The Standing O!

Growing up, Dad worked nights, so Mom would take me to see my brother or my cousins in school musicals and community theater, and community variety shows. It started by her bribing me with an ice cream sundae from Howard Johnsons after the show. During the show, she would nudge me, saying so and so was on stage, or she could hear them sing and hum along. If she enjoyed the play, Mom was always the first person to give a Standing O. Eventually I gained an appreciation for musicals. One of my favorite musicals is Fiddler On The Roof. A few months ago, I was given the opportunity by the music dept where my son goes to school, to see Fiddler starring Topol as Tevia in his Farewell Tour. Topal is known for his portrayal of Tevia on the stage and movie version. The show was amazing! Sharing this experience with my son made the evening that much better!
My son has been in every school musical since entering middle school. He is always in the background, and chorus. His reason for this is because crunch time for the musical is always the same time as mid-terms. The deal is, the kids can only participate in the musical as long as they are passing their classes. Anyways, you could see how much he enjoyed being on the stage. My husband and I are just as proud of his performances as tho he was the lead.
This is his senior year, and the musical was Guys and Dolls. Four of us went, my husband, his mother, my mother, and myself. My mom had to sit next to me. Every time she saw him on stage, she would nudge me, telling me she saw him onstage, or how she could hear him singing(he has a distinctive bass voice). That night in the audience, it felt like I was a child again. Mom was there, humming the tunes, and nudging me. Only the ice cream sundae was seeing my moms reaction to his performance...a Standing O!