he did some of this stuff to charles macarthur.d him arrested for stealing it when he went off to get married. and there was an escaped convict in chicago they based this loosely on. he was famous for saying not to get involved with women because they would distract them from the story and getting his work one. also, apparently the legend goes that he got drunk and fell on a copy spike and popped out his eye. he had a glass eye. and ben would say you could tell which one was the glass eye because it was the warmer one. [laughter] nathan: he was atough character. they say he dressed very well and looked like a successful local merchant and had a purring voice, but that disguised the monster underneath. charlie: is it true that great comedy is always about something serious? nathan: i would agree with that. it has to be played that way. it has got to be played -- usually it is like --. john: to take your comedy as seriously as a heart attack. nathan: it is life-and-death. that is what this is, certainly. and yet this play, there is n