The sound of one hand clapping

 

An inspired music artist derived a really great idea. For years he had been trying to come up with a unique way to make some extra cash besides the CD’s he had been selling for the past few years. Eventually it hit him, he finally had it, the bright idea he had be searching for, for a long while. He thought to himself, “Why not do a collaboration show in theatre with one of the top theatre producers in Cape Town?” He knew that if he’d combine his live singing with acting it would be a hit.

He worked it all out, decided to draw up a strategy and negotiate with one of Cape Towns top producers. He managed to propose his bright idea to a very talented young man who is a fresh producer. The two of them rubbed shoulders and put their heads together. They had it all worked out, it was planned and thought of fluently. The band who would be playing on the big evening was sorted out and so were the actors.

The team rehearsed for three months non-stop. Everything was perfect! And the big event had been advertised all over. After a month all tickets were sold out.Finally, the big night arrived. Everything was in place, or so it seemed. The show began with a bang, the band and actors were sizzling. But as the show reached the half way mark…. Bam! Everything went dark and the room was filled with distinct silence. Everyone began to feel uneasy because they could not see a thing. The theatres maintenance guy came running out from the back shouting, “It’s a power failure! The electricity tripped! No one knew what to do or where to go since they could not see a thing. And the power just simply would not go back on again. It was a complete disaster.

Eventually, after the MC managed to get the crowd settled he announced that unfortunately the big show was forced to come to an end. “Thank you for coming, sorry for the inconvenience”. Enjoy the rest of the evening….. Not knowing what else to say or how else to apologise the MC left the stage. The evening never quite ended the way it was supposed to. Instead of hearing a massive round of applause for the ‘oh so wonderful show’, all that was heard is the sound of one hand clapping….