High School Musical
This week is just oozing culture. 
Saturday is the “American Voices” concert (which I’m performing in) at the IMA; tonight, I’m going to see an old friend perform in an IU production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure”, and last night, I went to see the Pike High School production of “Aida” (the Tim Rice & Elton John version - not the opera 
).
It was good. There were many powerfully moving moments (the closer of Act I was astonishing), and the female lead was exceptional. Her voice is still young, but there is great potential. Give her a couple of years and the proper training, and I could totally see her on Broadway. She’s really that good. (And for a hard-nosed critic like me, that’s saying something!) Another stand-out performer was a freshman in the role of Mereb. His comedic timing was just perfect, and he used his speaking voice very well on stage. Because of his youth, his singing needed a volume boost, but he clearly gave it all he had, singing with his whole body, and it was wonderful to watch.
Now, I went because a young man I’ve known since he was 1 year old (J) was in the chorus. One woman, I’m told, remarked that he was the most Aryan-looking Egyptian she’d ever seen - milky-skinned white boy with a head of thick, curly blonde hair. lol Another apparently remarked that he looked like a Greek god in his officer uniform, which was a good description. The boy’s a runner, so he’s got nicely-toned muscles, and their “uniforms” were Roman-esque (in my opinion). He did a good job in his role. I was standing talking with him afterwards when a couple came by and said, “You’re the mean one, right?” lol (He was the soldier guarding the captain who threw him into his prison cell near the end. It was quite a believable shove to the ground. )
But although that’s why I went, I ended up having running into several other people quite unexpectedly. Two girls I’ve also known since they were quite young (saw the younger one take her first steps - she’s in high school now) were both there, sitting only a couple seats away from me. Back one row from them and little further over was the accompanist from my old high school. (I’d forgotten that her husband works at Pike.) But the biggest shock of all came as I was reading the performer bios.
I’d already scanned the names to see if I might (on some off chance) recognize someone, but nobody stood out at the time. As I read the bio for the lead male, I recognized his parents’ names… then his name. It was a boy I used to babysit, but I hadn’t seen him since he was probably four years old! He’s a SENIOR now! Can you believe that?! I had a chance to talk to his mom and dad, but I chose not to go up and talk to him and creep him out. My mom used to do that on occasion, “Hey, this is So-and-so, she used to babysit for you!” I’d just smile and nod politely. What did I have to say to them? Sorry if I ever threw a tantrum about going to bed? It’s awkward when you’re older and all of a sudden confronted with someone who still smiles at you fondly as though you hadn’t aged a day. It’s weird when people give you a four-year-old smile when you’re eighteen. So I gave the poor kid space. But it was fun to see how’s he grown and where his interests lie now. (Like most kids who get sucked into the performing arts program at Pike, he now has dreams of Broadway. *sigh* Poor thing.)
But it was a most enjoyable evening, and I’m glad that J invited me. He’s never made it a point to invite anyone to his choir competitions or orchestra concerts or anything before, so I took this opportunity to show him my support. I’ve been privileged to watch this one grow up (and even have a meager hand in it), and I will continue to enjoy seeing him grow - in strength, in faith, in passion and discipline - for years to come.