A Play on Needles

Pins And Needles Day

Have you ever woken

from a deep sleep –

only to realise that you can

 no longer feel your arm?

Have you shaken that arm,

knowing it is moving,

but unable to feel it move?

Have you lifted it

with your other arm and shaken it…

feeling the thick, heavy weight

 of a “dead” arm.

Have you ever felt the moments

 of panic as you imagine

never regaining any feeling

in your sleepy arm? I

f you have…

you may have also felt

the moments of panic

as you realise the return of sensation

will come in the form

of pins and needles…

severe jabs of agonising pain,

shooting through your skin!

Today is the day

for suffering this agony!

It’s Pins and Needles Day.

And yet, today has

nothing to do with pain!

Actually, today’s special day

celebrates a musical,

which opened in 1937.

So, back in 1937,

the International Ladies

Garment Workers Union

met in the Princess Theatre

 in New York City.

The workers formed the cast of

Pins and Needles (P&N).

The orchestral pit was “fully” decked out

 with two pianos!

Rehearsals occurred at night

 and on weekends.

P&N was a pro-union play

 and looked at the

current events of the time.

 While the play started

as a small thing –

the International Ladies

Garment Workers soon quit their jobs

 in order to satisfy the crowds

being drawn in

by the raving reviews.

Every few months,

new songs and skits were incorporated –

 in order to keep the play current.

P&N opened today –

back in 1937

and ran for 1108 performances.

(This whole play business

is not what I was expecting

today to be about!

Happy Pins and Needles Day!)