01.31.10

Listen to the Moonlight

Posted in Humor~General at 6:23 am by Dr. Trina Hess

Tonight I caught one of the final performances of Cats before it left Pittsburgh’s Benedum Theater. The musical is a dizzying array of lights, music, costumes, dancing, and not a plot in sight.
At least that’s what I thought during the first act.
But then I really listened to what was going on.
I listened beyond the flashy dancers and the bright costumes. I listened to what was beyond the lights and set designs.
I listened to the most interesting characters.
Because they were the most unlikely. They were the aging cats. One looked like his fur was made from a dirty mop and had a face like Liberace. The other went on a dream sequence where I think he was a pirate? And the female cat wore tatterred fur and high heels. Hers was the most poignant song of the entire musical.
These weren’t flashy characters. Their costumes weren’t even interesting. But they were.
Theirs were the stories that helped me piece together the plot. Theirs were the stories that would rip your heart out. Theirs were the characters that you were rooting for in the end.
When we listen beyond the obvious–beyond the first place winner, beyond the shiny attractive exterior–we learn. Not only about the big picture, but about ourselves, too.

Permalink