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January 25, 2008
On Pride
One of my boys, one of the men I love, opened a show last night. He's played leads before, but this one, this one was special. In this show, I saw him figure out how to be an actor, and it was, well, I'm crying again just thinking about it.
Two years ago, I met him when we were cast to work on a directing scene together. He hadn't been acting for very long at all, but I could tell, even then, that should he choose to, he could go as far as he wants in this business. He's that kind of good. And now, a scant two years later, He is playing Max in Bent. In a performance worthy of anything I've seen on professional stages. My weeping at the end of the show last night was equal parts a response to the story and the storytelling and to the pride I felt in seeing him work magic.
I practically knocked him over with the hug I gave him afterwards. I'm sure it was confusing for a lot of people, given that Dave is also in the show and I didn't do that with him. But this man is like a little brother to me. Yes, there's 18 years' difference in our ages, but not in our hearts, and there was no containing the joy I felt for him, because he got to do that thing, that work he did out there on that stage with such grace and humility and beauty. Which I tried to express over and over again in useless superlatives and incoherent mumblings.
Bless his heart, he kept trying to tell me that his work out there is partly due to the great teachers he's had. But what he doesn't realize is that it's all him. He's had so much to overcome and so much to figure out in the last two years, and he's done it. That's not to say that there won't be hard work and frustration ahead for him, but he's come such a long way. I don't know about his other teachers, I haven't been in the classroom with them. But I know that all I did was occasionally nudge him to look a different direction and let him know I believe in him. As far as I'm concerned, he did all the rest himself.
And for that, he should be justifiably proud.
Posted by sally at January 25, 2008 09:20 AM
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