"you brought Magic to Marsden" Christophe in the audience
or "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" Caliban in The Tempest

We performed the only (so far) night of Sleeping Beauty to a full house on Saturday.
Verging towards to pantomime but played rooted in Shakespeare (so I was told anyway and with reference to my Caliban like dragon-man .. which was gratifying I must say).. It enthralled the youth and parents of t'village.

Some people like mountain climbing, some roller coasters or public speaking.. Me, I totally totally love that moment when you feel (never see) 150 pairs of eyes on you and they react from the heart or gut to a small facial gesture or a projected line .. Magic.

It went well, everyone including the 4 young folk from the youth group stayed in character, lines remembered for the whole play and we really did have tears and laughs a-plenty. It doesn't get better for audience reaction.

Oh blimey I'm stressed, probably because the play is on in 12 days and we have 4 rehearsals in that time and I still have those "uh... line?" moments when I shouldn’t and the welsh accent strays into Punjabi (sorry Punjabi people, I know you don’t sound welsh and that’s is a clichéd observation but it helps explain my acting crap-ness of the moment).
The costume fit was good though.. I have a huge arse (in the play. durr) with a big tail and its all mottled warty dragon skin like. It looks great. Made by Katy the costume designer who has piercings and nice eyes is half my age and of course I'm mesmerized by her, because I'm 41 and that’s' another cliché in action isn't it? Middle-aged man going gooey eyed over 20 something dyed haired facial piercings pretty woman. Sad but true. She'll get over me, it'll be tough but she’ll realise I'm unobtainable and snap out of it.
Back to stress.. Oh yeah.. I'm also stressed because I need to start thinking about my Art exhibition.. Now booked (earlier than I wanted) for May 2006. I have a vague idea of the theme/style but an already stressing that it isn't Picasso or Hockney standard so Why Bother?.. Why Bother is a theme in my life I think.. If I can’t be the best/fames/rich then why do something?
Last random thought (this fuelled by the Hoegarden down at The Riverhead).. It was nice taking Lian to the pub after the rehearsal tonight. She’s at the age (17) where I don't feel awkward having her at the same table in the pub.. She isn’t trying too hard and I'm not watching watch she drinks/says.. oh lord, she’s an adult.. When did that happen? No seriously, she was a toddler then a loud mercurial adolescent then an adult, all in too short a chunk of my finite life.
Ho hum (or is that “fee fi fo fum I smell the writings of a drunken man?”).
Dragon out.. Goodnight.