A Ritual Every Parent Must Survive
May. 25th, 2005 12:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsLast night, Omaha and I attended Yamaarashi-chan's school play, a mishmashup of Alice in Wonderland. This is a ritual every parent must go through at least once if not once a year. This was not a very put-together production; there were no costumes, really, just some hand props, most of them either drawn on cardboard and hung around the neck, or small things purchased at a nearby five-and-dime.
Fortunately, it was only 45 minutes long. It didn't look like a lot of the kids took it very seriously-- I suppose that's a good thing as this looked more like a "the whole school is going to be in it!" event rather than an option for the drama students. A lot of the kids looked bored or annoyed with the process. Yamaraashi-chan looked like she was having fun when she sang the overture but the kid next to her was just kinda hanging there, singing sullenly. To make room for the cast, there were three Alices, none of whom sang very well (I think they were chosen mostly because they were the tallest members of their classes) and two Cheshire cats and four white rabbits, just to make sure a lot of people got time on-stage. Only the Caterpillar seemed to really be trying; he projected, he emoted, he convinced. Not bad for a nine-year-old.
Even Kouryou-chan knew it was boring. She was squirmy the whole 45 minutes, but she at least sat on my shoulders and was good for it. She kept looking for her sister, but Yamaarashi-chan was only in the first and last scenes. It didn't seem to do much for her appreciation for the art form.
Fortunately, it was only 45 minutes long. It didn't look like a lot of the kids took it very seriously-- I suppose that's a good thing as this looked more like a "the whole school is going to be in it!" event rather than an option for the drama students. A lot of the kids looked bored or annoyed with the process. Yamaraashi-chan looked like she was having fun when she sang the overture but the kid next to her was just kinda hanging there, singing sullenly. To make room for the cast, there were three Alices, none of whom sang very well (I think they were chosen mostly because they were the tallest members of their classes) and two Cheshire cats and four white rabbits, just to make sure a lot of people got time on-stage. Only the Caterpillar seemed to really be trying; he projected, he emoted, he convinced. Not bad for a nine-year-old.
Even Kouryou-chan knew it was boring. She was squirmy the whole 45 minutes, but she at least sat on my shoulders and was good for it. She kept looking for her sister, but Yamaarashi-chan was only in the first and last scenes. It didn't seem to do much for her appreciation for the art form.
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Date: 2005-05-25 07:38 pm (UTC)OTOH, my kids do youth theater. When badly directed it can be almost as excruciating. I fell asleep during "Winnie the Pooh" and my son was Christopher Robin. OTOH, when it's good, it's really great fun.
Hang in there. It will get better.