Stage Dad

Owen is enjoying a fine sophomore year. His grades are way up, he's staying involved in activities at the high school, he's having fun. He has spent most of his extracurricular time at the school (six to twelve hours per week) rehearsing for the school's fall musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which kicked off this week.

Originally scheduled for a three-performance run, the show sold out the 844-seat auditorium at the high school for each performance. A fourth performance was added, a matinee today, and it too has sold out. Not bad for our little burg.

The show was a good choice: lots of singing and dancing, lots of opportunities for lots of kids. The teachers in charge encouraged any kid who wanted to play and who would commit to the rigorous rehearsal schedule to join, a good thing at this level. Owen's chum Safa, for instance, wanted to hang out with Owen and the thespians. Although by his own admission he tends to ululate rather than sing, Safa earned a spot in the chorus, where he mouthed the words and boogied along with the best of them.

Owen didn't audition for any of the lead singing parts, but as a member of the chorus he worked himself into a few other singing and dancing roles. (Who knew he could dance? Who knew his legs had grown so hairy?) As one of Potiphar's slaves, he helped to bear Potiphar's wife onto the stage for her first entrance, and then he fawned on her and was fawned upon by her; as an Egyptian (with the best abs on stage, I might add, a result, no doubt, of his summer of power napping) he danced and sang in most of the big production numbers.

Except when changing into or out of one of his three costumes, he was always on stage, a happy circumstance which kept the show electric for me and for others in the audience with a genetic affinity to the lad.