TV or Not TV

Maggie with her class before the play getting an inspirational speech from the director

Sally before the play with Daniel from her class.  They were supposed to dress up like 1950's moms and dads since their segment was a song to the Brady Bunch tune.  

Last night was the all school play at Walden.  Both girls were fantastic.  Really.  Maggie had one of the lead parts, she played an alien sent down to earth to steal earth TV.  Don't ask.  The plot was a little all over the place.  Before I sing Maggie's praises let me talk about Sally.  I remember watching the play when Maggie was in 1st or 2nd grade.   It was the night before we left for China and I watched it thinking that there would come a day when both my daughters were up there performing.  It seemed so far away, so weird and impossible.  And it also felt, at the time, like a benchmark.  Watching your kids in the very homemade Walden play is a pleasure like no other.  The whole school turns out and no matter how 'good' the play is, everyone gets a chance to shine and it's always great.  So last night was that night I dreamed about and it was perfect.  Sally was so cute and she sang and did all the choreography and waved at me from the stage like I had seen other kids do that night before we left for China.  It was also bittersweet because as both girls were onstage together taking their curtain call I realized this will be the last time the two of them are in the same school and that made me sad.

Now, onto Maggie's performance.  Um.  She has timing, and stage presence and a beautiful voice.  Someone said to Tony last night, "looks like you have an actor there." Tony responded, "You couldn't have said anything that would hurt me more."  I'm thrilled.  I feel like she's finally stepping out of the shadows and inhabiting all the wonderfulness of Maggie.  She was so funny and even when she wasn't talking she was reacting and alive onstage.  You couldn't take your eyes off her.  Yay Maggie.  As I told you last night, "you should act in high school and college because the acting department is where all the fun, cool people are and acting training is such a good base for anything you want to do in life.  Like be a doctor.  Because that's what you're going to be Maggie, a doctor.  Are we clear?"  I don't think she heard a word I said because she had her headphones on.   Sigh.