My Lost Love

If you're wondering why I haven't logged on in a couple of weeks, I've been having an affair. Her name is Seussical.

(Cue Phil Collins music:)

"There's a girl that's been on my mind
all the time Seu-Seu-Seussical.
Whoa"

Seussical is my life. My life is Seussical. I eat Seussical cereal for breakfast, and have a Seussical burger for lunch. For dinner - oh wait, can't eat dinner - I have to get ready for SEUSSICAL!

Before Seussical, I had a wife and child. They have since left me, since I have been devoting all of my time and energy on the "other woman" Seussical. My wife, who has been sick and weakened by hospital care, mustered up enough strength to punch me in the mouth. And my daughter, Aimée, said "Papa, no Aimée!" which translated means "Father, you are a loser."

Why do I do it? Well the simple answer is, because if I don't I'll get fired. But the real reason is (drum roll) . . .

I love the theater.

When I was a younger man, I was equally involved in theater as I was in music. I was taking piano lessons and was a member of the Memphis Youth Symphony, but I also spent summers, weekends & after-school during the year at Children's Theater. I built sets, ran sound and lights, as well as performed in several plays. I was quite passionate about it, and I found it to be a social setting where I thrived. I made great friends and had a great time. I learned how to curse in several languages, got to scream and be congratulated for it, and got to watch the never-ending soap opera of who liked who, who broke up with who, who did . . . you get the idea. Why is theater a breeding ground for relationships? It's crazy. Anyway.

So why am I only a musician today? Well, of course theater is time-consuming, and my piano teacher said to me once: "You're going to have to choose one or the other. If you keep ignoring your practicing, you can forget about playing the piano." While this sounds harsh, it was true. If I wanted to be a serious pianist, there wasn't time for theater. So I quit the theater.

(Cue Seussical music:)

"Sold, soooold, sooooold, Egg, Nest, and Tree"

Anyway, long story short, I got my degree in music, and I got to enter theater work again after college by spending years of doing improv comedy with Guilty Children, ImprovBoston, and the Orange Show. And, now I get to be a full-time Choral Director and reunite my loves of music and theater again by music directing a high school musical every year. This year's time-consuming project is Seussical - a musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss. It's genius and fun, and a lot of work. The cast is also exceptionally fun and talented. They are fun to work with and know how to have a good time but they also work very hard. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the rehearsals.

The show goes up on Thursday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m. in Bardwell Auditorium and the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA.
There are also shows on Saturday, May 20 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 21 at 3:00 p.m.

Check it out!!

- Funkyman



My favorite quotes from the
Dana Hall/Belmont Hill production of SEUSSICAL!

"Splashhhhhhhhh!" (Everyone except Dan Fine)

"You're not humphing soon enough" (Mr. Coleman to Jda Gayle)

"We didn't sing it right, but we had the right intention." (Harriet Groppe)

"Horton, would you sit on my tail, I mean egg" (Mr. Coleman slip of the tongue)

"Mr. Coleman, did you change the key?" (Maria Stracqualursi)

"Whhooooooo!" (country-style at the end of "Here on Who")

"Are you sure you didn't change the key?" (Maria Stracqualursi)

"Is it 'Truf-fuh-la' or 'Truf-few-la' trees?" (Cast)

"Lost...lost...lost...lost" (Hunches)

"What's my ooh?" (Bird Girls Eve Johnston, Tania DeBarros, and Taylor Walsh-Serpico)

"Green Eggs and Ham is a metaphor for sex and the lyrics have clear references to lewd propositions - 'Would you, could you on a boat, etc.'" (random conversation during rehearsal with guys)

"I swear to God that was a different key!" (Maria Stracqualursi)