Theatergoers Throughout the Ages

Theatergoers Throughout the Ages

by Kelp

That guy in the audience
In the amphitheater
On a night out
With his spouse
To see the newest play
By Sophocles.
Not the critic
Or the academician.
And certainly not Sophocles himself
Or the actor playing Oedipus
On opening night.
Being in the presence of genius or celebrity
Numbs the tongue and lips of some
While others assume familiarity, Yo Soph!
Putting an arm around Oeddie’s shoulder
For the selfie.
No.
I just want to talk to the guy in the audience
There with his lovely wife.
Maybe like me, not too rich, but certainly not poor,
Out for a night’s entertainment, a break from the job and the kids.
Sitting in the darkness
Expecting catharsis
Or at least your money’s worth
For the price of the admission.

That guy in the audience
In the Globe Theater
On a night out
With his spouse
To see the newest play
By Shakespeare.
Not the critic
Or the Queen
And certainly not Shakespeare himself
Or the actor playing Hamlet
On opening night.
But you, my Elizabethan counterpart,
Mostly imperfect, but pure of heart.
What drew you out
To the theater tonight?
Were you, like me,
Trying to push back mortality?
Or dip your mostly insignificant toe In the ocean of originality?
And I ask you,
You who are not alive today:
Did it make a difference –
This three hours’ play?
And what of the work that you did that day?
And all the days of your forgotten life?
The daily worries, the arguments,
And bickering followed by sentiment.
Would you trade it all for these three hours?
A chance for redemption
Perhaps re-birth.
Or at least your money’s worth.