
A down‑and‑out stage actor, fresh from a night of rehearsals, bumps into a stranger whose very features seem assembled incorrectly. The visitor calmly explains that he can reshape himself at will, copying any human form he chooses. Their banter quickly turns to the actor’s trade, with the alien curious about the craft of pretending to be someone else.
The conversation spirals into a lively debate on what makes a performance memorable, contrasting the actor’s love of “unique” characters with the alien’s talent for flawless impersonation. They exchange cynical jokes about politics, theater in Russia, and the state of the arts on the alien’s home world orbiting Sirius, which is reportedly in its “infancy.” Their shared frustration with fragmented productions hints at a deeper, unspoken yearning for a more cohesive stage.
What begins as a chance meeting evolves into an unexpected partnership proposal, where the actor might harness alien shapeshifting to push theatrical boundaries. Listeners are treated to a witty, thought‑provoking blend of sci‑fi and backstage satire, exploring identity, art, and the strange chemistry between a human dreamer and a cosmic shapeshifter.
Language
en
Duration
~33 minutes (32K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2010-03-15
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1922–2000
Known for witty, offbeat science fiction and later mystery novels, this American writer brought a sharp sense of humor to magazine stories and longer fiction alike. She also worked as a crossword puzzle compiler, adding another layer to her love of wordplay.
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