It starts hours before the curtain goes up. The good dress comes off its hanger, cufflinks are found at the back of the drawer, and heels click on wet pavement on the way to the cab. Forty-two watercolor-inspired illustrations follow that crescendo and stop just short of the top: pearls in a velvet tray, umbrellas under a lit canopy, a marble staircase curling back on itself, gilded boxes with the house lights still up.

The curtain stays closed, or half drawn on an empty set, and never once opens on anyone. What happens on stage is yours to remember. The walk home is the collection's: taxis nose to tail in the rain, a café with its awning still lit, one light left on in a tall dark house.