little shop, big success

Levi was in a local production of Little Shop of Horrors tonight, featuring all high school students (well, there’s one PSU guy) working with Singing Onstage Studios.  There are actually 2 casts, and the other cast will roll out their rendition tomorrow night at the State Theatre.  Kim’s parents and Gram came up to see the show, and we had a few friends from church join us, too.  The show was great, and I have a few observations from the night…

• We’ve seen a lot of these student productions over the years.  It’s been fun to watch these youngsters grow up, and Levi (and our other kids) have made some great friends within the ranks of the studio.
• Similarly, Kim and I have had the opportunity to make some good friends with the other parents involved in the process.  We had a blast chatting with people all night.
• Rich and Heidi Biever do a wonderful job of coaching and developing young people, and they might be the most pleasant people to be around on the planet.  They are the epitome of encouragement and believing in young people, calling out their best performances show after show.
• A couple of weeks ago things looked bleak for Levi.  He wasn’t having much fun, and his work at rehearsals was sub-par.  But the last 2 weeks have been great, and he totally nailed Mr. Mushnik tonight.  He was spot-on, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed harder than at his death scene!
• There are a lot of talented young singers/actors in State College.
• This was the first show that felt “real” to me.  There have been a lot of good shows, all the right notes, all the right lines…but this felt different, like the actors weren’t simply hitting their marks and delivering the scripted lines.  There was interaction, playing off of each other, little nuances that made it tighter, better.  I guess they’re learning how to act rather than rolling through the directions.