Friday, November 26, 2010
The King and I
My first taste of Show-business took place in 1974. Harbor High was doing "The King and I" as their spring musical.... The call went out -- they were looking for children to play the "prince and princesses of Siam"--The possibility was intoxicating........ I don't remember the audition or what I sang-- but I made the cast---The theatre at Harbor at that time was beautiful-- Built in 1930, It was spanish/deco/nautical not like a High School theatre at all-- more like Broadway--- The 16 or so of us were paired up with harbor girls who would be playing our mothers. Gina Haddox would be playing mine-- Doing that show was absolutely magical-- I still remember every lyric we sang-- Secretly, I wanted to wear my costume to school---Gina and I became very close-- there really was an adult voice inside my (9 year old) brain-- never wanting this show to end-- The cast party was crazy fun-- dancing to "Love will keep us Together"--- I felt so grown up-- The show closed--- everyone promised to stay in touch-- The theatre underwent a modern redo in the late seventies--- Two years ago I happened to be in Newport-- The theatre building was being demolished--- leaving the stage open to streams of sunlight--- the addition falling away leaving the art deco underneth-- a bulldozer was chomping away at the balcony seats..... It was spooky that I happened to be there on that particular day---
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Wonderful post! Loved the way you finished with the ruins of the theater. Looking forward to more!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, how reading your posts & now your blog seems to jog memories of my childhood in Newport that I didn't remember! THANK YOU Tom!
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