Deep Purple Umbrella, Foldable Travel Umbrella, Compact Rain Umbrella, Semi-Automatic Umbrella for Women and Men

Rosalind is the stage manager for a community theater that has not once, in thirty years, opened a show without something going wrong. Last spring it was a missing prop sword. The spring before, a cast member's wig caught fire, which she insists was a creative decision. She does her work in the dark, in black, in a headset, and nobody has ever once thanked her. The rain, however, will thank no one.

On opening night the downpour started just as the audience arrived. Rosalind marched into the parking lot with a deep purple umbrella the color of a velvet curtain, opened it with one hand and walked forty people to the door like a royal escort. A man in the third row said it was the best part of the show. She did not correct him. By curtain, her umbrella had a fan club and her headset had a drip. The cast has since voted her umbrella an official member of the crew, with a lanyard and a seat at tech rehearsal. The lead actor, who fears rain more than reviews, asked if it could escort him personally to every show. Rosalind said it books up early.

It now stays by the stage door, ready for every dramatic entrance and every soggy exit. The canopy sheds water fast, the ribs hold in the wind and the handle stays steady in cold hands. If you work backstage in life, behind other people's moments, here is your cape: deep purple, one-handed and shockingly good at making the weather look like it forgot its lines.

Think of the open as a curtain going up. One hand, one push, and a wide purple canopy blooms over your head like opening night. It looks rich against a gray sky, glows under a streetlight and hides the fact that your shoes are soaked. In sun it makes a decent parasol for a long line at the box office. In a downpour it is a private stage with a very short guest list. Fold it into the sleeve afterwards and the curtain call is yours alone. Open it backstage and the purple turns a damp loading dock into a green room.

Hand it to the stage manager, and she will thank you in a whisper because the show is about to start. Pass it to the choir director who rehearses outdoors in all weather and wears a scarf indoors. Slip it to the aunt who owns a velvet sofa and says it has presence. Fold a ticket to a local show into the sleeve so the umbrella has somewhere to make an entrance. Applause is not guaranteed, but a respectful hush at the door is likely.

• Size: one size, folds to a compact travel size
• Material: waterproof 100% polyester pongee fabric that dries quickly and retains its shape
• Semi-automatic opening for one-handed use
• Eight strong-fiber ribs
• Rubber handle with a matching sleeve, wrist strap and Velcro tie wrap
• Care: leave open to dry; wipe clean with a damp cloth
• AKA: deep purple umbrella, foldable travel umbrella, compact rain umbrella, semi-automatic umbrella