Thursday, January 18, 2007

I've spent a fair amount of time with my wife's immediate family and I can say with some certainty that they're a varied group. However, if there's one thread that ties them together, one thing that they all love, that would have to be...

Musical freaking theater.

Hank's father was a professional dancer so all three of his daughters grew up singing and dancing their way through community theater productions, school musicals, living room performances, and bathtub ballet. It's in their blood. To this day sometimes Hank will wake up, say, "I have to do this" and pop the soundtrack to Les Miserables into the stereo. Between this and my daughter's incessant watching of High School Musical, I hear more show tunes each week of my current life than I heard in the first 25 years of my existence. With jazz hands.

Last week our neighbor invited us over to his house because he had just bought what is apparently the best piano available for purchase in the United States. You see, he is also a musical theater aficionado. He sat down and played a bunch of songs that were totally unfamiliar to me, but had my wife swaying and crooning away. We'll just add this to the list of ways in which I do not satisfy my wife.

Anyway, so, when my wife's sister arrived last week, it was like the perfect confluence of show tunes had descended from the heavens and fallen into my wife's lap, two, three, four. She had her childhood co-star and a willing accompanist with a world-class piano. Pinch her.

Last nght they went over to the neighbor's house for a show tunes orgy. I stayed home. Happily. It's the key to a good marriage.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My idea of a good time! I write because I can't paint or sing but always wanted to.

Mike said...

I'll bet your dogs like your singing.

Linda@VS said...

I absolutely LOVE the Les Miserables soundtrack. Hank is right: sometimes it's the only music that'll work, and you have to play it right then.

carey said...

Aw, Mike, you just need to get yourself to the oldest established permanent craps game in New York. Then you might think differently.

Mike said...

VS, I will take your word for it.

Carey, huh? Is that a euphemism for Broadway? You should know by now that I'm a cultural caveman.

carey said...

Just call yourself Nathan Detroit. They'll get it.

Mike said...

Hank informs me that this is some Guys and Dolls reference. How droll.