Term of the Moment: Busted valise

Busted valise: This is probably the great indigenous Broadway term. A valise is an old name for a small suitcase A busted valise is a screw up, a wounded soul, somebody who has been severely damaged and is not coming back whole. The term can also be used as an adjective, like a busted-valise local, where the local is full of screw ups. I met a famous head, who had been forced to retire because of two injuries. I asked her how she was doing, and she said, "Ah, I'm a busted valise." TV stagehands don't know this term, and it is hard to find a Broadway stagehand under 50 who knows it.