Barb’s Burblings

The last time I did anything with theater was spring semester of junior year of college, when my Medieval Drama class put on a production of Noah. I directed and played the Devil. It was awesome. (Also awesome was that as directors, my group also cast the play and made the decision on who would get to play Adam by who would look best in a fig leaf.) (Anyway.) Before that, it hadn’t been since fall semester of sophomore year, when I was in a couple of small pieces done by folks in the directing class. It’s something that I’ve missed and have meant to get back into for ages.

I recently got an email asking whether I could help with a theater group, so I now find myself helping out backstage for a traditional British pantomime of Mother Goose. And even though it was a group of people whom I didn’t know at all, being thrown into rehearsals two days before opening night…it still felt totally right. Depite the 10 years (…holy crap, I’m old) it’s been since I’ve done this, I just felt completely at home standing in the wings. Man, I’ve missed it.

One of the amusing things about panto is that it uses popular songs throughout, and one of the songs is “I’d Do Anything,” from Oliver, which I was in 17 (!!!) years ago. (HOLY GOD. 17 YEARS.) And standing backstage, hearing them sing that song, it completely takes me back. I almost expect to go on and do “Oom Pah Pah” and then have John Casiello try to make me laugh when Bill Sikes threatens us all during “My Name.”

It’s good times, my friends, and I’ve missed it a lot. It’s good to be home.