Subject:  what I thought Portia said last night
Date:  1996/08/15

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the viewers of this outdoor play.
Who chooseth Shakespeare in the open air
Must give and hazard all his dry attire
But pity more the players in this show
Who strut and fret our hour upon the stage
With costumes dampened by this evening storm.
But this play was writ ere Gore-Tex was invented,
So we must endure what cannot be prevented.