It's Showtime!

"And I like you by jingo!" 

-Jimmy Smith (Thoroughly Modern Millie)

March is the month we closed on and moved into our home. It is also a big show month for the Watson family. The week we moved in was Spencer's big week of performances for Thoroughly Modern Millie.

I get all teary eyed when I think about how close Spencer came to not getting to play the lead part in this thoroughly entertaining musical.

It was work to get Spencer into musical theater. You have to audition to even be in musical theater, and they don't normally allow 7th graders into the class. But a little bird told me that Mrs. Land does make exceptions. So we figured out when they were auditioning and got Spence over to the school. He was on the fence over whether to audition right up until the day of.

It came as little surprise when he made it into musical theater. Boys under 15 who can sing and act are a rarity, and I knew Mrs. Land would scoop him right up.

The class didn't show up on his schedule because, remember, 7th graders aren't allowed in the class. Upon trying to make the change to his schedule, we got to work with one very unhelpful counselor. "Yep sorry, the computer won't let me put him in. I guess you could go talk to an administrator or something." Thank you very much for being so helpful. I can see that our tax dollars are being well spent here as you put forth not even a modicum of effort to help my child pursue something that he really has interest and talent in. Or  have I just been laboring under the delusion that that is part of a school counselor's job?

I then chatted with his actual counselor in the halls. His actual counselor is a gem. She represents all that we parents need and wish for in a school counselor. She earns every penny of her paycheck and probably deserves more. I told her, "You don't understand. This kid has talent!" I'm sure that she gets that from every parent. But no you see, my child really does have talent. Rather than rolling her eyes, patting my head, and sending me on my way, she assured me that she would get approval from both the teacher as well as administration on this issue. She called me the next day, and we began the sticky task of trying to wiggle this class into his less than accommodating schedule. We ended up switching him out of honors math and into a more advanced orchestra but were finally able to get his schedule worked out.

One month later, this 7th grader of mine was cast as the leading guy in Thoroughly Modern Millie. And there he is as Jimmy, kissing Miss Millie at the end of the play. He got razzed pretty good over that one. My only word of advice to counselors is to please listen to parents. They know their kids. Please don't allow the inconvenience of approvals and class switching keep you from going through the effort of helping a kid pursue something he actually has a gift in. For some kids that one class may be the only thing keeping them going to school everyday. It may be the one thing keeping their self  esteem intact. 

This kid, on the other hand, seems to have many talents. One thing is for sure. He thrives on the stage. He never complained about the extensive rehearsals. He ate it up.

And so did we, as we watched him tap-dance, ham it up, and belt it out across that stage.

I was impressed with the caliber of this junior high production. Top notch really.

There he is...Jimmy Smith. 

And there's the fan club.

And the doting parents.

And the thoroughly adorable girl who played his Millie. Don't worry, I'll think of a few more ways to use the word thoroughly before this post is through.

You might ask where Spencer got his costume. From his closet. He bought the blazer at a DI in Vernal last September and wears it to school all the time. The fedora was a Christmas present. He added it to his ever-expanding hat collection. The bow tie, we bought for the play, which he was thrilled about because he's always wanted one. He's thoroughly a kid beyond his era. 

As Thoroughly Modern Millie was finishing up at the junior high, Shrek was just getting started at the high school, which means that we pretty much did not see Jess for the first two weeks of March. While most parents were there to watch their child on the stage, we were there to listen to our child beneath the stage.

Layton High doesn't usually use students for their pit. They usually hire professionals. But Jessica was thrilled to have the privilege of being one of the unpaid musicians in the pit this year.

I played in a pit once in high school. I hated it. The music was weird, always nondescript with an indecent number of flats and sharps. I suppose I was one of those cocky violinists who preferred playing the melody over accompanying a bunch of vocalists.

It is obvious that Jessica is a better musician than I ever was and a less cocky person, because she can't get enough of the whole pit experience.

Unlike the rest of the performers in the play, Jessica knew every actor's line and every lyric to every song, because she literally sat at the feet of every performer for every run-through and every performance. The girl could recite the play in her sleep. She knew it...well...thoroughly, to coin a term used not nearly enough in this post. And now the rest of the children walk around the house singing the songs and reciting the lines as they went and looked up the play on Netflix after seeing it live. If I had a quarter for every time I've heard Spence or Sabrina tromp through the house singing "Story of my life!!!" in their Pinocchio voices.

The play was amazing! I was a little skeptical after Layton High lost the great Mr. Ferrin last year. But the new theater teacher seems to be holding her own as she holds the musicals to Ferrin-like quality.

These two characters were Jessica's very favorite, so I had to grab a picture of them though it was strictly forbidden. That poor guy playing Lord Farquaad was in a costume resembling nothing short of a medieval torture device. He and his father created this costume to maintain his shortness throughout the play. The poor kid did the whole production on his knees. I ache just thinking about it. He and Donkey stole the show according to Jessica, but every actor was phenomenal. I look forward to the day Spencer dances across this stage as a performer.

Teresa volunteers for the school musical every year. Have I mentioned before that she is amazing? She elicited my help for taking photographs of audience members who wanted to pay for "professional" shots with members of the cast. This meant that I got to take a shot of her and Kelcey with the stars of the show, no payment necessary. 

I'm kind of sorry that March is over and that there are no more shows on my calendar. It was a thoroughly enjoyable month, and I am excited for future productions...how excited?...THOROUGHLY EXCITED:)