Ok, I know it may apear I let young Sally get away with it yesterday, but to be honest I was so blown away i think i need a little time to fully construct my personal reply. In the meantime however I wanted to write something positive instead so here goes...
I have a friend who inspired me to talk about something today, something that im not supposed to talk about, something that i'm not supposed to do, something that to most of us is shameful and disgraceful, something that may make you turn off completely, but in the interest of honesty and integrity, I want to get out there. I just want to take a moment out to talk about my deep founded love for... musicals.
I have always liked musicals, even from an early age i watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a little too often, and when Mary Poppins came on, I'd get out the popcorn and start a-singing. Believe me when I say that is painful to anyone still able to hear. As I grew older, my love for them was pushed deep as it's not very cool to teenage girls if you break out into a verse of Cabaret. Of course the implication was if you knew who Judy Garland was you were clearly one to be avoided.
As I grew older though, I came to realise that one of the clearest indications of maturity is the amount of things we do despite the ridicule and embarrasement they cause. Even then my secret love could only extend to musicals considered "cool", Rocky Horror Picture Show and Grease were ok, I could see Joseph with some kids, but I wasn't allowed to sing. That sort of thing.
Then about 5 years ago I met someone who introduced me to a whole new world of Musicals, Anything from Miss Saigon to Blood Brothers, she showed me instead of hiding my shame I should sing out loud to the world, YES, I LOVE THEM, I LOVE THE BACKGROUND CLOSE HARMONIES, I LOVE THE DUETS, I LOVE THE OVERACTED INTERPRETATIONS OF HISTORICAL MOMENTS, THE ORCHESTRAS, THE COSTUMES, THE LIGHTS!!!!
Since then I have listened to many of the worlds most famous musical scores (I'd go see them but I cant afford the trip) and enjoyed many an afternoon singing in the car.
I feel a little guilty at this point, because even though the girl in question opened my eyes to much bigger possibilities, I never told her and only recently she told me she wished I had mentioned it when we were going out. If it helps, I dont think it would have made a difference.
Now I know you probably think I should hide myself in a cupboard and wait til WW3 ends, but just for one moment I want you to admit to yourself, that we all like them a little bit. Be it Thelma Kelly from Chicago or Martin Guerre there is something about them that makes us happier in the same way that listening to radiohead makes us all want to top ourselves.
They have style and passion and they tell tales of tumultuous love in the midst of great disaster. They fiddle with our heart strings and finger our souls and all in a theatre of great decadence with giant chandaliers and richly coloured velvet walpaper. We dress up in suits and gowns all walk with straight backs and pretend to be posh if just for one night. We spend half the evening shifting our butts on the uncomfortable chairs trying in vain to get a glimpse of the tiny actor dancing on stage. We stand at the bar in the interval, all the blokes pretending that they've only come for the wife, the women cat fighting eachother for a table, waiting in anticipation for the opportunity to complain at the price of a tonic water, and everybody saying how it's not as good as when they saw it on Broadway 8 years ago.
But at the end of the night, after the music has stopped, after all the people have gone, after we've stop complaining about the hairdo of the person in front or the hallitosis of the man next to you, we hum the best tunes as we walk home in the moonlight holding hands. And even though we will never tell anyone we went, on christmas night, as we reflect on the best moments of the year, that night of clandestine ardor sticks out like the little girl in the red dress in Schindlers List.
So at long last, here is my Question
If you had the chance to be any character in any musical ever written, which one would it be? (yeah it's a bit of a crap question, but it's my blog!)
For me without doubt it would be the hapless and torn Seymour Crelborne in Little Shop of Horrors singing suddenly seymour with ellen green.
My secret is finally out.
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