A small theatre sold every ticket for opening night. Ten minutes before the show, the director noticed one empty seat in the front row.
“That belongs to our critic,” the usher said. “She called to say she’d be late.”
The director paced behind the curtain. The lights dimmed, and still the seat was empty.
At the interval, he found the critic standing at the back with a notebook.
“Why didn’t you take your seat?” he asked.
“I did,” she said. “During the first scene. One of your actors told me I was sitting on the stage.”
The director looked at the front row. “We moved it back for the second act.”