Lent Day 12: High School Musical

 


I went to watch my niece and nephew in their school musical last night. I'm not going to lie - having worked all weekend bringing the pizzaz for my school's Open Weekend I was a bit pizzazless on Sunday night. Nevertheless, my dear niece and nephew have cheered Gray on at various sporting events and it was time to watch them shine.

And that's the thing about high school musicals - those babies shine. 

There is something deeply satisfying when the chaos of bad harmonies, teens with two left feet and an orchestra that sounds like a whale dying suddenly comes together in a moment of pure magic on stage. And even if you don't know the personal backstories of every child you know that statistically speaking at least two of your leads were seriously hard work, one got a deadly virus the day before opening night and three of them fell in and out of love during the rehearsal process. There is no greater emotional roller-coaster than a high school production.

One of my besties is the head of music at a school in Cape Town. When either of us are doing productions the tears flow from both sides. We both absolutely delight in the positive feedback we each receive from our audiences and there is only pride and exaltation at the end of a run. And we walk the Post Production Depression journey together too. 

Everyone wins when a school production is a good one. Unlike almost all other high school activities no one loses if a school play is exceptional. The headmaster doesn't announce the results like Barry Ronge on a Monday morning assembly - 'Hilton received an exemplary eight for their production of 'Hamlet', while Kearsney got a terrific ten for their 'Kat and the Kings'. This puts us in the production lead and we hope to win the interschools dramatic tournament by the end of the second term.'

To be honest the only losers are the poor audience members who are forced to sit through a kak high school production. Nothing sucks literal years off my life than having to sit through crap theatre. I would rather watch a whole day of Under 14F cricket, in the sun, than a bad school play.

So back to my dear niece and nephew - they were delightful, my niece wore a dress (and not jorts), my nephew wore various cool costumes and his articulation was excellent, the play was slick, the orchestra wasn't a dying whale, the choreo was a delight, the leads were strong and the staging was clever. All in all a energetic eight from this critic. 

We all win when a high school play is good because (to quote the classic) 'we're all in this together'....



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lent Day 3: Dear Leo

Image
  Dear Leo, You don't know me but you probably know my type. I'm one of those aunties who will come up to you and squeeze your little foot, and talk in a high pitched voice telling you that I've known your mom since she was a little girl. I would probably also tell you that you're handsome like your dad and have the cutest little face. I would also be a clown to try to make you laugh. Lets be honest, I would probably be a bit awkward, like most aunties are, but that's because I know how loved you are and I want you to know how much I love you. Even if I'm just some random auntie.  The thing is Leo, I've known your mom for almost all my life. We grew up together, farm girls from the mountains and we also went to high school together. And even though your mom is a completely sophisticated belter today I remember the days when she was so little that eating a peanut butter sandwich would result in most of the peanut butter ending up all over her cheeks. I also r...
Read more

Can I get a witness?

Image
 The above picture is singlehandedly both the worst and the best picture ever taken of me. And because Dan Eager's try will go down as a truly iconic moment in Kearsney's history my double chins and psychotic eyes will now also be immortalized. The photo has gone viral and has given my family, friends and vague acquaintances great, great joy.  But I love this picture for all its horror because it shows me for who I am. It is a raw statement of my spirit.   Because I am a witness. Because I celebrate the victories of those I care about with wild abandon and overzealous joy. Because when the people I love win, I win. And because I always want to be on the sidelines cheering you on, in victory, or defeat.  This intense need to see my people flourish is why I became a teacher. When I was considering the various options of study when doing my MA the choices were to go the fame route and develop myself as an actor, director and scriptwriter or to study applied theatre...
Read more

Dear Sharon

Image
  It was a bad night last night. Gray vomited for most of the night. Stephen silently nursed his impending stomach bug. And at two in the morning I Googled things I shouldn't like - 'Child just had swine flu, now has stomach bug. Low white blood cell count - what does it mean? Is house mould making my child sick? Autoimmune disorders. Symptoms for lupis'.  Early this morning, before the sun rose, I emailed my various bosses to tell them I would not be coming in to work today. Due to various commitments in the past three weeks I wasn't able to nurse Gray through his tonsillitis that then developed into swine flu. I worked Sundays and every weekday til 22.00. It's a busy time in my job and I sucked it up.  But this morning I just knew I couldn't leave Gray sick at home one more time. Despite all the guilt I associate with leaving colleagues and students in the lurch I put on my big girl mom panties and made the call, despite the nagging doubts that maybe I should ...
Read more