Move over JV, Varsity is in the House!!!

JV, if you are still reading...I love you guys so much and you were amazing! But if you haven't seen your Varsity big brothers and big sisters, then you are missing a major treat! I am so blessed to get to work with the coolest kiddos in the world! This kind of experience is exactly why I love living in this area, why I moved back home after 7 years of bigger and supposedly more entertaining cities. Wow...just, wow! (By the way, I just heard that my brother was there tonight, and he was seriously impressed with you guys! Thank you soooo much for showing off while he was there!)

Okay, so varsity, I know I've tried to tell you how much you have improved this week, how proud I am of you, and how well you are doing in each scene. But that was backstage, in the greenroom, a high five as you walk off...tonight, I wanna brag on you for all the world to see, because I want everyone to know exactly how fantastic you all are. First off, all of you--tonight you proved yourselves seasoned actors...when something didn't go as planned, you fixed it on the fly! The music stopped or changed, you kept right on singing; you changed your lyrics, you found them again; a line go dropped, you went right on ahead as if the play were written without it. And you ad libbed and acted like pros...don't think I didn't see you sorting through your valentines trying to find just the right one for the person next to you, or the excitement when you told your friend that "HE" just gave you a valentine! And I saw that nod when you agreed with your friend "yes I understand exactly what you're saying!" right before you say out loud just how lost you are. And I saw a real baseball game right on stage tonight! I saw catchers taunting the batters, a pitcher nodding that he'd gotten the signal, an imagined ball falling from a glove, and even a homerun hitter rounding all the bases! That is one of the most complicated songs (in terms of staging/blocking) and ya'll not only pulled it off, you hit it out of the park, if you will pardon the pun! And I also was told by a balcony audience member that all you're Happiness solos were heard! BRAVO!!! Most of you didn't even have microphones!

Lucy, I almost believed I saw tears during crabbiness...Schroeder, your maneuvering away from Lucy at all times was precious...Snoopy--when did you turn into an experienced dancer?...and speaking of dancing--how 'bout my Sally? Huh?? Are you kidding me? There is no way you learned that dance number for Philosophy in only 1 day--and you to Schroeder! Pigpen and Rerun--your quick changes into the Sheriff and Robin Hood always astound me! I forget you have that scene coming up, but there you are, in costume and ready to act out your parts! LRHG...your expression when Charlie Brown dedicates his next hit to you is priceless--could you hear the audience "awwww"-ing tonight? And who is the cutest Woodstock and Peter Rabbit ever! The way you jump when Snoopy threatens to pounce on you is a crowd pleaser and no one could have pulled off his frightened little bird friend better...and how bout your sister and you singing that duet line? Y'all are so adorable and you've really held your own with this Varsity cast...I'm so proud of how mature you have been backstage and how you have acted your hearts out right next to all the other older kiddos. And my comic genius...Linus--Schroeder tries to remind me everytime to watch the shadow when you get knocked out, but I almost always miss it--thank goodness we have a video--and everyone LOVES you're dance and you have so much fun with it that I always watch you with a big smile on my face. You amaze me. Frieda, you always want to know if you did it right--and I'm so glad that you want to keep improving, but I want you to know right now that you are a wonderful actress and that you are delivering your lines with as much creativity and naturalness as anyone on the stage. You go girl! And Violet...I wanted to squeal at the wishy washy line tonight--I could almost see how much it must have hurt Charlie Brown's feelings and it was the perfect set-up for the lunchtime scene and the perfect foil for the opening song. And you never stumble over one of the strangest last names ever conceived. Patti and Marcie, girls you are the perfect combo, like a one-two punch. I worried and stressed over the prodigy and dress lines so much, but you two make my words sound natural; Thank you so much for that. I think you are just a hilarious combination of comedy and friendly support. AG, you have come so far from the shy little girl I thought I saw at auditions...each time you perform you become more confident and more expressive--and I'm so proud of you for opening up and letting audience see you and hear your beautiful voice...way to go tonight. Kelsey you have been so much fun to watch and you have so many ideas about ways to do things...I love that you have really thought about this play and ways to make it better (in fact that goes for all of you who have told me you read the comics, watched the movies, or searched the internet to figure out how to play your characters). And Kelsey, your Amen line gets me every time...it's precious and innocent and so funny at the same time! Lucy, you have turned into an actress with wonderful timing and fabulous expression...keep up the good work. I know I'll be seeing you someday soon just stealing the show during one of the adult productions again. And you are one of my rocks backstage--you don't realize that I'm sure--but your steadiness gives me such a calm. Thank you.

And Charlie Brown, I promise I didn't forget you. I have been so impressed with your ability to act when the theatre is totally silent. You know I love you and think you are the perfect Charlie Brown, but truly, truly this production would have been sorely lacking without your wonderful voice, your innate ability to communicate with the audience without even speaking, your absolute lovability. I'm so glad you were in this production, and I'm so proud of you for putting up with all the notes, all the lines, all the songs. And Aunt Jan, thank you so much for learning the songs as well as you have in this short time. So many times we just completely lean on you and don't realize how hard it is for you to give us our notes as well as play the notes written in front of you. And Gene, this couldn't go on without you...I can't imagine having to handle all this AND what you do with tickets and sound and lights and everything else that I still don't know about. And Scarlett, girl thank you so much for being over there--for knowing that side's patterns and habits so well and staying with me through the entire run...it's such a relief to have the same team each night. And "Bug", "Kiddo," you know who you are. I literally could NOT have done this without you--thank you for being there every step of the way...I'll miss you tomorrow night. The dances, the examples, the extra body, the gophering, the microphone management! Girl, you found my mind when I lost it and you put it to good use (so proud of your score by the way! It's great having a genius sister!).

Anyway, a post that I meant to be a short congratulations has grown by leaps and bounds, so I will close with the final important message. Thank you cast for the flowers and bag. I love them both and it means so much to me that you like me enough to give them to me. I have had so much fun with you all and the Peanuts themed gift will always remind me of my precious moments with you. I would say that I wish I could keep you all past this show, but I'm afraid too many of your parents would take me up on the offer at the same time! No, seriously, I am going to miss you like crazy, and you may never know the niches you have each carved out in my heart for yourselves. I love each of you very much, and I could not be prouder of you were you my very own family. And that's pretty much what I feel we've become. When you're on stage singing or dancing your heart out, I just wish you could see your cast mates in the wings supporting you, having fun with you and going "Yes! They did it! Look how awesome they are! I gotta go out and do just as good!" I love watching you support each other almost as much as I love seeing you shine on stage, actually, it really is a toss-up--especially when you encourage each other just before the curtain opens...those moments I'll hold onto forever.

Anyway, it is late, and since I probably ought to sleep and be ready for my day job, I need to end this already too long post. I hope you are all asleep already and ready for a big day at school and a great weekend. I'll see you tomorrow!

All my love,
Mary Bess