1.   And on many of those occasions, the game in which he was to appear vanished before the curtain rose.

2.   A gasp went up from the audience as the curtain rose on Saturday afternoon.

3.   Less than three hours before the curtain rose, a judge instructed local officials not to carry out their threats to arrest cast members for indecent exposure.

4.   The curtain rose, and the storm began.

5.   The curtain rose, and the music churned to its dramatic conclusion.

6.   There was a moment of hopefulness as the curtain rose for the second half, but soon I could smell grief emanating from the Marquis Theater all over again.