Off-Broadway Debut

And I don’t just mean Off-Broadway. I mean Off-Off-Off-Off-Off-Broadway.

Little One starred in her first play this past Friday – The Wizard of Oz at her day care / summer camp. And I do mean “starred” – she was the Wicked Witch of the West. Let me tell you something, and this is not just some proud papa talking: there were three big laughs from the audience, and she got the two loudest!

We knew about this for about three weeks now. Little One is very busy at camp. First thing in the morning is a 45-minute tennis lesson, and that’s followed by a 45-minute swim lesson at the town pool. She gets back to the day care center for lunch, and then the children work on the play, be it painting backdrops, making costumes, or rehearsing their lines.

Two weekends ago I even rented The Wizard of Oz from an adjacent town’s library so my daughter could do some “research.” Unbeknownst to me it cost a dollar to borrow a DVD from this library, and since I live a cash-less lifestyle (thank you, Mr. President), I had to use all my powers (good looks and charms apparently) to enable the librarian to let us have it. Then, lounging in the AC, we watched the movie, and to my amazement, Little One began quoting lines along with the Wicked Witch!

Before I knew it, Friday was here. Not a trace of stage fright or pre-show jitters from Little One. Well, she did have a fear they’d forget her at the tennis courts, as the play was slated to begin at 10 am. I made sure the front desk was aware of this when I dropped her off. Then, I went home, changed into my work clothes (I was going in to work a little bit late), got the video camera, went to the store for a single pink rose, and was one of the first parents to arrive, garnering a front-row seat. (The wife had a store tour with her boss and couldn’t get out of it, alas.)

The show lasted about a half-hour. It was really just a few scenes from Oz, performed by the second graders, with songs sung by a chorus of first graders interspersed. The children, all in costume, all read their lines monotonously, except for my daughter and the girl who played the Cowardly Lion (she got the other big laugh of the day). The bwa-ha-ha-ha! cackle of the Witch when she makes her first entrance came out of Little One with much gusto to the delight of the audience. And then, her “I’m melting!” scene, so heartfelt and so filled with anguish, became another audience favorite.

Needless to say, I was super proud of her.

I gave her the flower afterwards, as she basked in the post-show applause.

Bravo! May you have many more successes on stage throughout a long life, Little One!

(And I think Santa will be bringing you something by Eugene O’Neill or Tennessee Williams or – Willie Shakespeare!)