Prayer for the Intercession of Charles Ludlam on the Occasion of a Table Reading

Most sublime and irreverent Charles Ludlam, avatar of the ridiculous, mistress of theatrical mastery, thy kind and beneficent intercession with those who have the say-so up there, we most humbly beseech, on the occasion of our table reading for the Best of PlayGround Festival – for all of the plays, of course, but in particular for The Boy Who Did Not Listen To His Mother. Please arrange it, if at all possible, so that in the process of crafting a small slew of most modest revisions to the text, I did not end up puncturing the vulnerable inflation of that most fragile soufflé — the script. I know I waited until too close to deadline to work the revision, and it’s true that I spent perhaps a teeny bit more time in the thrall of Project Runway, Top Chef, American Idol, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and X-Tube than would generally be considered prudent, and certainly too-too many hours trapped in that time-devouring house of mirrors that is CraigsList Personals, but it should be noted that penance in this regard could be considered paid-in-full, given the ratio of energy expended to pleasure derived. (Note to self: write treatment for play about parasitic sub-sub-sub-culture of pic collectors). Please, also try to make the actors and director at least act as if they like me, even if they don’t mean it. Thy merciful assistance in these ultimately-inconsequential-except-to-me matters, and in anticipation of thy favorable intercession, we — thy most unworthy, yet persistently intrepid, acolyte — most humbly and gratefully beseech. Amen.
Photo: © Fred W. McDarrah www.greatmodernpictures.com