By Donna Hruska

Approximately 675 Words

November 8, 1966

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“I quit!” said the Easter Bunny. “I’m not going to wear these pajamas any longer.”

Crisis had struck the drama company. I stood at the top of the stairs and listened to see what would happen.

David, my five-year-old third son, stood defiant in his bunny costume—winter pajamas with long floppy socks clipped to his ears.

“Aw, come on, Dave,” pleaded ~~[crossed out text]~~, Chuckie, who seemed to be the boss by virtue of his age and the fact that the production was being held in his basement. “You’re the only one who has pajamas with feet.”

“I’m not doing it and that’s final!” stated David with determination.

“O.K., but you won’t be the star of the show!” ~~answered~~ [edit: “answered” appears crossed out]

Chuckie~~, with all the exasperation of a director dealing with a temperamental star~~. [crossed out portion]

Not even the threat of second billing could change David’s mind.

“Never mind,” interrupted Brian, seven. “I’ll do it. It won’t matter if the pajamas gap a little in the middle.”

I chuckled to myself as I went back to my dishes. ~~With six children of our own,~~ [crossed out] ~~it would seem that~~ [crossed out] ~~we would have~~ [crossed out] actors enough to cast most any play~~,~~ [crossed out] ~~but it never worked out that way~~. [handwritten note: “We have 6 children – should provide”]

This time Chuckie’s best friend, Danny, from the other side of the village was taking part. Of course, the three youngest children were usually fired for insubordination by the second rehearsal.

“Jennifer and Jeffrey!” I heard Chuckie yell in exasperation downstairs. “You’re not supposed to eat the eggs! You’ll have to be in the audience.”

“Well,” I thought, “there they go for this production. At least,” I consoled myself, as the rehearsal continued loudly, “the acting bug only bites them about once every six months.”

~~By~~ [crossed out] Saturday morning~~,~~ [crossed out] ~~after numerous cast changes, re-writings,~~ [handwritten notes and corrections] and rehearsals, everything was in readiness. Rows of chairs were lined up at one end of the playroom. Two clean sheets (snitched from the linen closet when I wasn’t looking) were stretched on a rope tied from a light fixture on one wall to Dad’s gun rack on the other. Advertising in the form of a large poster nailed to a tree by the drive-way, had been out for several days.

It read:

COMING

“Peter Cottontail”

Written and Produced by

Charles Hruska and Danny Wilhelm

Directed by

Charles Hruska

Starring: Charles Hruska, ~~Brian~~ [handwritten correction] ~~Hruska, David Hruska and Danny Wilhelm~~ [crossed out]

Saturday, 10:00 A.M.

Admission FREE

At the last ~~minute~~ [crossed out], I ~~was informed that~~ [crossed out] ~~three~~ [crossed out] ~~lemonade~~ [crossed out] had been ~~promised~~ [crossed out] ~~as an inducement~~ [crossed out] ~~to~~ [crossed out] ~~get a~~ [crossed out] ~~large~~ [crossed out] ~~turnout~~ [crossed out], ~~with~~ [crossed out] misgivings, I ~~made~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] ~~lemonade~~ [crossed out] ~~not~~ [crossed out] ~~at~~ [crossed out] ~~all~~ [crossed out] ~~reassured~~ [crossed out] ~~by~~ [crossed out] ~~their~~ [crossed out] promised ~~to~~ [crossed out] ~~be~~ [crossed out] ~~careful~~ [crossed out].

~~Finally,~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] ~~audience~~ [crossed out] ~~trooped~~ [crossed out] ~~by~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] ~~ticket~~ [crossed out] ~~office~~ [crossed out] ~~in~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] laundry ~~room~~ [crossed out] (~~everyone~~ [crossed out] ~~had~~ [crossed out] ~~to~~ [crossed out] ~~have~~ [crossed out] ~~a~~ [crossed out] ~~ticket~~ [crossed out] ~~even~~ [crossed out] ~~though~~ [crossed out] ~~they~~ [crossed out] ~~were~~ [crossed out] ~~free)~~ [crossed out] ~~and~~ [crossed out] ~~took~~ [crossed out] ~~their~~ [crossed out] ~~places~~ [crossed out]. ~~The~~ [crossed out] nervous actors peeked through the curtains. ~~Afraid~~ [crossed out] ~~that~~ [crossed out] ~~my~~ [crossed out] ~~presence~~ [crossed out] ~~might~~ [crossed out] ~~inhibit~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] ~~players~~ [crossed out], I ~~contented~~ [crossed out] ~~myself~~ [crossed out] ~~with~~ [crossed out] listening from upstairs.

“As all of you know, today is the day before Easter.”

(Giggles)

“Quiet, everybody!”

“As all of you know, today is the day before Easter…”

At 9:30, Danny arrived on his bicycle, breathless, ~~explaining~~ [crossed out] ~~that~~ [crossed out] ~~he~~ [crossed out] ~~was~~ [crossed out] late because he’d overslept. ~~A~~ [crossed out] By 9:40 everyone was in costume except David, who couldn’t find ~~the~~ [crossed out] long white socks that he had been ~~fusing~~ [crossed out] for ears. ~~After~~ [crossed out] ~~a~~ [crossed out] frantic ~~searching~~ [crossed out] ~~some~~ [crossed out] left ~~everyone~~ [crossed out] ~~with~~ [crossed out] ~~odd~~ [crossed out] dresses~~,~~ [crossed out] ~~drawers~~ [crossed out] ~~looking~~ [crossed out] ~~like~~ [crossed out] ~~we~~ [crossed out] ~~had~~ [crossed out] ~~been~~ [crossed out] ~~robbed~~ [crossed out] ~~but~~ [crossed out] ~~Jennifer’s~~ [crossed out] ~~substitute~~ [crossed out] ~~was~~ [crossed out] ~~made~~ [crossed out] ~~of~~ [crossed out] ~~a~~ [crossed out] ~~robbery~~ [crossed out], ~~a~~ [crossed out] ~~substitution~~ [crossed out] ~~was~~ [crossed out] ~~made~~ [crossed out] —Jennifer’s white stretch tights. By the time I saw him in that outfit I was sure the play would be a comedy no matter what the script said.

It was now 9:50 and everyone was glued to the windows in the living room watching for signs of approaching customers.

None were in sight. ~~At~~ [crossed out] ~~9:40~~ [crossed out] ~~Lemonade~~ [handwritten correction] ~~appeared~~ [crossed out] and still no audience!

Danny and Chuckie pushed past me on the way to the kitchen.

“Excuse me, Mom. We gotta get on the phone.”

They called Eddie Dunlap first, who couldn’t come because he had to take his ~~piano~~ [crossed out] lesson. Doug Wing had to go shopping with his mother.

“Aw, listen Doug, see if you can’t come over here instead,” I heard Chuckie plead, beginning to sound a bit desperate. “We’re serving lemonade at intermission.”

“We are not!” I yelled from ~~the living room~~ [crossed out], ~~where I too~~ [crossed out], was ~~standing at the window, looking for customers~~ [crossed out].

“But, Mom,” Chuckie said, “I’ve already promised. ~~Couldn’t~~ [crossed out] ~~we~~ [crossed out] ~~please~~ [crossed out]?”

~~”Well,~~ [crossed out] ~~. . .”~~ [crossed out] I ~~said~~ [crossed out], ~~feeling~~ [crossed out] ~~my~~ [crossed out] ~~resolution~~ [crossed out] ~~crumble~~ [crossed out] ~~while~~ [crossed out] I ~~tried~~ [crossed out] ~~to~~ [crossed out] ~~think~~ [crossed out] ~~of~~ [crossed out] ~~some~~ [crossed out] ~~way~~ [crossed out] ~~to~~ [crossed out] ~~salvage~~ [crossed out] ~~my~~ [crossed out] ~~weakening~~ [crossed out] ~~authority~~ [crossed out].

I got out the lemon juice, trying to remember why I wasn’t supposed to stiffle their creativity.

The phone calls began to get results and by 10:15 the ~~solid~~ [crossed out] audience was trooping through the laundry room to their seats as

And so the show was on. Later, when it ended with a rousing chorus of “Here Comes Peter Cottontail,” followed by enthusiastic applause, I ventured downstairs to watch the audience file out and survey the damage. It wasn’t too bad except for the puddle of spilled lemonade the baby was stomping in.

“Ah well,” I told myself again as I started cleaning up the floor, “it only happens once every six months.”

The ~~basement~~ [crossed out] door slammed as Chuckie, David and Marty, a new boy in the neighborhood, ~~who~~ [crossed out] ~~had~~ [crossed out] ~~been~~ [crossed out] ~~in~~ [crossed out] ~~the~~ [crossed out] ~~audience~~ [crossed out], came in.

“Listen,” said Marty, “have you ever done a western? I’ve got a Zorro costume.”

“Hey, yeah,” answered Chuckie. “I could be a robber and David could be a soldier.”

“Not if I have to wear pajamas!” interrupted David.

“Ah, Show Business,” I sighed and kept on scrubbing.

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Donna Hruska

Nov. 8, 1966

COMMENTS: AH SHOW BUSINESS

This is a gem of an article woven around the theme of the children who are deep in producing an Easter Play.

I like the start and the gay and light tone of the narrative progression.

Bunny Rabbit who is introduced at the start and his protestations make this identifiable to all mother readers.

However, I feel there should be more Dramatic Impact when the play is on — Bunny could lose his white socks and refuse to go on…or he could not find them when he should appear on stage…and there could be a physical scramble and confusion and a hunt for them with an SOS to mother ….who could not come up with anything but Black ones, which Bunny does wear finally … after much struggle.

There could be an intermission during this scramble and hunt “when popcorn and lemonade was served” and then the Play resumed….

Tell how many attended the play —

Keep BUNNY in the spotlight to the very end.

In this type of article as in any other, there MUST be a high point or a crisis….which is overcome by the protagonist. You could have burned the Roast you were preparing for company that evening….because you were so engrossed with the children…and friend Hubby had to rush out and get some pizza or hamburgers…and show DISRUPTION….and all FOR THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

Send this to: JACQUELINE WELLS WOMENS FEATURE EDITOR TRIBUNE TOWER CHICAGO TRIBUNE, Chicago, 11, ILL.

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