Late nights

 I went to see a play tonight

    Emily and I went to see Jesus Christ, Superstar at the Cornado in Rockford.

    It was a great show.

    This is a touring cast and it was a 1 night only presentation.  The theater was pretty much full, and a lot of the audience members were about my age.

    One lady in front of us kept taking pictures, despite being told not to once.  The second time the staff member was a little more forceful.  Another person was taking flash pictures on the other side of the theater.  And someone behind me had their phone flashlight on twice.  During the show.

    None of these people were young.

    Anyway, it was a good show.

    Often times when there is a large cast I watch the people in the background.  In this show, I watched the dancers a lot.  They moved as one body, in sync with each other.  It was pretty neat to see.

    I wonder what it is like to be in a show like that.

    After tonight they pack up and go somewhere else for another show.  And another.  And another.

    I bet they con't have a lot of clothes because they move so much.

    And I wonder how much they are paid.  Do they get a   meal allowance?  What kind of hotels do they stay at and are they single rooms or doubles?

    I wish I could talk to one or two of them and find out some of the answers, although I bet they don't like to talk about money with strangers.

    The Cornado is a beautiful theater.  I don't think they can build one like it in this day and age.  Lots of elements.

    A long time ago, the 16th Congressional District had a representative named Jon B. Anderson.  He was a Republican, and I voted for him in every election.  He was smart, well reasoned, and he had a lot of great ideas.

    He ran for president as an Independent.   There was a fundraiser at the Cornado and my brother Carl and I went.  We sat up in the balcony and listened to Harry Chapin, who was a folksy type performer.  After about 90 minutes Harry said he had to take a break, but would be back in a moment.

    By then it was 9:30 or so and both of us were working and it was a school night, so we left.

    Tonight's show brought that memory back to me, a memory I had almost forgotten.

    Thank you, Emily, for taking me along.  And thank you Julia for keeping an eye on Mom and making supper.

Peace and Love