Celebrate Someone Today

 

I went to see Beauty and the Beast last Wednesday night.

It was the second time that I’d seen the show, but I honestly didn’t remember much about the first time

Except for being on the very back row of the theater with a young girl who stood for as much of the show as she sat. 

 

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney stories.

I like the character transformation of the beast, 

I like how Gaston’s narcissism is foiled, 

And I like how confident Belle is in herself. 

 

So I was excited to see the show Wednesday night

And I was not disappointed by the performance. 

It was fun.

It was entertaining.

It was poignant.

And all of the cast members did a wonderful job.

 

But what sticks out to me the most is something that I saw during the curtain call. 

On Wednesday night, the character of Belle was played by an understudy. 

I’ve had show experiences where I could tell that I was watching the understudy

But this was not the case that night.

The woman playing Belle was superb.

Her singing, her acting, and her dancing were all on par and her general spirit  radiated that of Belle. 

So when it came to her part of the curtain call, it is no wonder that she was received with thunderous applause.

But here’s the part that was unique:

 

There was one ensemble cast member who was so genuinely excited for Belle 

That she was jumping up and down and applauding, 

A grin on her face. 

 

I had to wonder:

Was this the understudy’s first time playing the role? 

Was the ensemble member her best friend?

Had we seen an exceptional performance?

Was the ensemble member this excited for every Belle?

 

I can still see her, 

Jumping up and down and clapping in sheer proud joy. 

It was so neat to watch. 

Encouragement upon encouragement. 

And what I hope we can give each other today. 

 

I imagine that you will not be part of a curtain call today

But I hope that you can find someone to cheer for nonetheless. 

Jump up and down,

Grin with joy,

Clap wildly,

For someone is doing something superbly today, 

Even if it’s just getting out of bed and facing the day. 

 

Amen.