As I was driving home from play rehearsal late one night, there was a song from the show stuck in my head that I just had to sing at the top of my lungs. It was about 10:30 p.m. and I thought my son, Ezra (who is in third grade at Darlington), was too tired to care. He heard me sing, “There are worse things I could do…” and quickly intervened to tell me I was singing it incorrectly. He had spent enough time back stage, on stage, in front of the stage, to know that the lyrics were “throw my life away” and not “give myself away.”
The next afternoon, before the dress rehearsal, Ezra was in the shower singing, “I got chills. They’re multiplying…” I stood by the bathroom door and enjoyed his best Travolta voice yet. I refrained from making any comments or attacking him with hugs and kisses when he walked out of the shower. I knew he would be embarrassed. Shortly after his shower, I walked into his bedroom and caught him in front of the mirror practicing the “Grease Lightning” choreography. That is when I realized that Ezra had fallen in love with theater.
When Mr. Plough asked me to play "Cha Cha DiGregorio," I really had no idea what to expect in terms of the hours of work involved. I was in one dance scene and had just a few lines, but I was exhausted. I was amazed to see how our Darlington students, staff, and parents all come together to make the show happen. In spite of the long nights and the hard work, I would do it all over again. The kids were so happy to have me join their cast and really made me feel special backstage and on stage. I felt like I was 18 again and had the time of my life.
My son was more than willing to stay up until 11 p.m. for a whole week and do his homework in my dressing room backstage. He explored every corner of the theater and was intrigued by all the aspects of the show. He thought Mr. Cox was a superhero, climbing up the ladder to work the backdrops of the stage. The “smoke” that came out of the balcony as Amber Person rose as Teen Angel really got his attention. He thought the stage crew were the stars of the show and was impressed by how quickly they were able to recreate the stage. Mr. Camp, Mrs. McPherson and the orchestra made up of Darlington students are his new favorite rock stars.
The night before the show opened, Ezra begged me to stay an extra few minutes while the leads practiced their songs. He said, “Mami, could I just watch Virginia sing her song one more time, please?” How could I ever say no? As a dancer, I have always wanted my son to take dance lesson and perform on stage, but he has always refused. The cast and crew of "Grease" were able to accomplish, in just a couple of weeks of rehearsals and shows, what I had not been able to do in eight years: they have inspired my son. For that, I will always be grateful. You have my respect and admiration. Darlington is an amazing place for Ez to grow up. Gracias, chicos!
