Monday, June 22, 2009

On Grieving...



Grief is a very strange emotion. It's usually on display at times of death, but it pops up in many forms and is caused by many different kinds of losses. If you're Charles Schultz, you use it to create an oxymoronic catch phrase for the star of your comic strip. How can there be such a thing as Good Grief? But apparently, grief and mourning are good for us, as long as (just like anything else in life) we don't take it too far. It helps us deal with loss and change and gives our psyches a bit of a purge.

Tonight, I am in mourning. No, no one has died. But a magical world inhabited only a few hours a night, did. Gone... gone... (Who the hell am I and what did I do with Prospero?).


I had to share one last image with you. It's the one I've had made into an 8x10 for my office. A cast so good, they deserve another mention. So... Back row, L to R: Kathy Garofano ("Rabbi Sharon"); David Hamm ("Steve"); Prospero; Damian Gaeta ("Adam"); Matt Paul ("Trey"); Alycia Bauch-Cantor ("The Stage Manager"). Seated, L to R: Maddie Patrick ("Mabel"); Nicole Patrick ("Jane"); Matty Daley ("Kevin") and Caitlin Blauvelt ("Cheryl").


I've been a director for a relatively long time and I have had my share of both triumphs and failures (someday I'll tell you about my Romeo and Juliet). Usually, the show's over; I have a little break and then I move on to the next one. But I'm not quite ready to let go of this particular bit of magic, just yet. A show this special needs to be savored and stored a way safely, so you can recognize its like, when you see it again. So, I need time to grieve...

More, very anon.
Prospero

2 comments:

James Machado said...

I happened to have liked your Romeo and Juliet. Particularly with the spectacular bloodbath of Walt spilling your Paris' guts with a gravedigger's shovel. Classic.

Stephen said...

I understand you feelings all too well. I look forward to seeing your work sometime.
My Two Centhttp://nopoboho.blogspot.com/2009/03/star-fucker-celebraties.htmls: