Doing Dad Proud

If you are a parent, you will remember those first stirrings of parental pride when you watched your progeny up on the stage of their first school play, Christmas pageant, or summer camp production. I know I do. I can even remember their lines! “Be still, gentle cow, and do not moo,” said my son, making sure to take an extra long pause after “cow”, which had me panicked that he had forgotten the rest. And I can never forget my daughter’s many roles onstage, though I must admit that her hilarious portrayal of Mama in “Bye, Bye, Birdie” was my favorite. Those moments of heart-bursting wonder and enjoyment in my children’s performances are treasured memories for me.
So I can only imagine the thrill it must be for a parent to see his son up on a Broadway stage, performing in a musical which that son and his friends have created. I got to see a glimpse of that last Saturday evening, when my daughter, a friend, and I went to see “[title of show]” yet again.
You may, faithful readers, remember my raptures about the show which is about the writing of show, starring Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, who are responsible for the music and lyrics and the book, respectively. The show is very “meta”, as they say, and I find myself inspired by Jeff and Hunter’s exploration of the creative process and the joy, pain and rewards of staying true to yourself.
But the real joy of watching the show for the second time was our serendipitous meeting of Hunter’s father, Dr. George Bell of Virginia. Dr. Bell overheard my daughter Liz talking to the person next to her about how much she loves the show, and he couldn’t restrain himself from turning around in his seat and letting us know that he was Hunter’s dad! Talk about a proud papa!
Dr. Bell told us all about opening night, when the cast was in tears at the end of the show. He also told us about the show’s journey from off-Broadway to the Lyceum Theater. It was obvious that he loved his son and was thrilled by his success. And who wouldn’t be?
It was heart-warming to watch Dr. Bell during the show, thoroughly enjoying the production and just aglow with love and pride for his son and his friends, whose talent, hard work, and perseverance had helped them accomplish the dream of a lifetime.
Dr. Bell’s experience was one of unalloyed joy, and as the audience reacted with laughter or tears or applause or, finally, a standing ovation, his smile only grew wider. His son had helped create this marvelous production and had persisted in his efforts to see it reach Broadway. What greater gift could there be for a parent than to see your child achieve his or her dreams? And to be there, at the moment when those years of striving and hard work finally pay off in a moment of triumph for your child—with a standing ovation to boot--for a parent, that is surely a dream come true.
Congratulations, Dr. Bell. Hunter has done you proud.