in which I wore a nun's habit, or "The Man Who Came To Dinner," which is set at Christmas time. I don't know who made the rule that plays set in winter must be performed in summer (and I don't care what the date is--if it's 108°, it's summer), but they should be shot at dawn!

How's that for wishing ill on people?