All the world's a stage: Especially bars in Minnesota

Tom Barlow
Updated

Recently, a smoking ban in Minnesota was amended to allow smoking on stage during plays. Seems innocent enough, right? Well, bars in the state were quick to take advantage of the opening, declaring their bars were actually stages and all customers were actors.

One promoter interviewed by the paper said that she had quadrupled the size of her usual weekend crowd by offering the 'theater' entertainment. which allowed everyone to light up.

The article didn't list the plays enacted, but as a writer, I'm already tossing around a few concepts, such as

  • "Camel-ot"

  • "Who's Afraid of Virginia Slim?"

  • "The Subject was Raleighes"

  • "The Emphysema Man"

  • "The Stoma Monologues"

  • "The Sound of Mucus"

  • "Hello, Deadly"

  • "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chemo"

  • "Tobacco Barn of the Harvest Moon"

  • "Waiting for Gauloises"

In the meantime, I guess I'm back to staying home in the evening, until the law can reign in the suicide-by-cigarette crowd again.


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