MAMA, LOOK SHARP
Writers, Directors, and Actors, and all of us who create musical theater … I think we all tend to think of ourselves as the creators of the experience. The Writers, who formulate the words and the notes to tell the story. The Directors, who provide focus and vision to make the story come to life. The Actors, who become the characters of the story. The story certainly wouldn’t exist without us. However, the great thing about telling a story is that it only happens when someone else is there to participate: the audience.
The audience is one element that makes every performance unique. Because the audience brings their own attitudes, experiences, and moods to the event, how they feel and think influences how they hear and experience the story. As I’ve been in the audience myself, now, for several decades of theater-going, I’m fascinated by how I experience the same shows differently now, from when I saw the same show years earlier. My own life experience changes my perception of what is on stage.
When I was very young, I loved the original cast recording of 1776, especially the lighthearted comic songs "Sit Down John," "The Lees of Old Virginia," and "The Egg," but when it came to the ballad that ends Act One I kinda tuned out. When I grew a little older, I saw a production of the show and I loved the historical drama of John Adams singing "Is Anybody There?" Even then I recognized the poignancy of that ballad that ends Act One, but still never really enjoyed listening to it when that track came up while I listened to the cast album.
About a year ago, now as a mother of two sons, I saw another production of 1776. This time, I was sitting in the theater next to my 16-year-old son who has expressed a desire to join the armed services. As the dialog on stage was leading to that ballad, I knew the song I was about to hear; in fact, I knew every single word of the song I was about to hear, and my mind left the world of 1776 and became very aware of what that song meant to me, today, here, now. Tears began streaming down my face even before the first note. I cried, and felt like I could barely breathe. I held it together only by reaching over and holding Oscar's hand in mine all the way through "Mama Look Sharp."
Darned musical theater. So perfectly crafted, even knowing it was coming, it reeled me in and pierced my heart.
What about you? What shows have you revisited and found they affected you differently from before? What shows do you think you will view differently when you see them again in the future? Leave a comment and let me know!