Saturday, February 18, 2012

My Theatrical Three

It has been a custom in the school where all my three sons went that the juniors present a play as a requirement in their Speech class. The annual play is a collaboration between the teacher and the students. In every year that I watch (I don't watch every year), the juniors never fail to amaze me. Well, largely because I see before me the full-blossoming of adolescents that I had seen as toddlers. I could only shake my head in disbelief. No wonder I have white hairs on my temples. How time flies!

The amazement is greater when my sons come out of stage to play their part. Each realization of how big they've grown is like a bombshell that both elates and frightens me.

Elated... that my kids have become...modesty aside... the well-behaved, talented, smart and handsome young gentlemen that they are. I feel so proud of them, because despite the emotional roller coasters that they must go through in the various phases of growing up, they have made a breakthrough.

Frightened...that they no longer need my maternal fussing, as a lot of times they put up the "keep off the grass" kinesics.

But generally, proud...so proud...that they are able to pull it off the way they did...on their own.

My eldest, being the behind-the-scene type of person, had a minor part in the acting department in his junior play, Barefoot In The Park. He happily took the part of an illegal DVD vendor who popped into the scene with a handful of CDs and DVDs, calling out to pedestrians to buy from him. Just like the way real vendors do, intonation and all. Few lines, but his full effort was poured into the pre-staging and the backstage affairs.

My second, he played Captain Sparrow, and how! In this play, Pirates of the Caribbean, he effectively aped Johnny Depp's slur and swagger. And he threw his lines and fingers like the Depp, too! He was great. The whole class did great; the props were great, too! It was a production worth watching more than a couple of times. Sadly, they did only a couple of shows. More schools should have seen it.

And just recently, my third, he played Captain von Trapp. He was effective as an uptight retired military man in The Sound Of Music. Before the show I was anxious because my son has smiling eyes; they sparkle when he's not angry. I was a bit worried about how he's gonna deal with that. But then, seeing him up on the stage, well, his eyes were fierce when they should be, and his eyes sparkled at the soft moments. He was also careful to give just a hint of a smile at the most kilig moments too.

After each annual play I notice something different in each of my sons. There is a new confidence evident in their mien, and that's something I really love to see in them. Kudos to their teachers, I appreciate them a lot, and grateful to them that my three sons were able to experience this kind of thing. And to allow us to see this side of these children, some talent, that we won't normally see in our household because the boys tend to hide it.

Now that everybody has passed this stage, I feel like saying to my three musketeers: ENCORE!




No comments: