Proud! Proud! Proud!

A play in a week – wow!

From the Broadway production

The reason for today’s tenor-themed jokes is that Spud played the lead in Lend Me A Tenor this week.  It was his third play in six months but he rose to the challenge and then some.

His school has a tradition at the end of the year of Lower Sixth students rehearsing and performing a play in a week.  The students choose the director, the play, the cast, the crew; source the props; get a week off lessons to rehearse, which is much harder work than anything they’ll be taught once exams are done.

Because of licensing issues, the directors are chosen some weeks beforehand; they choose the play and begin auditions.  Spud was cast before his exams and spent his revision downtime learning lines.  The actual work started last Thursday, however.  They rehearsed Saturday, each school day and after school as well.  It was worth it.

One of the teachers told me that some years, the kids aren’t interested and it’s a shambles.  Not this year.  The girl playing Maria and the boy playing the bell-hop were particularly good, but each and every parent could feel proud of each and every child involved, front and backstage: it was clear they had worked their backsides off.  Yes, there were mistakes, but the actors ad-libbed and it all added to the fun, especially when Spud accidentally bashed the Tenor’s head against the bed and the Tenor – supposed to be dead – got the giggles.  They should have passed it off as rigor mortis.  

Hub and I went to see the play last night.  Did you ever burst with so much pride, you wanted to run onto a stage and scream at the audience, That’s my son!  That’s my son!?  He was sooooo good – he was nervous, edgy, wimpy, comical, sweaty and just so darn funny.  The drama teacher told him he had ‘a rare talent,’ to act in a Greek Classical play, a major Shakespearean role, and a farce; and to be convincing in each one.

Proud doesn’t begin to cover it.

Click on any picture to see the gallery enlarged

Max

Saunders, Max, Maggie

Max

Tito, Maria, Max

Here’s how I could have reacted

Max shakin’ his thang

The Reveal

Tito

Celebrate!

Max, Diana

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