Oct. 19, 2026 – I’m rehearsing for a musical at the moment. Our Bar Association puts on a musical every couple of years which is written, produced, and performed by members of the bar. I was cast a couple of weeks ago after an unexpected opening happened. So I’m behind the eight ball already, trying to learn my lines, learn the blocking, and realizing that none of this comes as easy as it did when I was in high school.
I’ve always loved theater. For whatever reason, whenever I was cast in high school, I was cast as the “bad guy.” Yes, write your own joke. One of my favorite roles was in a musical version of “A Christmas Carol” where I played the part of Ebeneezer Scrooge. I remember having to do one show in front of my high school — standing in front of my entire school (all of whom were compelled to be there as part of a mandatory attendance) — belting out a tune about “Why I Love My Money.”
After that particular show, one of the huge football players came up to me in the hall. (This was the same football player that I saw threatening the Middle States evaluators who came to determine whether our public school would remain certified.) He came right up to me, got into my face, and yelled, “Hey Scrooge! You said you could change. You said it, and you did change!” He grabbed me, picked me up, and hugged me. Dickens’ story of redemption wins again.
As I’m struggling to remember my lines, I do think back on those moments when I was hanging out backstage in school. The time that you have between scenes, sitting in the dimly lit portions behind the curtains — waiting for the moment when you’re queued. Those are happy memories.
By the way, one of the best movies of all time relating to life backstage is the movie Topsy Turvy which tells the story of the making of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. The writing, acting, and singing is phenomenal. Jim Broadbent’s performance is unforgettable, as is Allan Corduner’s.
In less than a month, I’ll be back on stage (again, cast as the “bad guy”), doing my best to hit my marks. All of it is for a good cause (Delaware’s Combined Campaign for Justice). More information is available at https://profundobono.com/.
