“Better Than the Next!”

A recent advertisement from a theatre company promised: “We have a wonderful season for you. Each show is better than the next!”

I hate to say so, but this is hardly an inducement to buy a season ticket—if every performance I attend will be worse than the one I saw last time.

On the other hand, “Each show is better than the last!” (which is what I presume the writer meant to suggest) may promise improvements over the season, which is certainly preferable. But still it makes you wonder why the same level of quality that is promised later in the season could not be achieved from the beginning.

If I were trying to sell as season, I think my slogan would be: “Each show is just as good as every other show!” Now that’s a goal to try to live up to!

As you have no doubt observed, if you are a Constant Reader, the verses of the Bard of Buffalo Bayou are all worse than the last ones.

            A West Indian impresario
            Put on a show in Ontario.
                        But he found the Canadians
                        Not as droll as Barbadians,
            And they yawned throughout his scenario.