Some of my favorite moments on earth have been on stage in theatrical productions.
I stood in Rome City Auditorium as Archibald Craven singing the heart break of losing Lily in the duet Lily's Eyes. This wonderful production of The Secret Garden was directed by Brian Sikes. We only performed it a single time! It was videoed for the cast, but my copy of the video was loaned out and never returned.
Twice I have played the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but the wizard doesn't get to sing "Courage" --- that's the song I really wanted! :-)
In a Broadway Revue at Rome Little Theatre I sang a bunch of great songs including three from Les Miserables, entertaining as the raunchy n'er-do-well Thernardier in "Master of the House", then raging as the possessed Javert in "Stars", and finally pleading with the almighty for the life of Marius as Jean Valjean with the beautiful prayer, "Bring Him Home".
In 2000, as Tevye, in Fiddler on The Roof directed by Don Rusaw. I was on stage for most of the play. I loved the whole thing, and have been asked to perform "If I Were A Rich Man" perhaps more than any other musical theater number, with the possible exception of "Bring Him Home". As Tevye I got to portray an amazing range of emotion. But my favorite moment in that play was the quiet little duet with Golde, "Do You Love Me?"
Opening night was a nightmare and my worst performance in anything ever. The second night I had one of the most important epiphanies of my life as I waited a center stage for the curtain to open and the rousing "Tradition" to begin. And that performance was one of my favorites of all time. I'll tell that story another day.
But my favorite role was as Charlie Anderson. In 1998 Rudy Childs, a creative director, finally managed to put together a production he'd been talking about for several years. He as Director teamed up with producer Barbara Myers to establish a new production company called Stars In Our Eyes, found financing through all sorts of civic groups and used Shenandoah the Musical as a major fundraiser for the medical community. He cast me as the lead. Charlie is the curmudgeonly widowed patriarch of a family of six sons and a daughter as the Civil War comes to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The man sings songs of rage, of great hope, of joy, of despair,
He he declares his neutrality in the war... he owes Virginia nothing!
When Sam comes to ask for Jenny's hand (my favorite scene) Charlie waxes eloquent.
But eventually the war comes to the farm and Boy (Robert) is taken.
And in his futile search for one son, another is taken by the war.
Charlie feels venomous murderous rage.
He sings the lullaby "Papa's Gonna Make It Alright" to comfort Ginny.
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