Ks Are Wild

If the exclamation point didn’t cue you in, I am VERY excited about this. Just Mommy and daughter, wearing our fancy shoes, maybe a party dress, perhaps some gelato beforehand….

OSU Theatre is doing Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, a musical both Kosette and I adore. The only other person I know of who likes it as much as I have, is my dear friend, Jenny. It was something we bonded over as college mates. I’ve found that there are many who claim to like musicals, but balk at those whose songs tend to be more operatic.  Jenny, you are a treasure to me.  I wish I had known you earlier in life.  Horses and Musicals – we were destined to become fast friends!!!  I wish you were coming with us.

I think with me, it was very much a case of being exposed to it so young. We had it (1980’s the version with Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, Rex Smith, and Kevin Kline) on our old Laser Disc system and my sister and I watched it almost as incessantly as Grease.

As I wrote in an earlier post, Kosette sings “Poor Wandering One” as “One Hundred One”. I’ve also noticed that she seems to be imitating my vibrato. It would be amusing if it wasn’t something that annoyed me about my own voice. I got teased for it growing up, especially by this girl in my Jr. High – Lisa Steckler. She wasn’t mean, or a bully or anything, she just was popular and very good at “bagging on” (playfully insulting or making of) people, so her zingers could really make you wince….

Wow, this is an old memory, but it’s very telling of what I was like growing up.  Lisa and I were walking over to 7-11 from my parents house and sang as we went along.  When we went under the freeway overpass and noticed the fantastic echo amidst the pigeons cooing and the cars whizzing past we couldn’t refrain from singing at the top of our lungs.  We barely knew any songs in common, so we took turns singing.  She sang a lot of New Kids on the Block, Boys II Men, and Milli Vanilli.  I sang, “Puerto Rico, you Ugly Island, Island of Tropic Diseases, Always the hurricanes blowing, always the population growing, and the babies crying, and the bullets flying.  I like the island Manhattan.  Smoke on your pipe, and put that in!  I like to be in America…” (That’s from West Side Story for those who don’t know.)   (It was not a popular move on my part to not be a New Kids fan.  My Jr. High years were the HEIGHT of that craze where birthday gift requests consisted of anything New Kids related.  In fact, I think Lisa was best known for her New Kids obsession.  I think she even had the sheet set.  But I just couldn’t fake it; not for her or for anybody.  I would have rather listened to something other than pop at that time; anything else or nothing at all.  And most of what I listened to during those years were Broadway tunes and Oldies.  Yeah, see the popularity hinderance?  I still couldn’t name any song by New Kids.)  Anyhow, she made fun of my “operatic” voice, even though I had actually tried to suppress the vibrato, and light-heartedly referred to me as Opera lady thereafter.  I swear I’ve been self-conscious of that vocal trait ever since.  That’s why I think I was so drawn to Pirates of Penzance…because my voice felt at home singing its songs.

And I loved the costumes.  I never could decide which color dress or shoes I would want to wear the most, or as little girls frequently mistake garb for identity; which girl I wanted to be.  I totally had a crush on Frederic and melted when he reached his high notes in “Is there not one maiden’s breast?”  And it’s the Pirates movie that made me love Kevin Kline.  As much as I appreciate his comedy in A Fish Called Wanda,

I think he’s a comedic genius as the Pirate King in Penzance.  I would’ve loved to put his film version of “I Am A Pirate King” but nobody has uploaded that yet.  Instead, here’s a snippet of “Paradox”:

I know I’ve posted this clip before, but, I can’t help it.  This and the scenes just prior are some of my favorites because you really get some good closeups of the girls’ dresses and shoes.  Plus, it’s the most fun for me to sing.

I want these nightgowns and robes.  Always have.  Wish I were a talented enough sewer.

I swear my singing voice is getting higher than when I was younger (especially when I’m nervous, then my vibrato is totally out of control) because I find I can sing all these parts I stretched at earlier, and it’s been a LONG time since I sang with any good, true, breathing discipline practice.

The only troubles I’m anticipating is Kosette not being able to see over the grown-ups’ heads, and keeping her from singing along in her seat.  This is such a momentous moment for me to be able to share this love of mine, with my daughter.  It really feels like one of those full circle big parent moments.  I know it was the kind I eagerly looked forward to as I awaited her birth.  I wish her Grandpa George and Auntie Kelli were able to come too.  They know what I’m feeling.  And I know Jenny gets it.

I sorta wish I could tell some of my old Jr. High (Laurel Hall) friends, because they REALLY would understand how big this is for me.  They were in choir, drama, and cheerleading with me.  They sang and danced with me at recess and camp.  We watched Aspects of Love at McKenzie’s birthday party, Into the Woods at J.J.’s, and Michael Pourcia and I sang and did a drama skit to “Part of Your World” our frosh year at NDHS.  Christie Nelson and I (sorry, it’s Christine now) sang every single word and part to Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, and Les Miserables.  J.J. and I often sang The Little Mermaid and had Disney song-offs during our long car rides to Disneyland and Cheer Camp.  Wow, memories.  (Ladies, if you somehow stumble upon my blog, you are forever a part of my life and some of my most pleasant Jr. High memories.  Thank you.)  Come to think of it, I bet they’d be quite amused and unsurprised to hear that I named my daughter, “Kosette” (spelled with a “K” instead of a” C” of course).  Yep, Broadway madness was the my  Boy Band obsession equivalent.  In fact, I had a 5 disc cd changer and Les Mis and Phantom (both 2 discs) didn’t come out of their slots for at least a year.

Maybe I’ll get around to telling you how it went.