Can you find your Uncle Prospero in this picture? The year was (yikes!) 1977. The show was Godspell at Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, PA. I was a a 15 year-old sophomore and already knew that the Theatre was going to be a permanent part of the rest of my life. The director was the brilliant Louis Volpe (the first adult to tell me upon graduation that being gay wasn't such a terrible thing). My then best friend, Todd Hartman, can be seen at the top of the pyramid, wearing the beret and pink shirt.
Thanks to Facebook, I've recently begun to reconnect with friends from those days. To be honest, most of the folks who've remained true friends were those I met in college and after - my darling Janet; my rock, K and my Dear D. A few others. Some of my high school classmates are long gone (the fellow in the yellow hardhat was gunned down in a senseless bar fight not too long after this picture was taken). Others were taken wherever the fates took them. I think of them more and more these days, especially now that my 30th HS reunion is coming up (yikes again!).
I'm not exactly sure what I intended to say with this post. I think time has been kind to me. I certainly like myself a lot more now, than I did then. And I certainly appreciate the difference that life experience has made in my artistic sensibilities. I've travelled the country since then, living in many places and doing theatre for many companies. I've acted, directed and designed for more shows than I care to remember (including a production of Godspell in which I played Jesus about fifteen years later). But there is something about this particular production that will always occupy a special place in my heart. Hell - maybe I'm just getting old.
By the way - In case you haven't guessed, I'm the one in the straw hat, all the way in the right corner of the photo. Damn, I was cute!
Moe, anon.
Prospero
Facebook is so great for that. I did a Facebbok page when I was sick aty home in April & within hours I had 5 people from my childood ask to friend me.
ReplyDeleteI have also heard from people that I did theatre with in the 70s. Wow.
I did Godspell (sang All Good Gifts) in college at Loyola Marymount in LA in 1974. I am still good friends with the man who played Jesus, who I was sleeping with during the run of the show. It was hot f@!*ing Jesus.
Our Jesus was hot, too - and a friend since Cub Scouts. The first cigarette I ever smoked was at age 10, in the woods behind his house, using his dad's ciagrette rolling machine. He went on to found a Christian theatre company in Oregon, i believe, though I've since learned he is back in the area. Of course, now that I have performed in it twice, I really need to direct my own version of "Godspell," set in an abandoned circus.
ReplyDelete