I may have written about this elsewhere…

I was about 7 or 8 and my parents took me to a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. We went to a theatre in a tent in Long Island, I think it was Westbury. It was “In the round.” A storm was brewing just as the show started.

If you’re familiar with the show, the main character Tevye, often argues out loud with the lord about what he should do. “on one hand, but on the other hand…” is an argument he makes with God many times during the play.

The play comes to a climax. Many difficult things have happened to the village and to Tevye’s family. His daughter has defied him and married outside the faith. He is despondent and furious. He shouts out to God, “Show me a sign!!!”

At that very instant, a blinding flash of lightning absolutely incinerated the inside of that huge tent. You’ve seen cartoons where the character’s bones strobe out, like an X-ray? It was like that.

And the next millisecond? All the lights went out, whether on stage or not, and the most deafening clap of thunder shook the very concrete foundation our seats rested on. It felt like forever, but was probably only 20 seconds or so.

Just as suddenly, all the lights came back on. Everyone looked at each other and burst out into the most spontaneous, irresistable laughter. And the best part was, our mouths were wide open. Stunned, that God or the universe had engineered this perfect moment for us. “Tevye” still stood with that pleading, hands up to the sky pose. But his shoulders were also shaking with laughter.

Luckily, it was his last conversation with the Almighty, and the play progressed to its satisfying end. But especially as a kid, I found the syncronicity especially amusing and gratifying.