'By going on. By living your life the way she would have wanted you to. And you can. You've still got us with you – me, Curt, Marvella, John… Terri… we can start again. With Craddock.'
Dennis looked at him. 'Don't forget Evan.'
Sid nodded. 'Evan.'
'After all, he's my son.' He smiled while the tears shone on his cheeks. 'That counts for something.' He looked back out over the empty seats.
'But is it gone, Sid? The Emperor? When it died, it said 'Long live the king.' What did it mean? Is it gone?' He turned to his friend. 'Or is it only waiting to come out again? Is it still inside me?'
'Maybe it is. I don't know,' Sid said slowly, and a thought came to him. 'Or maybe the only things inside you are the things that are inside all of us.'
'I don't know which is worse to think about,' Dennis said, looking out and up to where the rows stretched into darkness. 'I don't know which is more terrible.'
They stood there for a long time. 'Come on,' Sid said. 'We can always come back. And we will.' He looked around and shrugged. 'It's a theatre, Dennis. Just a theatre and a stage. It's whatever we want it to be.'
As they walked out, Sid's words reverberated in Dennis's mind. Whatever we want it to be.
It can only be what we put here, Dennis thought. The empty stage is ours to fill with what we want the audience to see. It's nothing on its own. Only a space we fill. A lifeless space we make come alive.
And he would make it live. For Ann, for all of them, he would bring the light, make it sing, make it live.
From Stage World 1990, Volume LXXIX:
CRADDOCK (Tony win.)
Cast: Steven Peters (Tony win.), Kelly Sears (Tony nom.), William Winslow, Craig DeLucca (Tony nom.), Sarah Wilson
Book and lyrics: Kevin McDonald (Tony nom.)
Music: Teresa Stafford (Tony win.)
Musical amp; vocal direction/orchestrations: Dexter Colangelo
Set design: Mack Redcay (Tony win.)
Lighting design: Thorne Wilson (Tony win.)
Costume design: Marvella Johnson amp; Terri Deems-Hamilton (Tony nom.)
Choreography: Ric Pettrucci (Tony nom.)
Direction: Dennis Hamilton (Tony win.)
Produced by The New American Musical Theatre Project
Broadway Opening: October 26, 1990, Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (still running) First
Performance: July 27, 1990, The Memorial Theatre, Kirkland, Pa.
