One of the lines I wrote for the piece we performed over the weekend, was written in the script, and memorized as this: "The thought crept up and jumped out at me like an inebriated joker in a gorilla suit."
What I actually said during the show on Saturday night: "The thought crept up and jumped out at me like an inebriated gorilla in a gorilla suit."
What I actually said was "wrong," but got a big laugh. It's actually a funnier line. It worked so well, I decided, right there, in the moment, to repeat it, to repeat the mistake. And by repeating it, I was kind of claiming it, and deciding that it wasn't a mistake at all.
Someone later remarked that was the mark of a true professional. Claim the mistake. Or as Brian Eno once put it, "Honor your mistake as a hidden intention."
Not sure, about that, I mean, the idea is to speak the words that are written, but this mistake sort of did the trick, and sometimes doing the trick is just enough.