روز چهارم

IRONY FOR MERRYWEATHER

At last, Monte’s chance to perform came. He had played the timorous Lion in a truncated version of “The Wizard of Oz,”

which the apprentices had staged. But now there was an open audition to cast the final show of the season. It was to be a jaunty original comedy, given a summer tryout prior to a Broadway opening. Monte, who by now had adopted the stage name of Monte Merryweather, read for the producers.

hoping to get the part of the hero’s fractious landlord.

Unfortunately, the competition was too rough-but the director assigned Monte to a less ostentatious part. And so for the first two weeks in September the stage-struck accountant had a two-minute, two-line part. What was his role? The hero’s accountant!