Songwriter Joseph ("You Light Up My Life") Brooks presented Broadway with a headscratcher of a musical, In My Life, on October 20, 2005. Brooks provided book, music and lyrics for this story of a young man with Tourette's Syndrome, who turns out to be the unwitting lead in a "reality opera" supervised by a pudgy, bike-riding individual named Al, who turns out to be God. For some reason the proceedings were illustrated with pervasive images of lemons, which provided good fun for the critics who put the squeeze on the show. Despite a vigorous advertisting campaign, the show could not overcome cataclysmic reviews and closed after 61 performances. Playbill.com
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)