The Theater: Fear of Flopping

RICH & FAMOUS by JOHN GUARE

The serious student dreams of forgetting test answers; the supersalesman of sample cases that will not open; the victorious general of gum balls in his muskets. In order to succeed, one must dream of failure. This new off-Broadway play by John Guare (House of Blue Leaves) is about a desperate playwright named Bing Ringling (William Atherton). He is too busy writing flops to dream. The critical notices for his latest efforts are on the order of, "The next time we read this author's name it should be on the obituary page."

The review of his life is...

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