Comedian and writer Barry Cryer recalls the story of the tap-dancing duck act in which every night a world-weary mallard performed on a cake tin - until one night when the duck just stood there cleaning its feathers.
"What happened?" said the theater manager. The duck's trainer shrugged: "The candle went out."
I forgot to mention that on the very same night, the theater manager had to announce that the "Human Chameleon" act was canceled because the Human Chameleon had crawled across a tartan (plaid) carpet and was suffering from extreme exhaustion.
Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
