I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I’ve always thought it would be fun to be a stand up comic. I never followed through with that dream, because of my fear of rejection. It seemed easier to perform in a cast of players. If nothing else the whole ensemble is responsible for the success or failure of a production. Now I’m approaching my 79th year of life and stand up is still calling to me. Unfortunately, now I don’t know if I can stand up anymore.

I did some writing a while back for a woman in her 70s who was a regular on the stand up circuit. I admired her stamina, her zeal, her courage and her guts. It was during that time that the embers began to kindle. If she could do standup, why couldn’t I? Well time passed and I never seemed to have an opportunity to express myself in this way. Now I have made a committment to doing so. My little senior theatre group has produced two recordings so far. Because the pandemic has not yet been able to do in house performances, we turned it into a radio show. We’re currently in the planning stages for the next season of shows. One of them involves a holiday cruise for the Jewels of de Nial.

One of our players was an opera singer in her early career. She will be showing off her talent in that area during this show as she has been called on to be the entertainment for the night. Another of the performers is a writer. She enters a contest to write a holiday song and will perform it as well. I thought this might be the perfect place to test my stand up skills.

So as I sit here trying to come up with a routine, I ask that you all wish me luck. I’m about to embark on a new career – maybe. Unless the hecklers show up, or the drunks in the audience have something to add. I might have a heart attack during my performance. I could pass out on stage. They may start throwing things at me. I guess it won’t be the first time. As FDR once said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” This show won’t come to fruition until January, 2022. I wonder if I’ll still be around. Stay tuned!