Comfort and Joy

I have literally lost count of the number of shows I've done. Some have been truly extraordinary experiences: playing Sweeney in "Sweeney Todd;" taking off my clothes in "Love! Valour! Compassion!;" directing an amazing production of "Much Ado About Nothing." All major milestones and/or life-changing events for me. As of today, they all take a back seat to "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told."

It was the perfect storm of cast, crew and script that somehow rained down what would be an extraordinary event under any circumstances.

I was blessed by the bravest, most trusting, most loving and most uninhibited cast I have ever had the privilige to know. They managed to do something that only two casts before have ever gotten me to do; cry during a performance. They also managed to be the first since high school to make me cry because it was over. That kind of joy mixed with melancholy can be as addictive as crack and I'll be going through a an exceptionally painful withdrawal over the next week. Of course I will see all (or at least, most) of them again. Many of us were already were good friends even before the show, and we'll see each other in the very near future (some of us have already made plans to do so). But it will never again be for this particular reason. :::sigh::::

Theatre truly is a "living art." It exists, but only in each moment in which it is played, because that particular moment cannot be exactly duplicated ever again. Once it's gone, it's gone, never to be again. Which is all the more reason to drink deeply and often. Art can never hurt you.

OK - The Philosophy of Theatre 101 lecture has now concluded. Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow night (though I may have a few more words on this subject before I'm ready to fully move on). Thanks for indulging me.

By the way, that's me (sans mask) in the bright green shirt (they called it my "happy shirt"), behind my cast. They are wearing costumes from the end of Act I, on the set of Act II. I took a million pictures at dress rehearsal, none of which were usable due to a camera malfunction. I was very unhappy. We rushed a couple real quick, after the show today.

From left to right, back to front:

Prospero, Matty Daley ("Kevin"); Matthew Paul ("Trey"); David Hamm ("Steve") Caitlin Blauvelt ("Cheryl"); Alycia Bauch Cantor ("The Stage Manager"); Nicole Patrick ("Jane") Kathy Garofano ("Rabbi Sharon"); Damian Gaeta ("Adam"); Maddie Patrick ("Mabel"). The bravest cast ever known.