(A small stage overwhelmed by a rococo prosce-<br >nium. The gilt of the rococo is tarnished， dusty， peeling.<br >Some of the finer flourishes of the ornamentation have<br >been damaged beyond repair. A gold-tassled， Burgundy<br >red curtain hangs bunched to one side. Threadbare，<br >patched， water stained， the curtain is clearly off its track，<br >and will never descend again.<br > Perched like a peregrine in the SL niche of the<br >proscenium， MELPOMENE the Muse of tragedy， sits，<br >crocheting. MELPOMENE is ancient， lean， constricted，<br >disdainful， a memento mori. She is robed in the grand<br >style of nineteenth century neoclassicism. The colors of<br >her gown are gloomy， the hem sadly figured with the<br >tragic mask. She wears a wreath of hemlock and funerary<br >ferns in her hair. She will watch with contempt as DAVID<br >and TOM act out what they assume to be the "happy<br >forever after" final scene of their play.<br >