The Sound of Silence

Either a shocking and surprising denouement has just taken place, rendering all the characters speechless, or - and this is more likely - we are all wondering “who’s go is it?” The silence then persists until someone hazards a line, that may or may not be correct, or the prompter tells us the correct line. Though even that is not foolproof, as we need to know who actually says the line in question!
I think it is safe to say that the dress rehearsal did not go as well as it should have. The issue seems to be that there are many similar lines throughout the play and it is very easy to pick the wrong one, which then tends to throw one’s fellow actors.
But we have run out of time to rehearse. Opening night tonight, and we have a paying audience expecting to be entertained. I suspect that my fellow players have, like me, spent the afternoon (day?) going over the lines again and again in an attempt to get them to stick.
From past experience, I am fairly confident that “it will be alright on the night” and, in a perverse sort of way, I am looking forward to it and can’t wait for curtain up. We will find out if my confidence is justified in a few hours time…