Just 48 hours now before the lights rise on the second story stage at 107 Suffolk St, the jitters are palpable and the team staggers rather than bounds through the rehearsal door now, a month into this odyssey. Yet, the lion’s share of the preparation has been done and the little worries that remain (will my girlfriend laugh at my waltz? do these shoes make my ass look gigantic? where did Ellen hide the candy?) pale in comparison to those we held just a week or two weeks ago (i.e. we open in two weeks, WHAT THE FUCK!?).
What became clear at last night’s rehearsal was that we now have a show. What kind of show will depend on what happens in the next 11 days on Suffolk St, but what began as a brief flutter in Danny Mitarotondo’s mind God knows how long ago, has morphed into an essence unto itself. For a tiny ounce of fame and much less money, our team has devoted hours upon hours to a creative process that metamorphosed that essence and will manifest itself in just five flickering moments of performance.
There is a line that the Stage Manager has at the end of Our Town, upon being asked by Emily if anyone truly appreciates life, every single moment, he responds, “No. The saints and the poets, maybe. They do some”. This line cuts straight to the heart of the why. Danny’s work is saintly poetry and it illuminates the magnificence that is the privilege to live and love in this world.
In those flickering moments, we will be lost in the life Danny’s words, actually listening and responding without trepidation or uncertainty, nervousness or fear, matching pitch with our comrades and surroundings; “I’ve never felt so strong, man, never felt so strong in my whole life”! It can be as simple as an inhale and exhale or the sweet whistling song of a sparrow. It is for these moments for which we live. Without them, does it matter at all? Really?