The Show Must Go On

Growing up I discovered I enjoyed tinkering with things. My first "stereo" that I had took two items, one to drive the left channel, one to drive the right channel and produce sound. I hooked up a turntable and I was in heaven. At last, more than just an AM radio. I got to listen to two songs that became my favorite of the time. These Boots Were Made for Walking and Downtown. I also found my favorite group, Chicago. I had a lot of fun as a youngin tinkering around.

When I entered High School, I became involved in band, both marching and symphonic. I played french horn, melophone, and french trumpet if you want to call what I did playing. I did OK but I took so much away from this experience. I developed a true love of music during this time. I also developed something unexpected.

Our band did a lot of performing. We did things like the Cabaret where we served Spaghetti Dinners and played as entertainment to raise money. We did spring concerts, we played football games and parades. We even made a trip to Europe in the summer of '73. In all that time we always went all out with the production of things, but nothing was like Band-a-Rama. This usually occurred right around November 15 We put on 4 shows and the production was a dream. We would fly 50 lights at one end of the gym and at least 30 at the other end of the gym. We had mirror balls, black lights, 4 spotlights, and the usual array of gym lights. I was in heaven helping get the lights set and the control equipment in place. Gelling and focusing the lights, running microphone lines, microphones and getting the sound board ready. I regretted not being able to run any of this except the one time because I was in the bad performing but I had a blast getting everything ready and tearing things down.

I also started to record the band and our coral counterpart. I started with just getting a feed from the main sound board to actually having microphones and lines of my own. I recorded many a performance and learned the hard way to always have backups. Sometimes there was a hum, other times someone would turn the power off and what you were counting on. Sometimes equipment failed. But I was in my glory then.

One day in my senior year of High School a friend approached me and said to come along with them. We ended up going to a strange end of the High School, one I hardly knew existed. Upon entering I saw people sitting on the ground spackling and painting and building things. They were building sets for the spring musical, The Music Man. I was leery about touching anything, I did not want to screw up the play but they welcomed the help. I helped out for a few days and really started to enjoy myself. By the time it was time to move to the stage I was excited.

We had many a run threw over a two week period. Getting acquainted to the stage, working through lines, altering things here and there to make things fit better. Somewhere in the process I started helping out with what lighting we were doing. Well one day they came to me and said "how would you like to run a spotlight." Most people would think who cares but I took it as an honor. I also helped out getting the lighting ready, the cues recorded, and the placing microphones for the performance.

A funny thing happened while all this was going on. I fell in love with theater and all that goes on behind the scenes. I got to see first hand as the play came together. I also fell in love with my now favorite play, The Music Man. I have seen it in over 12 different locations from Calumet Michigan to Louisville Kentucky. I have seen it done at the High School through professional levels. My favorite by far is Community Theater. I have also seen both movies although how could Matthew Broderick hope to compare to Robert Preston? I would say I am more than a little obsessed. Another thing came of the time of my life in the late winter / early spring of 1975. I found McDonalds Shamrock Shakes, yumm.

Well it was now less than a week to the first performance. The scenery was being completed and I was putting my carpentry skills to good use.

Bamm Bamm Bamm

with my hammer

Bamm Bamm Bamm

as I helped to assemble the rail on Winter Paroo's house

Bamm Bamm Bamm

as I proceeded to hit my thumb nail. Ouch!

I hit my thumb and did it hurt. That would not be to bad but I had to run spots and I took it pretty serious. To make sure I was running things smooth and to run things the best I could I reached my hands way forward on the spotlight. With that came a lot of heat. With the heat came a lot of pain but that could not stop me. I was in my glory.

At long last the play came and went fairly fast. A few little things happened but for the most part it was fairly uneventful. Boy were the people that I hand around with, getting ready to put this show on, a blast. Why did I never follow through and try doing this more. I did record a few plays after that for people but it was never the same.

So some day I would love to try out for a part in Music Man. Nothing big, maybe just the town's people that are saying trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Yes, as little singing as possible for me, maybe someday. I think this is also why I am jealous of a certain fellow blogger for all that she does both for work and for herself.


Marian Paroo: No, please, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.
Harold Hill: Oh, my dear little librarian. You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering. --The Music Man