Rosemary, Arthur and Ben: On the Road to Mecca (Followed by Doug)*

Subject: For Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and Ben Brantley

Date: January 19, 2012 1:28:04 PM GMT+01:00

Cc: thearts@nytimes.com Rosemary Harris and Carla Gugino

From: Nancy Dawson*

Dear Arthur Sulzberger Jr.,

I hope you remember AA Milne's delightful poem (The King's Breakfast) about the king who asked the milkmaid for a little bit of butter for his royal slice of bread, because, it aptly describes my experience yesterday with your newspaper when I tried to buy a digital subscription to read Ben Brantley's review of my friend Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater by the Roundabout Theater Company.

Early in the morning I eagerly took my coffee to my MacBook brought up The New York Times online to read the review and was greeted by your invitation to subscribe and your well-presented explanation of its necessity. I gladly obliged, filling out the financial information required, but The Times reported an error with my numbers. I tried many more times during the morning and afternoon with carefully entered numbers, becoming more and more disappointed that I couldn't read Ben Brantley's review of my friend Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater.

Finally I called The Times and explained to Julio in New York that I wasn't a fussy person and if it wasn't not too much to ask, could he please help me read Ben Brantley's review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater. Tried as he could, Julio couldn't get The Times to accept my bank card. He said, "There, there, call your bank because they can surely fix this for you."

To Maria in Manilla, I explained that my Chase Bank JP Morgan card wouldn't work to get The Times subscription and she said it is not the bank that is the problem, it is The Times. There were already eleven 99-cent charges The Times had made on my card. "We never did and never would decline a charge that would keep you from reading Ben Brantley's review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater," Maria said. "Maybe you should try The Huffington Post instead."

I couldn't go to a newsstand to buy a Times edition because I live in the Perigord, France. "I have a very fine broadband," I said to Kelly in Pensacola, "Can't you please fix this so I can read Ben Brantley's digital review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater." She said she'd do what she could to help me, but couldn't find any record of Julio's work on my behalf, and turning a little red she said, "The Times doesn't like your card; maybe you should go to bed."

She passed me on to Myrna in Iowa whose job was resolutions. By then the call was reaching 85 minutes and I sobbed to Myrna that I'd happily pay the king's ransom in addition to the twenty-three 99-cent charges on my Chase Bank JP Morgan card if I could only read Ben Brantley's digital review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater. "There, there," Myrna comforted me. "We'll fix you up in no time," and she did.

Eagerly I went back to The Times online, but alas, I was greeted again by your invitation to subscribe instead. To Donavan in New Jersey I said "it's now nearing midnight and 15 hours since I first tried to read Ben Brantley's review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater." Donavan said, "The problem is that you are logged into the wrong website and the solution is quite simple." He led me through logging out and logging in and waited patiently as I opened Ben Brantley's digital review of Rosemary Harris in Athol Fugard's The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater. I thanked him for his kindness and took a glass of wine and finally read Ben Brantley's magnificent review of my friend Rosemary Harris' performance in The Road to Mecca at the American Airlines Theater.

Nobody, but nobody would call me a fussy person, not even nowadays when others may prefer the Huffington Post to The New York Times instead. I do like my Times each morning and don't think it's too much to ask. But when a friend is featured as yesterday Rosemary was, I make no apologies for making a little bit of a fuss.

*Nancy Dawson was raised in Philadelphia, spent 40 years in North Carolina, initially during the civil rights movement at a Quaker college and worked for women's rights as a NOW leader. She was public relations director for the North Carolina School of the Arts for 25 years. The mother of two feminist and artist daughters, she lives in the Périgord, France with her artist husband, and taking time to write.

Photo: Rosemary Harris and Carla Gugino in The Road to Mecca. Credit: Joan Marcus, 2012.

What Is The Matter With Nancy D?

From: Doug Lewis**

What is the matter with Nancy D?
She couldn't get the Times for free,
Not even if she said she'd pay.
(The website turned her card away.)
What is the matter with Nancy D?

What is the matter with Nancy D?
She tried and tried — could not succeed.
(Became so angry she almost peed).
She called New York and said: "Indeed!"
What is the matter with Nancy D?

What is the matter with Nancy D?
She called from Perigord, not from Paris,
To get the scoop on our Miss Harris.
What is the matter with Nancy D?

What is the matter with Nancy D?
The answer came: "You'll be just fine.
Change the web site. Drink some wine."
What is the matter with Nancy D?

Now what's the matter with Nancy D?
Au bout, rien du tout.

** Doug Lewis is an old North Carolina friend of Nancy's who eagerly follows her life in France and responds to her AA Milne parody with one of his own.

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Rosemary, Arthur and Ben: On the Road to Mecca (Followed by Doug)*

What Is The Matter With Nancy D?

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