Fathoms Below

On Friday evening we supported Peter by attending the high school production of The Little Mermaid. It was a fantastic show! It was definitely the best one I've seen at this high school. The energy level was consistently high and the choreography was a step up from previous shows. A student always serves as the musical director. This year's student in charge played Prince Eric and is also a student director of the men's acapella group and sings with a very prestigious local Bach choir. All that to say, the show benefited and was very strong vocally.

Peter was the tallest sailor on board the ship with Prince Eric. He was also the only sailor allowed to draw on a tattoo, and only for the last show since he's a senior. As long as it was made out of eyeliner and for a play, it was fine. He adopted a great stance onstage and mimed calling out orders and testing rigging while dialogue was happening in a different part of the stage. Being a background actor takes a lot more creativity than you might think.

A banner of each of the seniors hung inside the theater. Sophie and Topher found Peter's during intermission.

In addition to playing the first mate (according to Peter, the role was assigned by the actor playing Pilot, not the directors), Peter was the only Lobster in Under the Sea. That song was crazy! The kids had incredible amounts of energy, the fellow playing Sebastian has a gorgeous voice, and the costumes were colorful and fun. Glow wands had been sold in the lobby before the show and audience members were encouraged to turn them on and wave them during this song and Kiss the Girl. In addition to all of that, umbrellas that looked like jellyfish dropped down and hung from the catwalk in the middle of the house ceiling. Bubbles came pouring out soon after. Topher was so excitedly aggressive that he knocked into the woman sitting in front of us while he tried to pop the bubbles. (I apologized.) When it was all done I sort of wondered if I had been to a rave.

Peter was a wonderful dancer! He looked like he was really enjoying himself onstage. His siblings all loved the show. The only reason Topher isn't in this picture is that the night had gone on too long for him and he had gone outside with Bryan to retrieve the van. Cooper and Phoebe loved it so much that they went again on Saturday night. Sophie would have as well if we'd let her. 

Peter has loved getting to flex his dramatic muscles in high school. I know he looks forward to additional theatrical opportunities in the future. Well done, Peter!