Oh, the places you'll go...

Of course Brooke was in Drama Club at Burneson.  Of course she was.

And of course, for their one and only production, they were doing "Seussical, Jr."

After a summer saturated with the soundtrack, and a production that was out of this world, Brooke had kind of had her fill.

She was cast as a Wickersham Brother, and had fun with her friends, but she kept complaining about the poor quality of the singing, that there wasn't any scenery to speak of, and that generally, none of us should even plan to see it.

A week before the performance Brooke came home and said she might have to step in as Horton.  She wasn't quite sure what was going on with the girl who was originally cast, but the director had kind of given her a heads up that something might be happening.  I didn't make too big a deal of it, because chances were it wasn't going to happen.

But sure enough, we got an email Saturday night--"I would like you to assume the role of Horton for our performances from this point forward."  Well, "this point" was was a mere six days before opening night.  Brooke took it all in stride and went up to her room with the FPFATA Seussical DVD to immerse herself in all things Horton.

That week, I didn't say too much to Brooke about it.  I didn't bother her with questions about how rehearsals were going, or bug her about how she felt she was doing.  She quietly went to rehearsal and and came quietly home.  So we went to Friday night's performance not knowing what to expect.

Holy. Cow.  Brooke totally rocked it!  It is such a big part, lines and solos all over the place.  And she did it beautifully.  I pretty much was crying from her very first note.  Jill looked over at me when it was over (after I had finished wiping my tears) and asked, "Did you know she could sing like that?"  No, no I did not.  Around the house she's always singing so over-the-top dramatically that you can't hear her true voice.  Well, that night, on that stage, you certainly could.  She did a fantastic job.

Afterwards I talked to the director to thank her for taking a chance on Brooke.  She had nothing but wonderful things to say about her.  She said that all throughout Brooke had been a positive influence for the group and once she took over as Horton, the energy completely changed for the better.  She was very happy with the way Brooke stepped in with confidence and the fabulous job she did on stage.

Brooke is still on "Seussical" overload.  We can't talk about it, listen to it, or sing even one measure of one of its songs without sending her into a dramatic rage.  Grandpa Franklin had to bribe her with a trip to Menchies to get her to let us watch the DVD of her performance.  Maybe someday she'll get it out of her system.  But for now I just relive the moment in my mind (and maybe watch the video I took on my camera and maybe listen to the soundtrack when she's not around).  Can't wait to hear more from this girl.