Lame Theater Joke

I have a miserable cold, so was a little doped up when I went to bed last night. As sleep approached, I kept pondering the bones of a joke that I couldn’t quite flesh out while in a half-dream state, though I did have a punch line. Here goes:

A playwright, an actor and a [fill in the blank*] walk into a bar.

The playwright says, “[Insert grievance here].”

The actor says “You think that’s bad, [cause of marginalization].”

The [insert] says “Yeah, but [countervailing argument here].”

Finally, the bar patrons shout, in unison, “Can you keep it down? We’re trying to watch television here!”

That’s all I got. Perhaps I should have placed them in a life raft. Remember, I was half asleep and full of cold medication. I think I’ve been reading too many blog posts about the plight of theater artists who can’t get a fair shake.

* Suggestions: Artistic Director, Literary Manager, Arts Board Member, Theater Critic.

The other thing stuck in my head while dozing off was the Beyoncé tune "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)." I know! Who would have thunk it? While wandering the internet wilderness, I tripped across a mash-up which combines Beyoncé's song with a video of a little number featuring Gwen Verdon with choreography by Bob Fosse. Beyoncé was reportedly inspired by it. I must have watched a half-dozen "Single Ladies" parodies until my wife asked, "How many times are you going to listen to that?"

Watch at your own peril:



If you're up for more, here a version nicely danced by Darius Crenshaw, Grasan Kingsberry, and Brian Brooks from the cast of "The Color Purple."