Once On This Island

I went to see a 'little known' musical last night at the local theatre. The crowd was sparse and only the middle section of the room was filled...and even that held a few vacant seats here and there. Being a Saturday night, I was surprised and saddened at the lack of interest and support that this play was getting. This was an older Broadway play that promised to be "...a true celebration of the beauty found in each of us...". With the exception of two of the cast, it was made up of all local talent. It was a story that took place on a Caribbean Island and was mainly a tale of the poor peasant girl falling in love with a rich boy. This forbidden love took them on a journey as they tried to face the social barriers of the community and culture in which they lived. The songs were not the type to be remembered after one left the theatre...but, their voices were so rich and resonated with such passion....their dancing was heartfelt, and powerful...and I was mesmerized by it all. My first thought was that why is it that the 'little events' that just come into the world quietly seem to go unnoticed....while the louder, more famously known ones seem to get the audience numbers? Here was this incredible gem of a production that, unfortunately, was missed by so many people. Life can be that way sometimes....in that it is so often, the loud, aggressive people who seem to get a lot of attention in the world....while, the softer, quieter, behind-the-scenes folks can get overlooked. It doesn't mean that one has more meaningful information to share...in fact, many times, it is quite the contrary. We just need to learn to listen more to what everyone has to say. As I said earlier, the play promised to be "...a true celebration of the beauty found in each of us." For me it kept that promise. I am so glad that I took the time to listen.