Day 1165: Behind the scenes at assemblies

It was hard to get up and get to school by 7:30 am.  I never have been a morning person so it's been a lifetime struggle.  Nevertheless, it was worth it because all three programs went so beautifully!  The kids were ready for an audience and they were not disappointed.  Receptive, respectful and appreciative, they laughed and clapped warmly.  It's always a joy to hear the gasps from the crowd when the curtain opens.  The HS audience especially enjoyed "Let's Misbehave."  Reno delivers a kiss at the end of the number and normally drops Sir Evelyn.  But, the curtain was closing so Reno dragged him off while still kissing him.  They got big laughs!  Ben chose not to perform "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" for the HS because he didn't think they could handle the lyrics in a mature way.  From my experience, I would agree with his call.

Just a few wardrobe malfunctions complicated the performances.  One girl's zipper blew out during "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and we could not find any safety pins.  A boy split the side seam on his uniform pants so we scrambled to locate another pair at the last moment.  Another boy's tap shoe fell apart. That was solved with duct tape.  I bought 400 more safety pins today to stuff in my apron pockets.  We have to be ready for any eventuality.

A member of the crew asked Steve who Gabriel was.  He was surprised, but related the story of the Angel Gabriel so the song finally made sense to her.  The musical was first performed in 1934 and there are a lot of cultural and historical references that we know, but the kids don't.  I guess that's an advantage of being really old.

Jill and Maitlyn from the pit orchestra

Shelby from the hair and makeup crew