Curtain up

I feel like Michele - I didn't set out to talk about internation stuff, or politics, just the things about my own life I find interesting and want to share with others. So for the duration of "Company", I'm going to talk some theatre.

And, to start off: What's the best play you ever saw? Leave a comment below.

I'll go first: My favorite play of all time is "Into the Woods" by Steven Sondheim and James Lapine. In 1990 I worked for a summer as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona Beach, FL. They're a professional repertory company that specializes in summer and Christmas musical seasons. Their production of "Into the Woods" was the first non-touring, regional theatre production in the US.

If you're unfamiliar with the show, basically it's an amalgamation of several different fairy tales, all happening at the same time. Cinderella runs through the woods with Jack (and his Beanstalk), Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, the obligatory witch, Rapunzel and many others. It's a fantastic show.

But what struck me then, and stays with me now is one of the central themes of the story:

Take care of your children, be careful what you teach them because children will listen. Be careful of the way you live your lives, because children are looking up to you for "which way to turn, to learn what to be"... We have a responsibilty to our children, not just to teach them right from wrong but to show them the difference and how it affects our own lives. It was a powerful message for me - marriage was 2 years away, my son another 7, but I think the message of that show helped prepare me for fatherhood.

I was lucky enough to be Musical Director for "Into the Woods" in 1998 in Oak Ridge, and that has become my favorite experience in amateur theatre so far. I can't wait to do it again.

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