Saturday, June 30, 2012
Yes, my blog is normally focused on food, nutrition, science, cooking – that kind of thing. But we all know that theater references surface now and then. This art form is on my mind once again today as this is the final day of our fiscal year. In other words, it’s the end of my theater company‘s 14th season and our milestone15th season is on the horizon. I am taking a moment to reflect by remembering the gorgeous prose from the opening number of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World. Our most recent production, this powerful show had a profound impact on me and I found much inspiration in the stories and songs – especially apropos as I continue with this new chapter of my life.
Whatever your age and wherever you are in your own life’s journey, perhaps you also will find encouragement and light in the words from the opening song and scene as dawn rises on The New World.
A New World Calls You: Time to Fly?
A new world calls across the ocean
A new world calls across the sky
A new world whispers in the shadows
“Time to fly, time to fly…”
It’s about one moment
The moment before it all becomes clear
And in that one moment
You start to believe there’s nothing to fear
It’s about one second
And just when you’re on the verge of success
The sky starts to change
And the wind starts to blow
And oh, you’re suddenly a stranger
There’s no explaining where you stand
And you didn’t know
That you sometimes have to go
‘Round an unexpected bend,
And the road will end
In a new world.
A new world calls for me to follow
A new world waits for my reply
A new world holds me to a promise
Standing by,
Standing by…
It’s About One Moment: What Will You Choose?
It’s about one moment
That moment you think you know where you stand
But in that one moment
The things that you’re sure of slip from your hand
And you’ve got one second
To try to be clear, to try to stand tall
But nothing’s the same
And the wind starts to blow
And oh, you’re suddenly a stranger
In some completely different land
And you thought you knew
But you didn’t have a clue
That the surface sometimes cracks
To reveal the tracks
To a new world
You have a house in the hills You have a job on the coast
You find a lover you’re sure you believe in
You get a pool in the back
You get the part of your life
You hold the ring in your hand
But then the earthquake hits
Then the bank closes in
Then you realize you didn’t know anything…
A New World Calls: Will You Answer?
Nobody told you the best way to steer
When the wind starts to blow
And oh, you’re suddenly a stranger
And life is different than you planned
And you have to stay
‘Til you somehow find a way
To be sure of what will be,
Then you might be free…
A new world crashes down like thunder
A new world charging through the air
A new world just beyond the mountain
Waiting there…
Waiting there…
A new world shattering the silence
There’s a new world I’m afraid to see
A new world louder every moment
“Come to me! Come to me!”
—
Produced by The Longwood Players. Directed and Music Directed by Jason Luciana. Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown; subheadings are my own. Poster designed by Todd Yard. Photo by Paul Bobkowski Photography.
