theatre joke

An OLD one. I still laugh:

There’s this actor who was once a great, a legend, but now could no longer remember his lines. After many years he finds a theatre where a friend is directing a play. The director is willing to give him a chance.

The director says, “This part is the most important, but it has only one line. You walk on to the stage at the opening carrying a rose. You hold the rose to your nose with your finger and thumb, sniff the rose deeply and then say the line ‘Ah, the sweet aroma of my mistress.’”

The actor can’t wait for opening night. All day long before the play, he’s practicing his line over and over again. Finally, the time comes. The curtain goes up, the actor walks onto the stage on cue, hits his mark, and, with great passion delivers the line, “Ah, the sweet aroma of my mistress.”

The theatre erupts. The audience is screaming with laughter, but the director is livid.

“You idiot!” he cries. “You have ruined my play!”

The actor says, “What happened, did I forget my line?”

“No!” screams the director. “You forgot the rose!”