"Mankind was my business!"

This evening, I'm going out to see "A Christmas Carol" performed by a local high school drama troupe. Two of my YB students are in the play, so I'm showing a bit of support and hoping to enjoy myself. It's been years since I've seen any sort of theatrical production, despite my love of good theater. Last night was opening night; I couldn't attend because I was teaching. I wouldn't have attended, anyway: as I know from my own acting experience, the first performance of most plays is usually marked by a series of gaffes-- missed cues, forgotten lines, etc.-- all due to opening-night jitters. Performances tend to smooth out after that... until the final day of the play's run. By that point, the cast is sick of the play and ready to get on with life; the resultant inattentiveness can give rise to the same kinds of mistakes one would see on opening night, but with none of that night's uptightness: the players are simply trying to get the whole thing over with so they can rush to the after-party.

So tonight, the cast's second performance, ought to be quite good. And even if the kids make some mistakes, I'm sure I'll enjoy this latest incarnation of Dickens's classic.


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