Life of a Theatre Fanatic

            If someone were to ask you, “Do you know someone who is a theater fanatic?” You should definitely answer, “Yes, his name’s Seth Larson.”

            I LOVE theater. I adore it. I think it’s fabulous. I love acting in plays, and I love watching plays. When my friends come over, sometimes we put on a very short play.

            I also love to know anything and everything about classic musicals. Did you know that Hello Dolly! won ten Tony Awards? Or that The Phantom of the Opera is the longest running Broadway musical of all time? Or that the man who wrote Miss Saigon also wrote Cats? Or that… I could go on and on.

            My first exposure to theater was when my school introduced a Theatre Arts class. My classmates loved the class because we played lots of games. I, however, liked it when we got to put on little performances. In the fourth grade, our Theatre teacher decided to put on a musical for the PTA. Auditions were held, and I became the Pig Who Built the Brick House.

            The musical was a cheesy little play about fairy tale people who came on to discuss their problems. Then Rapunzel, Prince Charming, and the Wicked Witch sang a song on how to solve the problem. My problem was that my silly brothers were being pretty stupid. I sang loud and clear, and afterwards, everyone congratulated me. Fortunately of unfortunately, I was star struck.

            Because I am now home schooled, I couldn’t go to the Elementary Theatre class, so my mom found one for me. It was a small theatre called SOYT (Stone Oak Youth Theatre. If you live here in San Antonio, I suggest you look into it. It’s really awesome. Their website is http://stoneoakyouththeatre.com/)

At first, my sister and I took a dancing/ singing class. Then, my mom let us try out for the musical. I auditioned for Seussical Jr. And guess what part I got… the lead!

            Seussical Jr. is a condensed version of Seussical, a musical about Horton the Elephant and his adventures. Mixed into there is a sad love story of Gertrude McFuzz and the tale of Jojo the Who and his thinks. It was a fun show, and I was sad to see the last show go by. I made a resolution right then to be an actor.

            The next year, I was in another musical, Honk! It is simply the story of the Ugly Duckling, and guess who got to be that hideous poultry. Yep, yours truly! I was in almost every scene, and I had an entire song all to myself! This definitely didn’t help my star struck problem.

            Besides being able to act in plays, I have seen quite a few. I have seen several high school and middle school productions, but I have also been lucky enough to see Wicked and The Lion King. They were both very very VERY spectacular.

            Some day I hope to see Les Misérables. It’s the longest running musical in the world! Did you know that in Les Miserables…  

Elegance, Part V

After listening to all of Frank’s story, Archie was red from laughing.

                “Frank Harlin, the things you get yourself into!” he chuckled.

                “So, about the money?” Frank asked.

                Archie was immediately uncomfortable again. “You see, Frank, about that,” he said nervously. “I can’t just give you money. I’m not a philanthropist. And besides, I just bought a new automobile last week, so money is kind of tight.”

                At that moment, a servant walked in. “Sir, the golden dinner plates you bought yesterday are ready here. Would you like some Matsutake Mushrooms with Almas Caviar?”

                “Wait a minute,” said Frank accusingly. “Aren’t those the mushrooms that cost one hundred dollars a pound?”

                The servant smiled. “No sir, one thousand dollars a pound, and the caviar cost twenty five thousand dollars.”  

                Archie looked even more uncomfortable. “Yes, that sounds delicious. Bring it in.”

                The servant left the room and Frank glared at Archie. Archie had changed a lot since Frank had last seen him. Instead of terribly thin, he was a bit more than pleasantly plump. His scruffy red hair was now combed neatly with an ugly haircut. And a tan suit replaced the gray rags he had once worn.

                “Money is tight, Archie? I don’t think so,” Frank said, raising his eyebrows.

                “All right, all right, I am very rich right now. But… the Essex House Restaurant? That’s very expensive, especially if you’re taking Betty What’s-her-name. It sounds like she has expensive tastes,” whimpered Archie.

                “You could go to that restaurant every night if you wanted to, Archie,” replied Frank angrily. “And besides, you owe me big time. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have that shovel, and without the shovel, you would never have found gold, and without gold…”

                “I would still be a street urchin,” sighed Archie.

                “So hand over the money.”

                Archie was still. Then he sighed again. “I will pay for half of your dinner, but that is it,” Archie said grudgingly.

                “Just half?” asked Frank.

                “And I’ll get you some nicer clothes. You can’t walk into the Essex House Restaurant with that shirt on.”

                Frank smiled. “Then let’s get started!”

Lovey-Dovey

(This is not part of Elegance. It's just a fun little thing.)

               

Dearest sweetest Sara,

                How dreadfully I miss your precious face! Just your eyes are like diamonds glittering and shining, while your cheek-how I wish to kiss that cheek!- is like a rose in bloom. I don’t get the chance to see many roses here; this place is a dump. I wish I had never agreed to visit my Great-Aunt Josie here in Nebraska. How are things in Virginia?

                Love,

                Your biggest admirer John

               

                My beautiful and lovely Sara,

                How much I regret leaving Virginia! It’s not th e state I miss… it’s you! How could I not miss that flowing cascade of chestnut hair and tender and white hand? I would send you a souvenir, but Great-Aunt Josie won’t let me leave her house. I have to read her books and tell her stories. It’s really boring, and I am so excited to return next month.

                With more love than ever,

                John

                Honey-sweet Sara,

                How I love you! Your graceful figure, your fair face, everything about you! I am so excited! I’m coming home next week! I will go straight to your house when I get home and take you to see that new movie Letters to Juliet!

                Your admirer,

                John

Dear  Sara,

                How could you! In your last letter, you told me that you liked Mathew more than me. How could that be! I am not very happy. Great-Aunt Josie is so mean, and now you are too! I’m not your friend anymore!
I told Mommy all about it, and she said that young love is just never meant to be, especially when the lovers are five years old, like us.

                Signed,

                John

    

               

Elegance, Part IV

Archibald San Vincent was an incredibly wealthy man. He owned an extremely large mansion in downtown Manhattan, complete with a lush garden,  incredible statuary and at least fifty servants to keep it all in order.

                Archibald had a very successful business, so imagine the surprise of Manhattan to see a guy in filthy clothes (a.k.a. Frank Harlin) trudging to the gate of the mansion.

                Frank had had a hard night. He had walked all the way from the Bronx (where he lived) to Manhattan to see Mr. San Vincent, because trains and hacks were too expensive. His clothes were covered with dust and dirt, and the soles of his shoes were about gone. He nearly collapsed when he reached the gate, but managed to stay standing up.

When a servant approached him, he weakly asked to see Mr. Archie Sags, more commonly known as Archibald San Vincent. When the servant asked why, Frank replied that he needed a favor and Mr. San Vincent owed him.

                Of course, the servant didn’t believe that at all, but at that moment, Mr. San Vincent came out and saw Frank.

                “Frank, is that you?” he asked in surprise.

                “Yes, Archie, and we need to talk.”

                Frank’s friendship with Archie Sags came about by very odd means. Archie had once been a street urchin, and Frank, who could be very generous on occasion, would give him a little money every day. They soon became friends, but one day, Archie was gone. The next day, the newspaper told of a man named Archibald San Vincent who had found buried gold using the money a kind citizen had given him. Of course, it didn’t mention the kind citizen’s name, so Frank watched as hid friend climbed the ladder of success, never giving Frank a second glance.

                But now that was going to change. Frank and Archie walked into a very stylish parlor and sat on expensive couches.

                “What can I do for you, Frank?” asked Archie amiably.

                “I have two questions. Number one: When did you change form Archie Sags to Archibald San Vincent?” asked Frank.

                “Well,” replied Archie nervously. “You can’t become one of the richest men in New York with a name like Archie Sags.”

Frank wasn’t impressed. Archie cleared his throat and asked,  “Question two?”

 “Archie, do you have some money to spare?” asked Frank with a hopeful smile.