January 5, 2006 6:02 PM
What's been going on
I am working on my book The Mommy Survival Guide, which is due February 1.
But I did want to share this story about seeing Les Miz last week. There were 15 of us - there were supposed to be 16, but our baby sitter was a no-show and Zach volunteered to stay home with the little kids. I accepted because two years ago I stayed home with sick kids and so I know it is a privilege to give in a situation like that.
I managed to sell the extra ticket at a loss to a lovely lady from North Carolina who was seeing the show for the first time. I think it was our sixth of seventh.
The show was fabulous. The role of Jean Valjean was played by the understudy, but he was excellent! I was moved to tears half a dozen times. The story is so rich with themes of grace and redemption, legalism v. grace - I once wrote an article for The Plain Truth on why every Christian should read the book and would publish it here, but I've somehow lost my file. As soon as I get it from the magazine, I will print it here.
After the play and applause, Jonny - who'd been sitting beside me - gestured toward the stage, saying, "My friends, my friends" and showed me his program and made a sign for writing. He wanted autographs, and since we go to community theater a lot he was expecting them to all come mingle with the audience. I told him that we probably wouldn't see them.
We poured out to the sidewalk. I love DC at night!!! The building facades are so beautiful with the special lighting. It was chilly, but not horribly so. We had to part ways for two different vehicles but were lingering to discuss our impressions. All of a sudden, a door that looked like it came from an office building (not at all like the stage doors in San Francisco) opened and out came three of the leads - Jean Valjean, Fantine, and Eponine.
It is always so amazing to see how small and ordinary the actors look up close. It's like magic what happens on the stage as they become the characters who transport us to another time and place.
Jonny asked for autographs and they all gave them - very humbly, as stage actors aren't like movie actors, no one knows or recognizes them. Fantine and Eponine said they were waiting for their husbands and then two guys who looked like they should have been at a football game came up to claim their wives. Fantine was carrying a copy of The Purpose Driven Life. Actually, from the bios there appeared to be many Christians in the cast.
But I think many Christians are drawn to singing and theater because if you grow up in the church with hymns and praise songs and Bible stories, your life is saturated with music and dramatic stories.
I will be posting that article on Les Miserables as soon as I find it.
Please keep praying for me as I finish this book. If you're confused, it's because the schedule on the next two books was changed. The first book out will be The Mommy Survival Guide in May (for Mothers' Day); the next Reaching the Left from the Right (which I actually wrote two years ago, but had to rewrite) will be out in August (election cycle). I will be at CBA again this summer to promote my books for Beacon Hill.
Comments
Glad to hear you're working on your book. Looking forward to it.
Posted by: spunky | January 6, 2006 12:02 AM
Yay for Jonny! I love Les Mis with all my heart, still have my first playbill from NYC, autographed by "my" Jean Valjean, Craig Schulmann. We waited a long time outside the back door, the only people there. Mr. Schulmann was equally humble and personable, wearing a denim jeans jacket with a small 24601 embroidered over the left pocket. We took my brother-in-law (Now, a streetwise NY socialworker/TV actor). He felt snookered into the thing when he discoverd it was "a musical", but was instantly transported from the first orchestra note, and smitten with Eponine beyond the point of recovery. : )
I have seen several famous people on the streets of NY and they ALL look so tiny in real life!
Posted by: floorplan | January 6, 2006 9:11 AM
What a good time! I'm so glad you got to go, and got to meet the actors. That was a thrill, for sure.
We got to meet the live Wiggles behind a theatre a couple years back. They sure looked different, outside their trademark colored jerseys. But were very nice,also.
Posted by: Julana | January 7, 2006 12:15 PM
Hope the book writing goes well! We miss ya around here!!! :)
Posted by: molly | January 8, 2006 1:49 AM
I LOVE LES MIS!
I saw it in Chicago about 12 years ago. Would love to see it again. I have the soundtrack and play the music whenever I feel like I need a good cry!
Posted by: Wendy | January 9, 2006 8:06 AM
