Life does not come with any dress rehearsals or curtain calls, but fortunately for theater, the stage does. Tonight Anne and I do dinner and a show, the show being the Rep’s season opener, “Red”. Writing this post before viewing, I offer the following, The Rep’s synopsis:

“Red” exposes the tormented mind of abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. As he nears the completion of a series of murals for New York’s famed Four Seasons Restaurant, the questions of a young assistant force Rothko to examine both his motives for creation and his place in the pantheon of great artists. Urgent, all-consuming and fascinating, this 2010 Tony Award-winning play is a searing portrait of the ambition, vulnerability and agony inherent in the art of making art.

Dinner too should be as big as the sky, Big Sky, being my favorite restaurant in Webster town. All our friends have seen this show by now and are already looking forward to the next one, but for us, this is opening night. For the actors and the behind the scenes personnel, tonight should go like clockwork. They have done it all so many times before. For me, I’m expecting a performance like butter. Soft on the outside, but cold and harder as the knife cuts deeper.