The Hills Are Alive.......

So...I don't think I've ever written about my days of yesteryear, when I was the STAR OF THE STAGE (as my mother liked to call me.) In 1989, my dreams of singing and dancing on "Broadway" became a reality as I starred in (ok.....more like appeared in) the NHS production of Rogers and Hammerstein's, "The Sound of Music." It was the opportunity of a life time and it was almost handed to me, Tito Hutchins" (my stage name) after months of private singing lessons and hours of grueling practice, (in my bedroom) belting out my audition song, "In My Own Little Corner" from the musical, "Cinderella". (And, PS Holly..... “NO!” I STILL will not go "in my own little corner" and “shut up!”) See, I had what my mom liked to call “a voice that could really project”....and Holly was probably just a little jealous! I had long forgotten my days in the spotlight until I met someone recently, who after learning of my start and fame in the Sound of Music, shared with me, that he too had once performed in a play with the same name! When he learned that I was a big star, he inquired as to which role I had played and.......being true to my humble nature, I proclaimed, "Oh....you probably haven't heard of her....she was only in the stage rendition of the musical." Imagine my horror when he guessed correctly my character......Frau Schmidt! That's right....Frau Schmidt, the house keeper of the Von Trap family! Little did he know just how famous I had made the line, "Captain Von Trap, you have a phone call in the parlor." (For the record.....that wasn't my only line in the play, per say....I repeated that line again in act two!) Turns out, my new friend had played the roll of Captain VonTrap (maybe some of you have heard of him, he was the father of the VonTrap family....sang a little ditty entitled “Edelweiss”. (He ends up marrying one of the other lessor-known characters at the end of the movie, Maria.) Any-who (If you are still reading).....I shared with him how on OPENING NIGHT, my whole family had come out to see the big show. At intermission (just before they left) my mom handed me a bouquet of daisy’s, wrapped in newspaper (apparently they were the left over “filler flowers” from the floral arrangements she had been preparing earlier in the day for for my sisters wedding. “You are the best Frau Schmidt I’ve ever seen” she announced, as she handed me the daisy’s.... we’ll see you at home later tonight!, sweet heart!” “DAISY’S?????” my new friend asked. “You don’t give someone who played the roll of Frau Schmidt Daisy’s! The star of the show should have received roses!” Of course.......I couldn’t disagree! I did recognize that my mom was totally new to the roll of “Stage Mom”...especially to a famous childhood actress. She couldn’t have known about the roses. OR....maybe she knew more than I thought! Maybe she just didn’t want me turning out like other childhood actors like Gary Coleman or that Tina Yothers! Wow......thanks mom! I never really thought about that way! The day after I told my new friend the story of the daisy’s....guess what was delivered to me at work?