The Show Must Go On

A few minutes before the famous Shakespearean actor was to perform Hamlet to a packed house in New York, he dropped dead. The house manager solemnly came onstage and announced, "We are sorry to bring you this news. Mr. Famous Actor has passed away in his dressing room, and there will be no performance tonight."

From the back of the rear balcony, a voice cries, "Give him some chicken soup!"

Startled, the stage manager clears his voice and says, "I apologize if in my grief, I have not made my solemn message clear. Mr. Actor is deceased, and there will be no performance."

Again, from the top balcony, the voice: "Give him some chicken soup!"

Having had about enough, the manager yells back, "Lady, the man is dead. Giving him some chicken soup wouldn't help."

And the voice replies, "It couldn't hurt!"