I recently took my almost-8-year-old grandson to a local high school production of the Disney musical Newsies with admittedly mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation. I was deeply involved in theater in high school and majored in theatre arts in college and post-grad, performing and working backstage in a number of shows each year. I loved the sense of community as we worked to put a show together, and I still miss the spark that occurs between the audience and the players when both are fully immersed in a live performance. I looked forward to sharing with Sean that thrill, but I am realistic enough (and understand the capabilities of an active second grader) that I wasn’t completely sure he would be able to handle sitting through a complete musical.

Working in our favor: Sean’s mom (my daughter) was also a committed thespian in high school and college, and she had introduced Sean and his younger brother to the soundtrack from Newsies — and later the film — at least a year ago. It had been one of her favorites growing up; I’m sure she wore out the cassette tape she listened to then incessantly. (For context, the movie premiered in 1992.) So Sean was familiar with the story line and could already sing along to “King of New York” and really didn’t need any convincing to go. It didn’t hurt that one of his classmate’s big sister had a key role (Crutchy), giving us a familiar face to watch out and root for. I also ordered tickets up close to the stage (third row from the front, right in the middle) so the action would be right there!

I made sure we didn’t arrive too early before the matinee performance and got bathroom visits and all of that out of the way before we settled in our seats. So far, so good. The trepidation kicked in about five minutes before the show was to start, when Sean, who had avidly noted the concession stand in the lobby, told me, “Granny, I’m really hungry! I think I need to eat something right away.” I let him know that we couldn’t eat in the theater and we’d just have to wait for intermission, but that the show would be starting very soon. Unfortunately, the curtain didn’t go up for almost 15 more minutes, during which I heard a lot more about my starving grandson’s empty tummy (though he’d eaten a good lunch only an hour before). Once the music started and the lights went up onstage, Sean forgot all about food and was completely enthralled with the show, laughing, clapping and following all the action (even the “yucky” kissing scenes).

I rewarded his great behavior during intermission with two Rice Krispy cookie treats (sorry, Mom), and we returned to the theater for the final act. It really was a very entertaining and heartfelt production, complete with some fairly complicated choreography (and impressive dancing on the parts of some of the troupe) and strong voices among the leads (aided with mics and a good sound system). The large cast included not only high school students but elementary and middle school students from across the district as well. The large, modern auditorium provided a very comfortable venue, and the audience (comprised primarily of proud family members of the cast) showed their appreciation with generous applause and a final standing ovation. Sean announced with great enthusiasm that it was “The best play I’ve ever seen!” (he had actually seen a community theater production of Peter Pan not long before COVID shut down live performances), a reaction with which I was thrilled.

As we’re all enjoying the chance to once again attend concerts, movies and plays, I’d encourage you to seek out performances by young musicians and actors. They missed out on the opportunity to perform before audiences just as they were beginning to hone their skills, and they will gain so much from being able to do so now. You may be surprised by the talent and passion these young artists display, and I guarantee you’ll experience some warm fuzzies from those performances. Schools and performing arts academies will be offering their annual spring recitals, concerts and plays; make the time and effort to support these young artists in your community; you’ll be glad you did.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor