Friday, August 26, 2005

Father & Son

Almost as soon as I was cast in Pan, I decided not to invite my born-again Christian father. Although I've tried to approach the character of Jesus respectfully, the content and overall themes of the play mean it's not likely to become a favorite among Sunday-school teachers any time soon. But when one of the cast members said there was an older gentleman downstairs who looked a lot like me, I got a sinking feeling. When the stage manager asked me if I knew who the man in the cowboy hat was, my fears were confirmed. Well, family issues or not, the show must go on. If anything, my performance was edgier than usual. When I went downstairs after the play to face the music, my father surprised me by telling me how much he liked the show. And I'm pretty sure he meant it because he didn't use words like "interesting" or "different." He seemed to enjoy it more than my secular-humanist mother, in fact. Afterward we hung out with the cast, and he shared a story of seeing an out-of-town tryout of "Oklahoma." It turns out my father is a theater buff from way back!

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