Question

Some plays are so successful that they run for years on end. In many ways, this is unfortunate for the poor actors who are required to go on repeating the same lines night after night. One would expect them to know their parts by heart and never have causes to falter. Yet this is not always the case. A famous actor in a highly successful play was once cast in the role of an aristocrat who had been imprisoned in the Bastille for twenty years. In the last act, a gaoler would always come on to the stage with a letter which he would hand to the prisoner. Even though the noble was expected to read the letter at each performance, he always insisted that it should be written out in full. One night, the gaoler decided to play a joke on his colleague to find out if, after so many performances, he had managed to learn the contents of the letter by heart. The curtain went up on the final act of the play and revealed the aristocrat sitting alone behind bars in his dark cell. Just then, the gaoler appeared with the precious letter in his hands. He entered the cell and presented the letter to the aristocrat. But the copy he gave him had not been written out in full as usual. It was simply a blank sheet of paper. The gaoler looked on eagerly, anxious to see if his fellow-actor had at last learnt his lines. The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds. Then, squinting his eyes, he said: „The light is dim. Read the letter to me." And he promptly handed the sheet of paper to the gaoler. Finding that he could not remember a word of the letter either, the gaoler replied, "The light is indeed dim, sir. I must get my glasses." With this, he hurried off the stage. Much to the aristocrat's amusement, the gaoler returned a few minutes later with a pair of glasses and the usual copy of the letter which he proceeded to read to the prisoner.......traducere romina va rog...

Answer 1

Unele piese au un succes atat de mare incat se joaca ani de-a randul. In multe privinte, este un ghinion pentru saracii actori care trebuie sa tot repete aceleasi replici seara de seara. Ne-am astepta ca acestia sa-si stie rolurile pe de rost si sa nu aiba ezitari. Dar nu intotdeauna se intampla asa. Un actor celebru intr-o piesa de mare succes a fost distribuit in rolul unui nobil care fusese intemnitat la Bastilia timp de 20 de ani. In ultimul act un temnicer urma sa intre pe scena cu o scrisoare catre prizonier. Chiar daca nobilul urma sa citeasca scrisoarea la fiecare reprezentatie, el a insistat ca aceasta sa fie scrisa in intregime pe hartie. Intr-o seara, temnicerul a hotarat sa ii joace o farsa colegului ca sa afle daca, dupa atatea reprezentatii, acesta a reusit sa invete pe dinafara continutul scrisorii. S-a ridicat cortina la actul final si ni l-a prezentat pe nobil stand singur in spatele gratiilor in celula intunecata. Chiar atunci apare temnicerul cu scrisoarea pretioasa in mana. Intra in celula si ii inmaneaza nobilului scrisoarea. Dar scrisoarea pe care i-a dat-o acum nu era scrisa, cum era de obicei. Era o coala goala de hartie. Nobilul privi foaia goala cateva secunde. Apoi, mijind ochii, zise: "Lumina a palit. Citeste-mi tu scrisoarea". Si i-a dat foaia de hartie temnicerului. Descoperind ca actorul nu-si amintea o vorba din scrisoare, temnicerul replica: "Lumina a palit intr-adevar, domnule. Trebuie sa-mi iau ochelarii". Si iesi rapid in culise. Spre amuzamentul nobilului, temnicerul reveni dupa cateva minute cu o pereche de ochilari si exemplarul scris al scrisorii pe care i-l citi prizonierului.....