What Are My Eyebrows Saying?
Supreme Arch – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – scored on my heart
High Arch – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – will long live in my memory
Caterpillar Arch – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – so close to being miraculous
Comfortable Arch – ⭐️⭐️ – a good way to spend a couple of hours
Low Arch – ⭐️ – will add to the rich tapestry of my theatre-going experience
My Passion for Theatre
Like many lovers of musical theatre, I can trace my abiding love for the art form to when I first saw a Gibert & Sullivan operetta as a school student. In my case, it was the Pirates of Penzance.
Since then, I have relished the thrill of live theatre, whether a musical or play. As I sit in the audience, I like to think about the family of creatives who, individually and collectively, created something magical where once there was a void.
From the playwright working alone, late at night, crafting a story and bringing their imaginary friends to life; to the dramaturg who honed the playwright’s work and gave it a beating heart; to the sound and lighting designers who applied their skills to enhance the telling of the story; and finally to those most bold of all creatures: the actors who relish standing centre stage and transforming themselves into somebody they are not in order to take the audience on magical journey.
The Girl in the Pink Dress
Most of the audience in our matinee session were of, ahem, advanced years. Not surprising, perhaps, given that it’s almost 50 years since the disco-era.
Amongst the sea of senior citizens, trying to recapture their youth, was an actual youth – twelve years old at most – just enjoying the moment.
The girl in the pink dress with glittering disco balls in her eyes. The girl who clapped along with every song and who sang along to every word. Enraptured by the colour and the movement and the music and the songs and the sheer joy.
Art, alone, is not transcendent unless it affects a beating heart. And I suspect that young girl will remember this show forever.
The Moment
In every production, there is what I call the moment…
A moment which transcends the mere experience of sitting in a theatre and enjoying a show. A moment when you lose your sense of time and place and experience, in your gut, the events unfolding on stage.
It could be a remarkable course of dialogue. It could be a song which transports you to another place. It may simply be a period of quiet, reflective silence.
But, no matter what form the moment takes, it represents the heart of the story. A moment which lives in your memory – and in your heart – long after you leave the theatre.
