My littlest lady spent all 3 months of summer doing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse.
While the children were visiting Colorado, there was a pretty full calendar of fun outings planned.
Yet, there was one Saturday night open. I talked with Ashley’s director, and he allowed her to have the night off and sit with her Russian friend in the audience. Ashley was excited to see the musical from the other side of the stage. We were both happy to avoid one more baseball game of Lukas’ and take our sweet friend to something that means so much to our family. That theatre is Ashley’s second home for several months each year.
We got ourselves dressed up. Once again, the girls started with their nails! Then, our “tall daughter” took the “short one” to the bathroom and started curling her hair. They giggled, but I’m pretty sure Ashley was expecting to have her ear burned off. Next, I got to add some ringlets to “the tall ones” hair. The girls added some mascara to their eye lashes, and off we went.
I had spent the night before translating the general storyline in each scene and the songs… and printed her a “Russian program.”
Dresses… check.
Curls… check.
Mascara… check.
Russian program… check.
Odd little girls… always check!
The camera didn’t stop clicking all the way to the theatre. Two silly girls, passing the camera back and forth.
Blond.
Brunette.
Blond.
Brunette.
The pictures are ridiculous!
As we waited for the show to begin, she read through her “program.” She seemed to understand.
There’s just something about the theatre. My heart filled with joy every time the fake school bell rang and those sweet little kiddos ran out to the stage. I watched her reaction. Would she smile, like I do? She looked confused, but then, laughed out loud at the chaos. I smiled. She was like me. Then, she stared as Miss Melissa let her voice soar, and began to tell the story of Joseph. I’m not sure she blinked during the whole song. I never did either.
Each time Miss Melissa sang, she stared. As Potiphar came strolling onto the stage in his wonderful costume, she giggled. When his wife came out, I covered her eyes! When Joseph cried from the chains of jail, she discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes. One part I always enjoyed was in Canaan Days, when the brothers exaggerated a note and held it ridiculously long. She started clapping before anyone else in the audience. She loved it! Who cares what they were singing about, the point was, they could sing... and she knew it!
It was a magical night, to see a young girl, so full of talent herself, sit on the edge of her seat and take in her first musical production.
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| The girls after the show. |
There were two moments that are frozen in my memory. When the first act was about half way in, Ashley laid her head against her future sister’s arm. She reached over and took Ashley’s hand, and for the rest of the first half, they stayed, hand in hand.
Later, during the second half, Ashley pulled her legs up into her dress because she was cold. Instantly, her protective “big sister” took off her sweater and wrapped Ashley up in it. Then, she wrapped her own legs up in her dress. I snuck outside to get a coat from the car, and even though they were comfortable, the two little girls sat side by side with their legs inside their sundresses.
Not knowing then what God had planned for our lives, it was moments like those that showed me that the love of true sisters is not in the words they speak; it’s the language of their hearts.
