16:29 Oliver Taylor's Last Night: Rhapsody in Russian Blue | |
| The casting team – which consisted of Children's Casting Director Jessica Ronane, Associate Choreographer Lynne Page, her dancing assistant Matt Cross, Associate Director Julian Webber, Children’s Musical Director Ron Crocker and Jessica’s assistant Clemency Carlisle - had never before been to the South West of England in their three years of casting the production.To English readers: This essay is loosely based on the article "Young talents and adult spectators: an essay about the nature o theatrical emotions", published in Russian in this blog on 12th December 2007. The essay in English has been written after requests from Billy Elliot the Musical - The Complete Forum members and significantly differs from the Russian original. Many lines from Billy Elliot The Musical Lyrics have been explicitly or implicitly used. To Russian readers/Русскоязычному читателю: Публикуемый текст нетипичен для моего журнала - хотя бы потому, что написан на английском языке. Поэтому он не появится во френд-ленте. Это эссе написано на основе моего текста месячной давности "Юные таланты и взрослые поклонники, или о природе театральных эмоций", но ориентировано на специфическую целевую аудиторию. Оно, собственно, и написано после многочисленных и настойчивых просьб со стороны членов официального Форума Billy Elliot the Musical - The Complete Forum. Я отказывался, полагая, что не способен с моим заточенным разве что на написание технических статей английским выдать адекватный моим амбициям текст. Но меня сломили угрозами пропустить исходный русский текст через он-лайновый переводчик и в таком виде читать (можно ли представить более страшную угрозу?!). К тому же, во время новогоднего пребывания в Москве я вынужден был провести неделю, не выходя из дома из-за простуды, что дало мне возможность сосредоточиться на этой работе. Мне, конечно, любопытно, как воспримут мое эссе те, кто знает о предмете очень много (не говоря о том, что десятки потенциальных читателей были сами свидетелями описываемых событий и лично знакомы с героем повествования и его родителями. Которые тоже, вероятно, это прочтут). Текст сильно отличается от исходного прототипа - в частности, убран весь "литдыбр", а сам он стал более сфокусирован и нашпигован явными и неявными цитатами из звучащих в мюзикле песен (Billy Elliot The Musical Lyrics), и к тому же я решил специально педалировать его русское происхождение. [the text was updated on 3 Feb 2008]  Preface. Oliver Taylor's Last Night at Billy Elliot The Musical on 1 December was no ordinary event. It seems that even in the morning, not many members of the audience were sober. Let us cite some typical reactions written while the scent was still hot: "amazing show", "smashing night", "by far the most emotional ever", "have seen a few farewell shows but none as heartbreaking and emotional as this one", "has to be the best I've ever seen", "I felt the theatre was full of happiness. I have never experienced such atmosphere at the theatre", "will remember it all my life", etc. And the refrain that was going on and on: "I was crying", "there can't have been a dry eye in the house", "I'm still crying now"... Obvious, if not ridiculous, exaggerations by devoted BETM fans? Wasn't it all in fact very simple? The young performer had just become nervous and succumbed to tears, and in response so did the audience, who were sorry for him. Everybody was just emotional and – at the end – happy because it's always good to get emotional during such a thrilling occasion. That’s all… Well, this might be true, but I believe this explanation is too trivial: perhaps we Russians tend to overcomplicate simple things and always look for a bit of extra drama. As to tears, I would say they as such are usually not a big deal. Had it been so easy to evoke emotions from the public by shedding tears, then the entire cast of every show would have just cried all the time and the whole West End would have been flooded a long time ago. But perhaps, those tears were a manifestation of something much more significant – at least I would like to think so. Normally I am not emotional person at all, I do not consider myself as "a fan". Three weeks before that night I knew very little about the show and had never heard about Oliver Taylor. Then I saw three shows with him in a row, including that Last Night on 1 December. Now I am surprised at myself. For a start, I must admit that I actually share those emotional sentiments - just because I was there myself and saw the whole thing with my own eyes. When I am amazed I always try to find why. So here are my reflections made, if you will, keeping in mind the following famous (or, rather, infamous in our Russian-speaking world) words: I disassembled music like a corpse Put harmony to algebraic test… (“Mozart and Salieri”, from “Little tragedies” by Alexander Pushkin). Let us consider everything from two perspectives, that of an average member of the audience (it's me) and that of Oliver himself (I hope he will forgive me, a stranger, for my numerous presumptions, such as “Oliver was thinking this, Oliver was feeling that” - probably, he is more a character in this essay rather than the real Oliver). Great Russian literature will also help us with some additional allusions - although, perhaps, it will also lead this text even further away from the reality. Well, we were authoritatively told by Mrs Wilkinson: forget about content, focus on style...   Part 1. Who are you, Mr. Taylor? Let us start, however, from outlining some background - just to give those readers, who do not know much about BETM, a flavour who is Oliver Taylor and how he managed to get the role of Billy in the acclaimed West End musical. Let me cite first the following obscure document (it's a "research paper" written for the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth) describing the first appearance of our hero in front of BETM audition panel. ... Never before has a stage musical relied so heavily on the abilities of a child as its principal character, on-stage for a full three hours, with choreography and acrobatics that would tax the most skilled of adult performers. West End Billys have had to master extremely difficult choreography - not just ballet, but tap, jazz and street dance, back-flips, front-flips, cartwheels, plus acting and singing. They have had to develop the stamina to carry a 3-hour musical, with two performances a week... probably the most difficult role ever created for a child. Since the auditions began for Billy Elliot in the autumn of 2003, over 5,000 children have been seen. This represents at least eight large auditions every year (100+) and numerous private visits to dance schools and youth clubs. I was invited to the auditions held in September 2006 at Exeter. The casting team – which consisted of Children's Casting Director Jessica Ronane, Associate Choreographer Lynne Page, her dancing assistant Matt Cross, Associate Director Julian Webber, Children’s Musical Director Ron Crocker and Jessica’s assistant Clemency Carlisle - had never before been to the South West of England in their three years of casting the production. Dance teachers throughout the region had been asked to suggest to their talented boys that they apply for audition. Ninety-four boys had sent in their photos and details and had been sent directions to Maynards School, a private girls’ school with a large gymnasium where the auditions were held. The boys were scheduled into seven sessions, with the first session at 10.00 am and the last beginning at 5.00 pm. It was a very long day, the casting panel sitting through the same process seven times watching boys of widely varying ability. By 4.00 in the afternoon already sixty boys divided into five groups been put through their paces. The panel were becoming despondent – while a few boys had been interesting, so far no one had sparkled. Then in the four o’clock group, two boys shone... It was the second boy, though, who made the hair stand up on the back of our necks – when he danced and moved through space, one’s eyes were drawn to him; he was extremely watch-able. Confirming what we were seeing, his notes in the panel’s typed list said “RBS wanted him but said no!”. This quietly confident twelve year old had already turned down a place at the Royal Ballet School. The two boys were asked to return the next day, a Sunday, to be looked at more closely by the casting panel. The next morning, the boys were given solo workshops... At the end of the four-hour session, the boys went home and the panel returned to London. One boy was invited with his parents to London to see the show, and has since been taken into intensive training, with late spring 2007 pencilled in for entry into the show. (From "Doing Hamlet While Running the New York Marathon: Finding and Training the Billy Elliots" by Adele Bailey (director of the National Council for Drama Training), occasional research paper 17 for the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), December 2006) Notice that dramatic change of tone to the very expressive "the second boy ... made the hair stand up on the back of our necks" - reflecting, obviously, the unexpected emotions of the panel? With such an innate ability to immediately evoke strong feelings even from unsentimental professionals that unnamed "one boy" did arrive with a bang! Perhaps, it's time for him to introduce himself: Hi my name is Oliver. I was born on the 10th March 1994 in Paignton, Devon. I live with my parents Kathryn and David and my older sister Emily. I started ballet when I was three years old and I am now a mid associate of the Royal Ballet. Since I started I have done many competitions and have won medals and trophies for my age range. I also competed in the RAD Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers Competition for Great Britain and the Channel Islands and came first in my age group. Along with my competitions I have performed in a few theatre productions near where I live. I played the part of the Boy in the Snowman, the Nutcracker in the Nutcracker, and Franz in Coppelia. I have also taken part in a children's BBC programme and have been on Ready Steady Cook. I would like to dedicate my first performance to my family and my teachers - Pollyanna, Kim, Miss Jacquie and Miss Pam (who got me into ballet in the first place). They have never given up on me! (From the Theatre Programme "Billy Elliot The Musical" published to mark Oliver's First Night on 18 June 2007) The rest is history: 50 performances in the title role at BETM during five and half months followed... So, what happened at the end?  by Brian Slater (2006)Part 2. What actually happened on that Last Night? What was Oliver thinking before his Last Night? Perhaps something like this: “It’s my very last show. The audience is going to be different from an ordinary one and have extra expectations. I must do my best. I must give it my all without even the slightest fault”. So, being as he declared in his BBC interview, usually rather relaxed during regular shows, he was under additional pressure and probably a bit more nervous than normal. His entire body must have been tuning up to that challenge with a particularly strong determination. Stephen Daldry had given a warm introductory speech - and the lights dimmed… While the show itself went very well, actually each scene (performed for the last time - therefore with extra zeal, and accompanied by extra applauses) required a higher than usual state of emotion. The last big solo number - "Electricity" - was performed extremely well in all its aspects and resulted in a huge ovation. It was a real triumph! In that electrified atmosphere the last line “I’m free”, delivered with panache, sounded as if it had an additional subtext: “I did the job and now I’m free from all that subconscious tension”. Inevitably – as just a matter of psychophysiology - after that his nervous system reacted by relaxing: all the main things seemed to be over. It just remained to do the rest of the scenes that – being of course emotional by their “farewell” nature - did not include risky stunts and therefore should go smoothly. When the 'farewell scenes' did start, all of a sudden Oliver found that there were not just characters on the stage; all the performers were also there in their own right. They did have their own strong feelings and were saying their own farewells to him – not just to Billy going to the Royal Ballet School but to him, Oliver, going to… where? Back to his home? Ballet girls – the real Ballet girls - wanted an autograph: whose? – just Billy’s? Or Oliver’s too? Debbie gave Billy a hug. Or that was Leigh hugging him - Olly? Finally, not just Mrs. Wilkinson, but Jackie Clune herself, became uncharacteristically emotional and started crying. “You are so fxxxing special” – who said that? And to whom? No wonder Oliver seemed to get confused, his already mixed emotions were being stirred. Perhaps, he would have successfully handled either Billy or himself, but he found that he couldn’t control both simultaneously; he just ran out of the required nervous resources – they had completely been exhausted by the time. He was desperately trying his best to get calm, taking pauses and almost whispering his lines… There was no chance for him to regain composure backstage, as he had to remain at the proscenium. Perhaps, he could have done so during “Once we were kings”, but the farewell to the miners/ensemble with their dignified and sad song did not help him to calm down either - indeed, it's a feeling that you can't control. By the start of the “Letter Reprise”, he looked really inconsolable and after forlornly delivering the first couple of lines, he could hardly utter a word, let alone sing. It must have been embarrassing for him: what if the audience was thinking that the actor had failed to perform the climactic final scene? And what about his “professionalism” that had always been a subject of amazement for adults? Note that his partner, Sara Poyzer, being herself in tears, nevertheless delivered her vocal lines very well – in fact, even better than usual. That’s the adult professional - while he’s just a kid, he's only just a bairn who forgot the first commandment: "at least pretend you're doing fine... and smile, smile, smile". If only he could dance during those farewell scenes! One could only imagine what a dance sensation he would have produced expressing himself at the peak of that emotional state. However, no dances were left for him to do, and that most natural way for him to channel his emotions could not be used; he had to sing and deliver his lines in a straightforward way through that fragile vocal apparatus so open for disruption by gasps and tears – and then those tears did appear. What a shame!  Well, let us now consider this ordeal from the perspective of those who were on the receiving end. It’s very easy to speak on behalf of the audience on that matter: such imagined conclusions made above about that "failure" could not have been farther from the truth. Art (and life, for that matter) is just not so elementary. Oliver's gasping and whispering in the ‘farewell to Mrs Wilkinson’ scene brought an additional and very realistic tension, as well as unusual tenderness, into the scene, thus enriching the story, and that unconventional duet with Dead Mum produced an incredibly powerful emotional wave that overwhelmed a good part of the audience into a kind of half-fainting trance: many people were even afraid to breathe. That was really strange: even as the performer looked like he had lost control over himself, his control over the character (and, for that matter, over the audience) seemed to become stronger (he really just grabbed the audience by the throat as Arthur Miller used to say). Indeed, the battle's lost but not the war. Perhaps the key to that mystery was that having broken that very commandment from Mrs. Wilkinson –"at least pretend you're doing fine"... - he remained faithful to another, more important, one from Dead Mum - "In everything you do always be yourself". The result of that twisted logic of a genuine art was that the supposed “failure” only added something really special to the scene because somehow it remained within the context of the story - moreover, perhaps the story itself even gained additional dimension. Lost some lyrics? Well, the scene's meaning and spirit were not lost at all. By this time everybody in the house already knew very well that Oliver could sing like an angel (and dance like a devil) – no new demonstrations were needed; but he produced such vivid and real feelings from the depth of his heart that the audience just knew: they were witnessing a very rare and exquisite event that would be difficult to top, and they were soaking up every nuance of it. The final scene with Michael/Ryan produced another significant Oliver twist. Addressing each other by their real names ("See ya Ryan" - "Yer see ya Olly"), the young actors - while visibly upset - nevertheless showed very graphically that they were handling an unusual situation in an ingenuous, ingenious, and organic way: maybe they were even able to feel that the show had already gone slightly astray, the public had too much of heavy emotions and needed alleviating. So what Oliver, instantly supported by Ryan, did (consciously or intuitively or even instinctively – who knows -- they might know, though) was to smash definitively the already half-broken wall between show’s fictional space and reality. It was actually promised earlier by the astute Mrs. Wilkinson: the whole process will coalesce - and indeed, a kind of mixed, augmented reality, embracing all the characters, performers and spectators, came into existence. In particular, the audience finally came to themselves, relieved all their repressed tears (and smiles!) in one powerful exhalation, and joined in the action, breathing a collective ‘Ahhhh’ that was also a sign of relaxation. After that everybody – on the stage and in the hall - was ready for the bravura Finale that became a celebration after all those fictional and real trials and tribulations. In the end, it looked like all the people in the house could declare “we are free” and were embracing each other – really or figuratively – because they felt uplifted and could stand as one all out together. Not an ordinary thing! Here Woland turned to the master and said: 'Well, now you can finish your novel with one phrase!' The master seemed to have been expecting this... He cupped his hands to his mouth and cried out so that the echo leaped over the unpeopled and unforested mountains: 'You're free! You're free! He's waiting for you!'... The mountains turned the master's voice to thunder, and by this same thunder they were destroyed. The accursed rocky walls collapsed. ... Someone was setting the master free, as he himself had just set free the hero he had created. This hero had gone into the abyss, gone irrevocably... (From the final chapter of "Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov).  Part 3. Why it happened - more deep into the ground. The noise is stilled. I come out on the stage Leaning against the door-post. I try to guess from the distant echo What is to happen in my lifetime. The darkness of night is aimed at me Along with sights of a thousand opera-glasses... I consent to play my part. But now a different drama is being acted, For this one let me be. (“Hamlet”, from “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak). Now let us try to understand more about the nature of all those extraordinary emotions which spilled out that Night... What is the most attractive for the spectators in a live theatrical experience? The genuineness of feelings on the stage the public can associate themselves with. Billy’s story is so archetypical that almost everyone finds there something close to his or her heart that results in even stronger feelings because it means something in terms of his or her own life - it's not about the kid, it's all of us. On the other hand, young performers themselves identify with the character of Billy: first, just because of their young age (child actors almost always play themselves – at least to a certain extent); secondly, (it is not news) the young stars are in a sense "real Billy Elliots" and they do feel real on the stage. Compared to Billy they may have had happier or more well-to-do families and easier opportunities to develop their talents; however, getting this unique role was not that easy for them (many years of learning dance, all that giggling about "boys and ballet", numerous competitive auditions, long and hard training, etc.). Moreover, they are actually able to convey their feelings to the public very effectively - just because they are charismatic real talents born to boogie, not those manufactured "celebrity" mediocrities who populate so many shows nowadays. Consequently, the spectator’s sympathy with the character of Billy is intensified by sympathy with the young performer who powerfully manifests not only the character’s -- but also his own – real - feelings that like electricity spark inside of him. By the way, this effect is in principle not possible with adult actors: even if an adult performer is deep into the role, we normally do not care about his/her own feeling and circumstances. All this means that even during a regular show there are multiple emotions of different kinds flying around for the spectators to catch (that’s actually a secret of the show’s success). The 1st December show provided much more in that respect, both because it was a Last Night with its farewell specifics and because of some additional nuances of Oliver’s personality. First, his trademark interpretation of the character (a bit extra fragile, sensitive and lonely - this particular internally tormented Billy is not going to live a happy life) does assume strong emotions from both him and the audience, and on this particular occasion the intensity was multiplied by the farewell context of the show. It was only natural that it all reached such a culmination in the "Letter Reprise" scene which has always been the most emotional scene by default, and on that occasion was tested to the limits. Now it seems it will be associated with Oliver's name and his Last Night for a very long time, if not forever.  by Brian Slater (2006) Secondly, Oliver's particular stage charisma is inseparable from his delicate romantic looks and a stylish balletic grace (so strikingly contrasting with the harsh realities his Billy faces). This charisma - mainly expressed through dancing - has had a really palpable influence on many spectators - namely those who especially appreciate the pure beauty of his holistic portrayal of Billy ("the way God made pa"). That beauty appeals to those sensitive souls on a very personal level and has been very effective in getting under their skin. One can argue about the extent to which beauty is in the eye of beholder because of the nature of that particular eye, but it alone is so sharply manifested in Oliver's pas seuls, and associated by many spectators with a kind of radiated light (one can find a lot of descriptions like "Olly was glowing/lighting up/beaming" in reviews) that it allows those people to be transported for short but precious moments and literally moves them to tears (another typical line from the reviews: "His Electricity was so beautiful that I cried"). I believe there were quite a few such people in the theatre that Night (unexpectedly, as it turned out, yours truly actually was one of them). Finally, a particular development of the role over time in the context of Oliver's rather short (less than 6 months!) run at BETM should be taken into account. Generally speaking, the role is like a human being: it has a birth, a childhood, growing up to a certain maturity, and then a gradual ageing - to a natural death. Every phase takes its time, and the performer becomes subconsciously programmed to that natural development of the role. The role matures; the performer matures at the same time. His progressive understanding of the character results in better understanding of himself just because of his identification with the character. Oliver’s internal clock was probably programmed for a longer run, but he just did not have enough time to pass the last phases of the lifecycle properly, and therefore subconsciously he was not completely ready to part with the role lightly. The role did not grow up to reach its natural end peacefully; instead (by a kind of the energy conservation law – creative energy, in that case) the performer somehow was destined to grow up himself faster than he normally should and could - to overcome that cognitive dissonance aroused inside him. In fact, Oliver did exactly that during that Last Night show: in a sense, it was his forced coming of age that was radiated from the stage so powerfully. Perhaps he cried not because he was a child, but because he was ending being a child in one go: he was effectively saying farewell not just to the show and to the partners, but to his childhood (well, perhaps not to the entire childhood but just to some important aspects of it; anyway, let us not ruin such a well-composed theory by boring remarks). Indeed, we realize that our childhood is coming to the end when we are simultaneously able to look at both the past and the future. He probably did look at his past in the show and appreciated it as the most important period in his life, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which was always going to be with him; he looked ahead and perhaps felt a momentary fear of its existential uncertainty mixed with emptiness of tomorrow's routine life without all those tiresome but inspiring commitments. One interesting consequence is this: I believe those who had the opportunity to see his unexpected additional two shows after that official "last" one must have witnessed performances by a really mature professional who both had come to himself and to his role, and was in complete control of everything he was doing. He must have found that elusive harmony and indeed could claim with confidence, "I am free". Free from that childish insecurity and tension resulting from that existential fear that had been removed with those tears once and for all. Now he was on a solid ground to pursue his journey to greater things.  Brian Slater (2008)Returning to the Last Night one can conclude that at the end, art collided unexpectedly with real life, and this collision produced sparks of real drama. That very graphic coming of age embedded into the fictive plot of the show not only became the fact of the young actor’s life but also captured the imagination of the spectators, many of whom could relate that condensed life process with their own natural experience of maturing. There is a temptation to interpret all this as an extreme reality show where sublime feelings of all the participants became paradoxically mixed with a voyeuristic internalisation, allowing the spectators to penetrate into the child actor’s very heart and soul that could be read as an open book. That process was delicate and very public at the same time and reminded us what a cruel thing the art can be – they love to see a heart that bleeds. That amazing openness was in a sense embarrassing and even dangerous for him (as embarrassing and dangerous are any deep and sincere feelings shown in public in our cynical age). Perhaps as a result of this ordeal, being more mature, he will not allow his heart to be so open in future roles, let alone in real life. Probably it's even not that difficult - all you have to do is learn to care less. I do not know whether Oliver at his age relies more on intuition or on reflection, or if he is even inclined to analyse in detail what happened to him. However, I believe it should occur to him that it was that impossible to hide the openness which gave him that extraordinary power over the audience. Will he keep that sublime, dangerous and elusive gift? How many "would-be-stars" try very hard to show their "openness" coupled with a lot of tears in all those "X factor" - like shows? The problem is that the public sees nothing worth reading from their open books. Anyway, on that occasion Oliver’s thoughts and emotions did transfer to the public’s minds and hearts without any effort. As a result, after that experience every member of the audience could declare that the ghost of Eva Cassidy was hovering over them with the words they all could share and repeat: "I see your sweet smile Shine through darkness Its line is etched in my memory... You're still here beside me every day So I know you by heart 'Cause I know you by heart. (http://www.youtube.com/wa>tch?v=bCW7Mz_oXDI )  I am certain I am not the only person who downloaded that Letter Reprise audio record from YouTube. I've even put it into my MP3 player. I’m not sure that I am going to listen to it – at least for a foreseeable future: it does not feel appropriate, and in addition, I just have no need for it because personally I remember it by heart. However, the very thought that I possess a rare and real artefact that is so filled with sincere and genuine feelings and does not contain even a bit of hypocrisy or lie brings peace and satisfaction into my mind. I think such a result is not at all bad for 13 year old (13 years and 9 months, actually!) performer, and he can walk proudly having spoken such a smashing and resonating Last Word. His Last Night has probably already been imprinted in the BETM mythology. It has a chance to become part of the mythology of the entire West End, provided that Oliver who once was a king there continues in realizing wholly his potential (He could be a star for all we know, We don't know how far he can go) and becoming a true star. This is by no means guaranteed: even putting aside all the uncertainties of the awkward age, a ballet soloist’s career is the most difficult and unpredictable thing in the entire performing arts business and requires not only hard work and fanatic determination but a good deal of luck in a very competitive and specific environment. For the time being, then, we will have missed him growing, And we'll have missed him crying, And we’ll have missed him laugh... What can I say in conclusion? Maybe, just an appeal to Him: Take him up and hold him gently, raise him up and hold him high. Alas, being an agnostic I do not really believe in Him. Perhaps, it would be more appropriate for me to issue another appeal: Dear beautiful future! Please don’t be cruel to that really talented lad! We need his in-div-id-u-al-i-ty. Finish! P.S. Perhaps, a comment to the last paragraph will be helpful. That "appeal to Him" refers to the excerpt from M&M cited in the end of Part 2. The line “Beautiful future! Don’t be cruel to me” (in transliterated Russian: “Prekrasnoe daleko! Ne budj ko mne zhestoko”) is from the refrain of a very popular children’s song. This song is known to everyone in Russia - I believe that during the last 20 years every Russian child had a chance to sing it. I am not sure there is an English version of it. However, let me give a reference to a recent non-canonical version of this song (which unexpectedly became a big hit on the Russian Internet last autumn) – it is performed in Latin by young soloists of the Catholic chorus from Siberia; perhaps, in such a form it is easier for English speaking people to appreciate it. Mirabile futurum, ne esto mihi durum, Ne esto mihi durum, ne esto durum. Origine ex pura ad optimum futurum, Ad optimum futurum iam nunc egressus sum. I hope those who download that MP3 file ( http://www.binetti.ru/art>espoesia/mirabile_futuru>m.mp3 ) (3 minutes, 4M) will not be disappointed – this is a beautiful melody resonating with the spirit of our story. P.P.S. I am very grateful to Ellen Rolland who had corrected quite a few my mistakes in English grammar and usage. She has also kindly permitted me to attach here her original drawing and poem which probably express the same sentiments - but in a more concise and beautiful form.  Last Show The young man, boy no more, stands on the stage Looking at the empty darkened house. The crowd is gone; the show is done. This place, his home, a home no more. He hears a quiet voice call from the wings, “Time to go, lad. Party to attend.” Feeling something wet upon his cheek, He wipes away a single tear And steps into the future. --Ellen Rolland All the photos are from  Videoclip: Finale (Curtain Call) - 5 minutes (you need to be registered as a member of BETM Forum to see it in better quality) Some reactions to the essay are here. | |
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