Wilmington, NC 10 - Much Ado About Murder

as the composer and Oscar Hammerstein II writing the libretto. The play is set in 1906 when Oklahoma was a territory just applying for statehood. You’ll see , there’s a scene about that in the next act.”
    Just then Dalton Montjoy stopped to say hello. He was looking like he felt better. Binkie asked him to join us for a late supper after the show and he heartily accepted.
    The chimes sounded and we returned to our seats. After the joyful wedding scene, the play moved on to the riveting climax. The mood would now take a turn from one of general merriment to that of high drama as Jud Fry is killed. Laurey and Curly have changed into their traveling clothes and are about to leave for their honeymoon. But first the wedding guests have to perform the ritual of jovially putting them up onto a haystack where they become the object of good-natured jokes. There is friendly teasing and banter. The players do not seem to notice the spoiler Jud Fry skulking about distant haystacks, obviously plotting no good.
    Suddenly a haystack explodes into flame as Curly yells “fire” and the men rush to the haystack with water cans to put out the fire. Jud slinks around to the haystack where Laurey and Curly have been stranded on top because someone removed the ladder. Jud then sets their haystack ablaze. The pretend flames were produced with lights and very cleverly done. Curly encourages Laurey to jump to safety.
    As Jud eggs Curly on, he then pulls out a knife. This was supposed to be the part where Curly jumps down to fight with Jud and save Laurey from possible abduction. We all know how this scene is supposed to end. Curly will jump on top of Jud, and Jud will be stabbed accidently with his own knife.
    But something was amiss. Instead of holding the knife out in a threatening manner toward Simon, Thomas stepped back and flung the knife onto the floor with a loud cry.
    “Stop the show!” he shouted. The music came to an abrupt stop. Nimbly, Simon leapt down from the haystack as Taylor rushed around from behind the haystack to see what had happened.
    Thomas spread his palms in a gesture of amazement. “It’s real,” he yelled. “It’s real. The knife is real. It’s not a prop.”
    He reached down to pick up the knife to show the others. “The blade is supposed to retract.”
    An angry Greg Finley strode out onto the stage. The audience buzzed with excitement, everyone jumping to their feet for a better view.
    Holding the knife in his outstretched hand, Thomas shouted, “This knife is real. It’s not a prop knife. It doesn’t retract. I would have been stabbed with it. Maybe killed.”
    He took a step forward toward Simon. “Did you do this? Is this your doing? Are you trying to kill me?”
    Simon looked confused. “Are you crazy? Kill you? Why would I kill you? You’re the only friend I have.”
    He turned to the director. “The props were laid out on the table backstage. Anyone could have switched knives. But it wasn’t me. I swear it wasn’t me.”
    Greg the director stamped his foot in frustration. “Lower the damned curtain,” he roared.

6

    Late night downtown Wilmington reminds me of New York City where I lived for four years while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Parsons School of Design. Downtown Wilmington is as wild as Greenwich Village where my friends and I used to hang out.
    Now I’m an old married lady of twenty-seven with two children. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
    Circa 1922 had a large table ready for our party when we arrived. We sat at the front near the window and outside there was a steady stream of partiers. Watching all the many bare legs passing by, I asked everyone, “When did dresses get so short? Guess my attention has been focused on diapers and baby bottles for the past year and I haven’t noticed the latest trend.” I turned to Jon, “Should I buy one of those stretchy dresses that barely cover my crouch?”
    Jon grinned at me. “Absolutely! But you can’t wear it outside our house!”
    Glancing out the window, I saw a pair of sequined shorts pass by. “And what about those short shorts? What do you think, Aunt Ruby?”
    To my amazement she broke into laughter. “Guess you’ve never heard of ‘hot pants’. In my day that’s what we wore, short shorts called hot pants. With little white ankle boots.”
    Binkie beamed at her. “Now that I’d like to see.”
    She laughed again and smacked at his hand.
    “What in the world happened back there?”