Amazing Gifts

We all can sort of visualize and feel the thrill of hitting a triple, getting someone out at third base, catching a grounder or sliding into home plate at the last second.  We can burst with pride when our swimmers pull with all their might to tag the next relay teammate to win a race or see the collection of ribbons declaring ever improving time scores with increasing laps.  We can understand with amazement the strength, concentration, determination of our champion rock climber, our golfer, our cheerleader and most of all our scholars...but unless you see the production it is hard to imagine the overwhelming delight of young people, singing, acting and telling a story on stage that moves you to tears.

This happened to me last night when Grandad and I went to see Andrew perform in The Red Phoenix Theatre Company's production of Les Miserables.

I knew little about the famous play.  I knew some of the story, had seen bits of the play on television, but never really understood all of what was going on.  I knew it was, for the most part, difficult singing, a long show and I anticipated it being even harder to appreciate because junior high and high school students were performing  it.

Well, like Susan Boyle's 2009 audition on Britain's Got Talent when she sang Les Mierables', I Dreamed A Dream...I was blown away!  I was excited to see Andrew sing with such sincerity and passion, to watch him take on characters so unlike himself, convincing us that he was brutal, a drunken womanizer, a brave but frightened soldier and then a dead one.  His choral work has really paid off this year, as he took on the challenge of making his part hold up to the standards of the lead players.  Again, I was blown away!

This truly gives you a flavor of what we saw last night, just on a smaller scale...



Andrew has two shows today in which so much energy will be shared and burned  for a sold out theatre.  Break a Leg, Andrew, to you and the rest of the cast.  Thank you for sharing your remarkable gifts.