Strike A Chord!

Some of you may be be familiar with the so-called “sad clown stories.” One version goes like this: In the year 1806, a respectable-looking young man visited a doctor who was renowned throughout London for being able to treat what today we’d call depression.

With an air of defeat about him, the patient explained that he felt overcome by a terrible sadness — that he didn’t want to get up in the morning — that he couldn’t see any point in his existence.

“Given your affliction, I would normally prescribe a course of my patented medications,” said the doctor, “but it so happens that I have recently come across something which will alleviate your situation much more quickly. Therefore you must,” he continued, “go to the Covent Garden theatre to see the current offering. This is the happiest thing I have ever seen performed on a stage — so much so, tears of laughter ran down my face. Why in fact, sir, I can almost…