Delanceyplace.com 04/11/07-Broadway

In today's encore excerpt, renowned author and screenwriter William Goldman comments on the difficulty of performing on Broadway:

"It is always wisest to try and see a show as soon as possible after it opens (because) most shows go to hell, sometimes quickly.

"You can't blame the actors for the deterioration. Doing the same precise thing eight times a week, 416 times a year, becomes numbing to the soul.

"Barry Nelson says, 'The longer you play the performance, the more your mind resents it. You're in the middle of a scene, and suddenly all you're thinking about is whether you should have Chinese food after the show.'

" 'I don't think any actor really likes long runs. I don't think humans were meant to do them.' "

William Goldman, The Season, Limelight, 1969, pp. 19-20