Many Musical Emotions
The curtain is closed. The audience has left. The stage is swept.
Musical is over, and for some of us it is quintessentially bittersweet. Surely it could be bittersweet for any of the cast and crew, but I am specifically referring to the Grade 12s.
No matter if they’re like Caitlin W, Mack ‘16 completing her sixth Brentwood musical, or like Alex D, Rogers ‘16 achieving his first, one thing is for sure: this is their last Brentwood musical.
During our closing night warm up, I was suddenly hit with a swell of nostalgia and sadness as I realized that I would never do exactly this ever again in my whole entire life. I soon found that I wasn’t alone in this sentiment as I turned to Will K, Privett ‘16 with a distressed look and just sort of made unintelligible noises until he gave me a hug and said “I know.”
With every breath, every step, every word, and every note, there was a new sense of presence in the moment as we knew that it would be the last time saying and doing these things, and certainly the last time in such a production on the Killy Theatre stage.
It will probably take a few more days for the facts to hit us Grade 12s, as right now we are in a post-musical daze. It’s similar to any post-large-event let down except for the “event” has technically been happening since September, and suddenly reached its peak on Saturday before it dissipated into air.
Truly, it is an absolute rush and thrill to perform a two hour show six nights in a row for an attentive audience. It’s exhausting, but I’d be willing to bet that every single cast member a) doesn’t regret it a single bit and b) would do it all over again (and many will next year).
There’s something special about our ‘small’ (75 strong) community of cast and crew. A unique bond forged through long rehearsals, inside script jokes, and late nights memorizing lines has linked us all together.
Now that I’ve had a day or two to look back on the whole Addams Family experience, I would have to say that it was an absolute success. Every audience was receptive and sounded like they were loving the show. Every cast and crew member appeared to have a passion for the show. And every person I received feedback from around the school had nothing but good to say.
As Co-Captain of Musical Theatre (with Caitlin) I am unfathomably proud to have been a part of this show, and to have seen the whole process happen. I couldn’t help but smile stupidly on closing night when all the thankyous were going on, just out of pure joy and happiness of being part of this community.
Thank you again to everyone involved, especially to the makeup moms, Ms. Nightingale, Ms. Suderman, Ms. Mannion, as well as Mr. O’Leary, Ms. Smith, Mr. Armitage, Ms. Blake, Mr. Newns, and of course, Mrs. Widenmaier.
Looking forward to watching my first Brentwood musical as an alumna,
Jaclyn C, Alex ‘16, Co-Captain of Musical Theatre