The subtle undertones

After a brief hiatus from rehearsals my first full week back was a roller coaster of emotions. At first glance this musical is pretty straight forward and extremely silly. The true beauty of the script lies in the undertones. Some of the songs are meant to shock or to cause theatre goers to chuckle and guffaw. But many of the songs embody things that are not perfect in the world and in the lives of our characters. There is a depth and subtlety to the dialogue and the song lyrics that make me reflect. One of these songs tackles the issue of parents who put too much pressure on their child to succeed at everything and be perfect all the time. One is about a family dynamic in which one child, from a large family, believes he's not smart enough. Not good enough. And then there are songs that show the inside of a 12 year old mind (scary!!). The more we work through the numbers and add choreography and inflection the more I realize this script is not just to make people laugh or to poke fun at a mundane activity (sorry spelling bee champions). This show is also reflective of society, parents, and the "tween" stages. Otherwise known as puberty.