The Daily News

1   Somehow it's Frideeeeeeee!!!!

2   I had bouts with morons yesterday. Won't go into it, since many are related to being out on the road and driving.

3   So let's just reel it all in.

4   I associate everything that is happening out there with the ending of the school year, which includes not only my own school, but parents of children in school, kindergarten teachers, principals, school bank people (always sent from heaven!), college undergrads and grads, and on and on.

5   The focus right about now is on the ending of a school year, no matter where you try to run.

6   It is annually the most surrealistic time of the year.

7   Yesterday I brought my students into the Theater to watch TheTaming of the Shrew in widescreen with full stereo.

8   What I didn't expect was that David had his first class in the Theater to strike the Grease set.

9   I had no problem with it, since I felt lucky to have gotten to use the facility at this strange and busy time of the year.

10   He had the worklights over the stage on for safety, so the effect of the movie playing was amazingly weird.

11   Most Theater people know the effect of using what is called in the biz a scrim. A scrim is an enormous piece of cloth that if projected on, works as a screen, such as a movie screen, but if lit up brightly from the back, lights up anybody or anything there, so that they can almost appear out of nowhere.

12   So the effect yesterday was that our movie screen had Shrew playing brilliantly. In the night scene where Hortensio and Gremio were looking for a "mate" for Katharine, the kids striking the set suddenly appeared more brilliant than the film, giving Shrew a ghostly effect , with around fifteen or twenty cast members from Grease walking through the film as though they were wraiths in an odd dream.

13   David's first class of the day evidently is his advanced Drama class, which had many of the leads and ensemble students in it.  The sound of Shrew was loud and clear, but the images on the screen were of the final strike for Grease, all happening simultaneously with the first appearance of Richard as Petruchio.

14   It felt like I was watching ghosts of the past and of the present. People in my class were a bit confused, but I LOVED the effect. I couldn't have directed a cleaner scene.

15   All this happened yesterday early.

16   It was literally the final strike of the Grease set by the Grease cast and crew coming through the film. What an effect, especially first thing in the morning!

17   Other worldly, and just right.

18   I had missed the cast party on Saturday night due to exhaustion. I stayed a while for hugs and flowers, but decided not to stay until the 12:30 end of it all.

19   My strikes always tended to be on the Monday or Tuesday following a show. I always thought that the all-nighter strikes of yesteryear were too brutal, and that tearing the show down worked better if spaced over two days. I understand that true Theater people would look down on such heresy, but I was a lot more logical, knowing full well that a strike in a high school at 2 a.m. was impractical, but done by many high school, college, and professional companies.

20   I would usually head for Joe's with Ponch, and have Randy serve us up some Manhattans, often gratis.

21   I even looked down yesterday at the Grease strike going beautifully with Taming of the Shrew and thought that Randy might have been the author.

22   It was THAT good.

23   I really didn't give it much thought until I awakened in the 2 a.m. to write this folderol.

24   By the end of that first class, the entire Grease set had disappeared, as had David and the Company.

25    The rest of the day the film dominated, and was as incredible as ever. 

26    Moving on, Part the Foist: Cray cray.

27    Nicoley and I talked about everything being "cray cray" the other day.

28     We were two teachers trying to reconcile the unreconcilable, which isn't even a word. We talked about how cray cray school is this time of the year.

29     I think she has two weeks left, and I really have just one and then finals, which I suppose measures out to two.

30    Shrew yesterday was amazing. The Theater swallowed up my class. I felt like William Randoph Hearst giving a private screening to Hollywood's elite. David had hooked up the sound for me, so the sound system was awesome, and the brightness of the screen exquisite.

31   It prompted one student to say, "Mr. Harrington, we should have a movie at the end of the year up in here!"

32

33   Hmmmm.

34   You tell me.

35   There's a reason I have a job.

36   Okay, so it's choking into the 3 a.m. and I mightily need to have my wits about me today.

37    I think I'll push his odd week to the back burner and move into the weekend.

38    I guess I'm just happy to be walking around.

39    It's Frideeeeeee after all, and beautifully annoying weather.

40    Have a lovely weekend.

41    And as always, fly low.

42    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

The Daily News

1  So...Randy Ritchie walks into a bar...

2   On May 2 Randy passed away after a long bout with cancer.

3   This guy was an Original Joe's stalwart. In my Joe's heyday, he would come by, sit down, eat some of my fries and talk about rock music, parties, and living the good life.

4   He was famous for writing a song on a Joe's bag if it was your birthday, and then coming over and singing it in with a gravelly voice, beginning with his back to you, and ending with taking off his jacket to reveal that he had cut his sleeves off his white shirt, almost a statement that he was not really a waiter in a tux, but a living, crooning local star.

5   The thing is, he always made you feel that you were one of the best customers in a place that has been throwing dandy meals out to people for years. Huge plates of Italian food and large steaks, wine, and home-made sourdough were Joe's staples.

6   Oftentimes after shows, Ponch and I would go to Joe's. We never hosted cast parties back in the day, but we would let it leak that as private citizens, we were going to Joe's. Students would flock to the place, almost like our own version of New York's Sardi's.

7   I always gave the Joe's waiters good tips, and in return, they would treat me like royalty. It was fun being a part of the history of one of San Jose's most storied locations.

8   Even if he wasn't my waiter, Randy would stop everything he was doing on a busy night and talk. If I would run out of soup, he'd have a second bowl in front of me, along with some fresh-baked bread. It often wouldn't wind up on the tab.

9   I haven't been to Joe's since my last birthday, or at least mini-celebration. Randy sang happy birthday to me and wrote his song on a Joe's bag, the first time ever for me. I kept the bag for a while, might still have it.

10   Jenny wrote me yesterday and told me of his passing. Sad stuff, but there are tributes to him all over the net.

11   Here is an article Jenny sent me yesterday. It's a tribute to Randy by the Merc News' Scott Herhold, written on May 7:

http://www.mercurynews.com/scott-herhold/ci_20567971/herhold-death-fixture-at-original-joes

12    I never really saw Randy as a celebrity. I saw him as a guy who knew I was a large part of Original Joe's history, which is a part of San Jose's rich and glamorous history.

13    San Jose will miss Randy Ritchie. He said in his later years that Joe's has changed a bit. The waiters used to be in charge of the customers, and he was disappointed to see that younger waiters are bringing "the customer is always right" to Joe's.

14   What I used to love about Joe's was that sometimes I would say, "I think I just want the calamari sandwich," and a waiter would say, "No you don't. You want the scallopini sec." And I would agree!

15   Randy would often bring a large hunk of cheesecake with as many forks as people, and not say a word.

16   So Randy, we all raise a glass of house red to you this fine day. You never knew it, but you have always been a legend.

17   Peace and porterhouse steaks to you.

18   Moving on, Part the First: The oddness of the last couple of weeks of school are in full swing.

19   Yesterday I got to school, the final bell rang for my first class, and there were only around twelve students sitting down.

20   The day before, that same class had talked incessantly while I lectured, and I had to stop and berate them. I don't do a lot of berating, but they were out of hand. During testing, three guys cut out of the test early. Graffiti (okay, EV graffiti, which consist of pencil drawings that come up with one swipe of Windex) and gum on seats began to appear last week.

21   So Monday I just pointed out the rudeness, and my inability to grasp it. I made the last week of school ridiculously easy for them, but they still came in hideously late.

22   I was absolutely speechless, was all ready to light up Shrew for them, and they weren't there.

23   They understood, and it was actually a coincidence that so many came in late on the same day.

24   I eventually calmed down; they helped me hand back papers, and were respectful for the remainder of the period.

25   But yeesh! I spent half of last week trying to get the Theater for Shrew. I finally succeeded in booking today and tomorrow, but I had to get sign-offs for everyone in the school. I jokingly told the students that I had to have Obama and two foreigh diplomats sign me off in order to get the place.

26   Fortunately, I do a lot of favors for the performing arts' department, so they are all willing to let me use the Theater. The know I'm going to treat it like a cathedral.

27   So that was then, and this is now. The same class gets treated like royalty today, because that's the way I roll.

28   I was just a little stunned by the lack of respect yesterday, because I seldom get that, especially from an English 2A class.

29   Anyway, the line to Shrew forms to the left today at 8:15. I guarantee a few of those guys will be late anyway.

30   Will I care?

31   Nah. I don't take it personally. One girl who is late has to take care of her grandma, who has cancer. Another kid has to walk almost two miles to school. It's tough to herd them all in and be consistent.

32   I already started Shrew yesterday, and all the classes enjoyed it. The soundtrack has always been the harbinger for summer, and it blasted beautifully yesterday. By the day's end, I was smiling.

33   Well, it's almost 4:20, which means Phoebe is about to get up and bark at me. I nicknamed her "4:20" because she seems to know that 4:20 is a good time to shake, and then bark in my ear.

34   So I'm going to hope she sleeps through it, because I'm pretty sleepy. I went to sleep pretty early after watching the Giants' choke.

35   I don't even know if they lost, but I assume they did.

36   Am I worried?

37   Nah. Just about getting too little sleep.

38   So Iminna go now.

39   Hope you guys have a great day. Look up in the sky and give Randy a thought; he was and remains a good man.

40   Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

The Daily News

1  Wow.

2   I forgot how to do this.

3   I had a dream last night that I was writing the DN.

4   I woke up in the 4 a.m. thinking all I had to do was to edit this.

5   When I opened the website, nothing had been written.

6   Pray tell.

7    It doesn't write itself while I sleep.

8    So I began tacking away.

9    After a fashion, I pushed control z, just to get something back.

10   I might have pushed it twice, because everything I wrote disappeared.

11   Out of practice.

12   It's all good.

13   Yesterday I wrote all about senioritis.

14   When I got to class, I re-read what I had written.

15    Much of it was about what my seniors are going through right now.

16   I decided to read it to them.

17   One thing I know about good-byes: you should do them about a week early, because if you try to do them on the day someone is leaving, you become one of a thousand people telling them good-bye.

18   So yesterday I said "Good-bye" to my seniors by reading the DN to them.

19   It was a pretty natural thing, and I think they totally enjoyed it.

20   I thank the Class of '05 of YB for that one.

21   I took that class through four years of high school, and they became a part of me.

22   Some people hated it, but they became a large part of my life.

23   I remember when they became seniors, and how it all became wid.

24   They grew up, and were ready to get out, but were also pretty scared of the world.

25    While a bit confused by all of that, I understood.

26    That's why my seniors this year appreciated yesterday's DN.

27    I had many of them in their freshman year. I am aware that they are just going through the motions at his point.

28    I am aware that many of them have teachers who are angry and annoyed with their lack of caring about anything.

29   And I am aware of their fear and confusion, which many staff members write off as "senioritis."

30   I see them as children at childhood's end.

31   Yesterday was special to me.

32   First, I brought the DN back.

33   Grease had substituted itself in terms of time-management.

34    Devoted readers couldn't enjoy their morning coffee, or have oatmeal come out of their nostrils for the past three weeks.

35   The time I used to spend on the DN got eaten up by rehearsals and all.

36   Last night I dreamed that I was writing the DN once more.

37   I gave no thought to Grease, which has dominated my last couple of weeks.

38   I awakened in the 4 a.m. realizing that this thing doesn't write itself.

39   So I woke up, wrote a bunch, pushed some button or other, and erased the entire DN.

40    Oh, lawdy.

41   AnywayZ, I got tall, started over, and the fonts started changing once more; the letters started again jumping into previous sentences, and all was normal.

42    It's now moving on the 5 a.m. The radio just clicked on, the coffee has started, and I am completely behind in my grading, although I did spend four hours yesterday catching up.

43   Business, as they say, as usual.

44   The dog hasn't barked, even though it is well past 4:20, which is her usual ritual.

45   Grease must have been like a vacay to her.

46    So here we are. The end of the school year.

47    Longtime DN fans might be happy to hear that I started in on The Taming of the Shrew yesterday. I even played the musical soundtrack on You Tube.

48   So we're lined up and ready for summer!

49   Shrew is always the ritualistic beginning of the end.

50   So today will be a hodge-podge of boushit.

51   It feels wonderful.

52    Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world.

53    Most days.

54    So I think I'll tuck this sucker to bed, and get a couple more hours of sleep.

55    Even though I have miles to go before I sleep.

56   Screw Robert Frost.

57    It's my time man. <basketball buzzer> I just realized I have to board the dog today because we are remodeling the kitchen, and have a couple of buttcracks coming to the house to day to do some installation. Looks like I'm up for the day! Dayum.

58    The house has awakened and is yawning.

59     I intended to sleep before official morning. Too bad. I'm up. I have no business being in front of anyone right now, but I'm off and running.

60    Have a great Wednesday.

61     See you again.

62     Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

   The Daily News

1   Nice to return to the land of the living.

2   Interestingly, after closing night of Grease, I awoke Sunday morning, put on my straw cowboy hat, and took to gardening.

3   If I've learned anything about doing shows over the years, it's to put a show behind you as quickly as possible.

4   That's always fairly easy, except for the seniors.

5   That has always been my Achilles' heel.

6    It's tough to watch, but it's also a pleasure knowing they will go out there and make things better in the world. History has proven this to me, time and again.

7   I teach seniors, two classes.

8   Nobody understands them, ever.

9   Parents forget what it was like, and teachers get annoyed by them.

10  Senior year in high school is wid.

11  Make no mistake.

12  I had a lot of these guys in their freshman and sophomore years.

13  The time flies ridiculously fast.

14  It's almost like watching some science fiction film.

15  The rest of the school is living in what they think is real time, including many of the teachers and staff.

16  The seniors are in their own world, a bizarre spaceship of headed to a strange new world, childhood's end. The hang on to one another for dear life.

17  I'm glad that I finally got to teach seniors again. They need someone who understands just how bizarre that point in a person's life is.

18   Some teachers get completely annoyed by what has come down through the ages as "Senioritis."

19  The symptoms of Senioritis are these: they seem to get more short-tempered, distanced, and annoyed by school. They get angry and short with nearly everybody.

20   After prom, they are "checked-out," whatever that means.

21   What people don't realize is that they are scared to death.

22   All they have known their entire lives is the security of being young, and of having friends who are always there.  If their lives are stable, there is a lifelong consistency.  If their lives are unstable, there is still a consistency. They are afraid.

23   Many are terrified that their world is quite soon going to explode on them.

24   Many more know that come late August or early September, they are going to see all of their friends go separate ways. Many are going to pack and go live in some strange city where they know nobody.

25   Many will stay local, but it will never be the same.

26   I guess that's what happens.

27   I wouldn't know.

28   I'm somehow still in high school!

29   It's funny, because when I was a senior, I asked myself what I would like to do for a living.

30   I got into a cadet teacher program at school, and taught a drama class in the summer, along with my friend, Charlie Caudill. We directed a play with a youth group.

31   It was a bit of a disaster, because our leading kid got the butterflies on show night, and had to keep dashing to the bathroom to ease his nervousness. We eventually put a spittoon behind a stage couch for the guy, but he never did make it.

32   We had to close the show, but everybody understood. The kids had worked hard, but we were young, and didn't quite know how to handle it.

33   That was my real first show, the one I never cop to.

34   Most of it worked; the rehearsals, the laughs, all of it pretty normal until we opened.

35   Our master teacher had lost a boyfriend in the war, and was unable to guide us to the end. But we held it together as much as we could, but that poor kid just couldn't handle the pressure of being a lead.

36   Interestingly, because everybody was so young, the kids, and the families enjoyed a cast party anyway, because they were all ready to perform, and had nailed the show at rehearsals.

37   We never saw it as a failure, just a life lesson.

38   I knew way back then that I wanted to teach for a living.

39   That was my entire focus all through college. I figured that I knew nothing about normal life, and that I practically had a Ph.D, since that's all we learn in school: how to be a student.

40   I had no idea what a Ph.D was anyway. I thought it stood for "post hole digger."

41   They taught us nothing about money, buying houses, raising kids, working, changing diapers, etc. Why would they teach that stuff in high school when we could be learning about calculus, world history, life science, etc.?

41 1/2

42   I'm still not really sure what high school is all about.

43   I'm guessing it is to make us well-rounded individuals, and for us to have training in every possible thing life could offer us.

44   I just wish I could have used math for more than simply subtraction, which is really what I use the majority of math for. I had this much money, and now I have this much money.

???????

45   I wish they had taught me how to change a diaper, or how to repair a tear in a couch.

46   I mean, I'm glad I'm a pseudo-intellectual and all, and that I can understand the sweeping poetry of a line in a Shakespeare play, but all that and a dollar won't buy me a bag of chips.

47   Swingin'.

48   Ah, vell.

49   Who am I to criticize?

50   I just watch the seniors clinging to one another for dear life these days.

51   In many respects, I can see why.

52   They are about to get yanked out of their lives in the next two weeks, taken out to the football field to practice for graduation, and be told where to stand, how to act, etc.

53   It's the ritual. Every year, it's the ritual.

54   It simply must be this way.

55   They'll get through it.

56   Somehow, we all do. It's a modern rite of passage.

57   I'm glad, in a way, that I never had to leave school. I see it all for what it is. I get an interesting perspective on life.

58   I am grateful that I have a job that is so fun, and that allows me to go through this strange stuff each year. And somehow, they all get an education. It's just wid.

59   I think I'll bow out now.

60   Lots left to do.

61   Lots left to think about.

62   It's Tuesday.

63   Fly low.

64   And seniors, we really do salute you.

65    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

The Daily News

1   Wow.

2   Is this the real thing?

3   Lotta news. Lotta news missed.

4   But it looks like the good ol' DN is back.

5   Well.

6   For the first time in around fifteen years I found myself absolutely unable to produce some of this rubbish.

7   I promise you it wasn't because I went Hollywood or anything.

8   I just had huge internet concerns at the same time I was rehearsing for Grease. My internet went down, and my ability to access the net at rehearsals was pretty much nil.

9   Ah, it's all one.

10   It's been almost three weeks without being able really to communicate, and a rich, fun-filled, newsworthy three weeks it was.

11   Some have gone, and some remain in that long period of time.

12   Interestingly, almost too much news happened, when my entire school year I've been ranting about no news.

13   I'm afraid I just don't have the chops to go back and review it all.

14   I tend to live in the now, and not in the then.

15   Lazy bastid.

16   So here is my update: Grease absolutely rocked my world. The entire show was WAY more than I had ever dreamed in 2007 when I wanted to bring it to the EV community. That was merely a dream back then. This is now, and the dream came true these past two weekends.

17  We all worked ridiculously hard, but never in my dreams did I expect an atomic show of this one's magnitude. I knew that the company led by David (director), Tamra (choreo) and Rachel (all music, vocals and pit) had worked ridiculously hard, but this show exploded with singing, stomping, hopping, and shaking.

18   If I had to liken it to any of our productions, I would have to put it up there with Godspell and Midsummer, my two faves. Oh, and Our Town.

19   Second Godspell and first Midsummer. The only Our Town. Nothing personal to the other productions, but those three are my best ever.

20   I got so involved in  this production that I set the DN aside due to internet/time concerns.

21   I apologize to DN fans out there.

22   On a personal level, I had a lot of stress trying to be at every single rehearsal, AND to perform the part of Teen Angel for a few shows.

23   First off, I got injured at our dress rehearsal last Thursday. How can a guy get injured in a high school musical?

24   I went to hit the crease during curtain call, and my Achilles' blew right before my bow. I felt like someone had shot me in the back of my leg. I smiled like nothing happened, blew kisses to the audience, and got in place for the final bows. Nobody knew, but it was excruciatingly painful. That was originally scheduled  to be a public performance.

25   My voice had earlier failed because I had shouted my Much Ado lessons over the video all day. My voice had completely disappeared at that final dress. Thank goodness we decided not to invite people! I had severe laryngitis and couldn't sing a note.

26   I was more concerned with the students, because many of them had never even been near a show. They stepped up and delivered, so all was good.

27   When I got home Thursday night, I had hot soup, tea, and on Friday I rested my voice all day. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to perform at all, but each time I did voice exercises, I hit everything perfectly.

28   Last Friday was opening night, and I wasn't the least bit afraid. I had rested my voice, iced my leg, stretched it, and elevated it. I was walking nonsense, but did all the right things to get both leg and voice stretched and right.

29   When I hit the stage for my number, I struggled a bit with getting off the rolling stairway that had pushed me out amid smoke and crazy lights. My leg still smarted, but I tried to hide it. When the first notes of my song hit, however, I knew my voice had rested, and I nailed it.

30   The audience when crazy, because you could have rolled Yogi Bear out at the point in the performance and they would have gone crazy. The students had done a stunning job in the first act, and the place was literally giddy.

31   I tried to do the best I could. My chief concern was not my voice, but my pants.

32   I had rented pants to match my jacket, but the lady at the tux place had overestimated my pants' size by four sizes, telling me that there was an adjuster on the side of the pants.

33   That's all fine and good if your are going to get married or buried, but it was ridiculous when you have to hit a cue in a play. I kept adjusting it the wrong way, and just before I went out, I adjusted it correctly.

34   When I hit the stage, and the lights and all, I felt like I was performing in clown pants. I had room for six seltzer bottles, if I needed them.

35   So instead of being in character, whatever Teen Angel is, I found myself bandy-legged, trying to keep my pants from falling down.

36   It was hilarious, in a clownish sort of way, but it was also terrifying!

37   Anyhow, I got the job done, and hopefully there is no film of the thing. I was told by many that I did well, but it was never about me; it was all about the students, and the show. I'm hoping that the only known picture of me as Teen Angel is the one at the bottom of this page. Probably not. But I really don't want to look.

38   When I got to the lobby, I felt a bit lost. People shook my hands and all, but I felt a bit alienated. Suddenly I saw my family! Huge smiles. Caitlin and Nicole had gotten me flowers, and Caitlin had given me some Zingers! Helene, me, Caitlin and Nicoley had a wonderful group hug, and I had me some Zingers! Bragging rights, right? We had a laugh, and it was wonderful. What a great opening night! Saturday's show rocked and rolled, and that was just the first weekend.

39   Moving on, Part the First: This past Friday night's performance was standing-room only, and absolutely stunning. I came prepared in the event that Gary Redillas, a math teacher with an operatic voice, couldn't perform. I had done voice exercises and had my costume ready just in case. I was nervous for him, but excited to see the production from the house.

40   It was a good thing I was ready as a back-up, because when he arrived, he was feeling ill, and had some butterflies. I reassured him that he was a Teen Angel, and that he might just have a few performance jitters, but he was a Teen Angel, and therefore protected. I said basically the same thing to our other Teen Angel, the quite magnif Matt Hall.

41   I LOVED that I didn't have all the pressures of performing, because I originally had no intention of performing.

42   In the audience Friday night, I looked as people kept pouring in. We eventually had a standing-room only performance on Friday night. It was ZANY good! That theater rocked and rolled as well as any show I have ever been a part of!

43    Curtain call had the students do bows, and then run into the audience singing We GoTogether. All forty cast members surrounded the audience with ramalama-ding dongs and shoo-bops, and they sang loudly, and spot on key. It completely reeled and rocked.

44   Sitting in front of me in the audience was a girl who comes in each day during my break to study or to use my computer. After the cast disappeared into the lobby I just looked at her stunned and asked, "What just happened?" The show was that magical!

45   Absolute insanity. I'll never be able to get it all down on this thing, especially since I'm a bit out of rhythm, but Friday night's show was one for the ages.

46   At some point, I'll try to get this all down for historic purposes.

47   Moving on, Part the Second: I don't know how to express Saturday's closing night except to say that it as tear-filled, as almost twenty cast members were seniors. Many of them started when I was still Activities' Director, and I must confess that I always gave the drama kids massive support, probably more than any other club. I cop to that. I had taught many of the cast members early in my career at the Chill, and have supported the performing arts at EV like a madman.

48   In 2007, I had approached Steve Barnhill about doing Grease, not for the script so much as for it's history of being a moneymaker. As I recall, I didn't even know he worked there until the day I was hired, and I mentioned that as one of my dreams,  even way back then, the very day I was hired.

49  I wanted to bring musical theater to the Evergreen area. It was one of my earliest missions. Activities was weird to me at the time, and the only thing that made any sense was the school's theater, and all of the performing arts.

50   It was clearly one of those  you-can-take-the-director-out-of-the-theater, but-you-can't-take the-theater-out-of-the director things.

51   On Saturday night, closing night of Grease, pre-show, David circled the troops and had the students give their thoughts and feelings about the show to the company. They were all awesome, and it was a tear-filled session under the clock.

52   One guy, a fun kid named Robert, tipped his hat to me, and acknowledged that Mr. Harrington's dream finally came true. I choked up, quite naturally, but never further than needed. You can't hurt steel, right? Yeah.

53   I wanted to tell them that crying on closing night was natural, but that they still had an audience. I remembered many closing nights, but Godspell came to mind, especially when Jennifer hugged Raul during On the Willows. Shawna Fleming and I sang, and Eric David played wonderfully. Ponch had it going nicely. I played a twelve-string solo on that tune, and it was a moment for the ages.

54  So these guys got over their tears and tore it up on Saturday night. David came on stage during curtain call, right before they went into the audience, and acknowledged everybody who had contributed to the show: the performers, the band, Rachel, the tech crew, the assistant directors, and he finished with a stunningly eloquent tribute to me, and I came down to the stage to flowers and a card from the company. He then thanked his wife and family, and finished with a wonderful tribute to the seniors in the company.

55  Stangely, I didn't expect acknowledgement. It's funny, because when you are helping and volunteering, the last thing you are expecting is recognition. It was almost embarrassing, because I thought I was doing it for myself, and to get back in touch with what I love doing. It didn't occur to me that I contributed much of anything to the show.

56   The audience gave a graceful round of applause, and many of the seniors came over to me for hugs. I was honored, because much of closing night is always about the seniors.

57   Flowers and a card. Wow, I just didn't expect all of that. I'm used to directing, and then enjoying watching everybody else get that stuff. As the director, that's what we do.

58   Only I wasn't the director, so I was attacked with praise. And I must admit, I liked it. I was just not used to it. I was always more happy watching everybody else being happy.

59   Ah, I'll take it.  = )

60   Grease was an amazing experience. I can't really put it into words, but it was one of the most magical shows I've ever been honored to have been a part of.

61   I've been off the DN for a few weeks, so I'm just trying to bring it all back. It just can't be done.

62   What a wonderful experience. What a graceful, beautiful group of performers. They put their hearts into every moment, and were rewarded by a lovely audience. And they had brought musical theater to the Evergreen community, a dream I had in 2007.

63   I had forgotten.

64   Thanks David, for all you do. You are an astounding director.

65   You fill in the blanks.

66   To my alumni, family and friends, I love you all, everything. I just can't put it all into words today.

67    It's Monday. Fly low.

68    Peace.

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington

Teen Angel and the Halos with the phenomenal
Kelly Shi as Frenchy. 

Last chance tonight 7 p.m.

Evergreen Valley HS Theater

3300 Quimby Road

San Jose, CA 95148

Purchase $10 tix online at:

brownpapertickets.com

Tickets available at the door, $12.

 Get there by 6:25; we may sell out tonight!!! The show is AWESOME!!!

 We had standing room only at last night's historical first musical EVER at EVHS, and the kids totally brought it.

We now have musical theater in the EV community!!!!

GREASE IS THE WORD!!!

Hope to see you there!!!

~H~

www.xanga.com/bharrington