Peter Pan

Approximately 10 years ago, Kev and I attended Miss Kat's first school program. She was in preschool in the "4-year-old" class. There was also a "3-year-old" class which performed first. You know how most preschool concerts are...lots and lots of cute little kids who might like to sing, but they get very shy when up on a stage in front of lots and lots of grown-ups. And, we all enjoy watching the kids never knowing what to expect. After all, Andy picked his nose during his first concert...

The 3 year-old kids performed first. And, most of them barely whispered their songs and there was a lot of fidgeting and chewing on fingers and bashfulness. Except for this one little boy...He stood towards the edge of the stage, this tiny little boy with big eyes and a head full of blond hair. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt. He alone on that stage wasn't shy. He was singing and wiggling to the music, you might not have heard any of the other kids sing, but you could hear this kid. He stole the show--without meaning too, he was just having a good time singing.

I didn't know who that little boy was at the time, but I did learn his name...Dual. We later became good friends with his family. They and Dual have brought a lot of joy into our lives. In fact, they've become family to us. Because of that, this past weekend, we drove to Hutch to watch Dual perform in the Hutchinson Family Theater production of Peter Pan. Dual was cast in the role of Michael, the youngest of the Darling Children. We were in awe of the professionalism of the production--all volunteer. 140 characters cast in this production. (Dual wasn't the only one from his family on stage, Miss Bailey was one of Tiger Lily's Indian dancers.) This was Dual's second time performing. Imagine, performing once, then being cast as one of the major characters in your second performance...

Dual did a fantastic job. He nailed his lines, his acting was very natural and his singing was spectacular. I couldn't have been more proud of my own kids. Watching him on stage, we all realized that this was where he belonged. And, although he's now a "mature" 13, he still has a lot of that 3 year old kid in him, stealing the show and enjoying himself on stage.