Upon these one-acts' first performance I heard a parting theatergoer complain it had been “not even almost an evening.” I considered making that the title of the published scripts, but on reflection it seemed wrong. Wrong, first, to give the published plays a title different from that under which they had been performed. Wrong, second, to push self-deprecation so far it sounds like self-censure. I take some pride in my work, and together these plays do make up almost an evening—I don't care what anyone says.
—Ethan Coen