You mean to tell me
That I get no preparation
I just say the lines as written,
And I pray that I don’t cough
Or lose my place,
Or drop my sword
Or else my hat?
Tell me, why is it that no one
Had the foresight or the simple human kindness
To explain it
Long before I got this far?!
—From My Favorite Year
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your half-hour call. Half hour, please.” The disembodied voice crackling over the intercom strikes fear into my heart, but here in this little dressing room, brightly lit, heavy with perfume and very, very hot, the announcement seems to have no effect on my three “roommates”—the musical actor Carolee Carmello, the Broadway dancer Donna McKechnie, and Kathie Lee Gifford, the television personality. For them, this is business as usual—another opening, another show.
