June 1, 2006
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The Daily News
1 Every now and again we have something in the Theatre that just moves me.
2 The Spring concert this year worked for me. Sometimes the performance itself takes me places, and I guess that's what happened.
3 At first I was annoyed by the audience, as always. People, think about it. It's pretty rude to get up and walk out the door when someone is performing. That happened repeatedly. A student would be doing a piano solo and four people would get up and walk around. Why show up if you're not going to listen to the performances?
4 But as the evening progressed I realized that I could really do little to school people in common sense, because as my mother once put it, there is nothing common about common sense.
5 So I decided to do the next best thing, and that was to appreciate the music. Each song meant something to each student in some way or another, and a few performances simply moved me.
6 As I hear wonderful live music in the Theatre, I look at that stage and see ghosts and memories of all the great moments that have gone across that stage.
7 That happened last night. I looked and thought of how many great moments have gone on in the Theatre.
8 In fact, I was visited yesterday by Geoff, a grand friend from my very first year teaching at YB. Geoff graduated a year before Jesus I think. He played guitar with me from almost my first day at YB. We jammed and sang. He played guitar on our "back-in-the day" performance of Godspell. What was fun was that Trinh came over and we did All Good Gifts. To a teacher, there is almost nothing better. Past meeting present. Geoff was our guitarist in my first show ever at YB, and Trinh sang a song Geoff played. As always, and as many suspect anyway, I was the missing link.
9 Then Ponticelli came over wearing a Godspell shirt! The guy is a genius, I swear. He talked with Geoff and me about the Marathon tonight, but it was fun, all that history going on right before the Spring concert. It set a beautiful night for me personally.
10 So when our Choir hit the stage, it all seemed magical.
11 And as I watched, I had memories of many things, of both Godspells we had done, of a show called The Show, of Fina playing flute because a girl played a flute piece in the afternoon, and sounded wonderful; I don't know her name though! I thought of all the laughs and loves, of Thuy Ann coming out with a candle and lovely dress and nailing Your Song on opening night of Songs We've Heard, of Garnet playing piano for Trami at her surprise birthday party that Sunshine had planned, and the list goes on and on.
12 I don't want to begin listing all the great moments because there have been so many.
13 And then I kept thinking of how blessed we have been to have Heidi Hooper as our musical director. She has brought grace and style to our Theatre and last night we had one more moment I'll never forget.
14 The Band's last song, and I forgot to snag a program so I don't have the name at my fingertips, was one of the best pieces ever performed in that Theatre. You can always tell when something amazing has gone on. It was set up with piano solos by Jonathan and Brian, both of home delivered the goods in style, but Hooper took the orchestra, which did WONDERFULLY, and put them on percussion instruments, and it paid off in spades.
15 That noisy audience suddenly sat up and the music took hold. Sometimes music can do that. The entire place felt it; time simply stopped. It was another memory, this time a brand new one. It was like the Seniors and the band and everyone wanted something memorable, and guess what? They delivered.
16 Congratulations to everyone for a perfectly wonderful evening last night.
17 Tonight we have a Music Marathon sponsored by the ATFNL. It features some surprises, as well as the awesome classic rock band Voodoo Lounge.
18 Come on out; we're beginning at 8 p.m. I'm hoping to bring Jonathan and Brian back to perform their flawless piano pieces, as well as Geoff to reprise some of our great jams, and then to bring in Voodoo Lounge.
19 All that tonight at 8 in the Theatre. It'll be $3.00 to get in, and the money will go to ATFNL activities designed to help people deal with drug/alchohol/tobacco and relationship issues.
20 So come on out tonight; the music will be amazing. Geoff and I began rusty yesterday but later on we geared in and now have some nice stuff to share. And the band itself will just blow you out of the water.
23 Just another night in the good ol' Theatre.
22 Peace.
~H~
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