title: Writing in Restaurants
author:  David Mamet 
description: In these essays, playwright Mamet addresses many issues in contemporary American theater, such as the electronic amplification of live stage, the hidden politics of the theater and the proper function of the actor or playwright. PW called these pieces "short and hard-hitting." <br />Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: Also by Mark Mills
  The Savage Garden
  Amagansett
  
  For Caroline, Gus, and Rosie
  
   
  You have killed a sweet lady,
  and her death shall fall heavy on you.
  —from Much Ado About Nothing
  by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE       
  
  LONDON
  May 1951
  MARIO WAS IN A GOOD MOOD.
  This wasn’t saying much; he was often in a good mood. It was a
  legacy from his father—a simple, hardworking man who had drilled
  into his children the value of giving daily thanks for those things that
  most people took for granted.
  Mario cast an approving eye around the restaurant. A prime site a
  stone’s throw from the Ritz, and after just four short years, a
  reputation to match the very best in town. Not bad for the son of a
  shoemaker from a small village in northern Italy. Not bad at all.
  The place was empty, just one lone customer at the bar, but the
  restaurant would be heaving within the hour, even in these austere
  times. He checked over the reservations book, memorizing the
  names and the table allocations. He prided himself on not hav