Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

My last show at the Orpheus Theater

Was Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

Middle of the Twenty-Eighth Season

I passed away at the beginning

Of the 29^th Season

And in tribute to me

They did a one-night, special benefit performance

Of Frankie and Johnny

With my wife as Frankie

And Jim, the Artistic Director, and also, my lover

In the role I played

It was very moving

And, being dead

I had great seats

What can I tell you about the Orpheus

That you don’t already know

Or haven’t already heard?

I was there when Sarah started it

Then Sarah passed away from cancer

And Jim took over

And everybody hated him

Because he dressed up in these awful Miami Vice suits

And fired anybody he didn’t like

I thought he was the worst-dressed sexiest man

I ever saw in my life

But I was married

To my best friend

Because she needed a green card

And so, acting on my feelings was…complicated

Oh, plus he was my boss

Let’s not forget that

The only reason anything happened at all

Is because of that great American tradition

The holiday party

We both wound up under the mistletoe

We kissed when nobody was looking

Then we both wound up under the set

For Titus—not the most romantic atmosphere, but…

I really loved him

He’d have little flings here or there

But that didn’t bother me

It couldn’t bother me

I was married

When I got sick…

It was me being stupid

Hooking up with an old flame one last time

And then getting a phone call

Telling me I probably had HIV

And sorry

Or maybe he didn’t say sorry

Who knows?

Apologies don’t really matter much

Once you’re dead

That performance of Frankie and Johnny

That benefit performance?

--Was very good

Jim wasn’t as good as me, of course

But my wife was stellar

I loved that instead of some big memorial for me

They just did what I loved doing

Performing

They performed in my honor

It’s like saying they lived in my honor

At least, to me, it is

That’s what theater was

Pure living

And we lived in that theater

All of us

We really lived there

And when I’m there now

Even after having been dead for over twenty years

I still feel…

Alive