A moment of glory for every little actor

Yes, I admit, tonight I am a very proud Mummy. Expat girl gave a stunning performance in her annual school play. She was not the only one, however. I dare say there was considerable talent on stage bearing in mind that the kids were all between 9 and 10 years of age.

They had been rehearsing week after week for nearly five months straight. After school hours and even at weekends but it was all worth it.

The play was the "Big Bad Musical". Tell me I'm old fashioned but I had never heard of this musical. The notorious Big Bad Wolf is being slapped with a class-action lawsuit by storybooks of quirky characters who want to get even: Little Red Riding Hood, her Grandmother, the Three Little Pigs and the Shepherd in charge of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. With Sydney Grimm as the commentator on live Court TV, the two greatest legal minds in the Enchanted Forest - the Evil Stepmother and the Fairy Godmother - clash in a trial that the jury - the audience - must decide the outcome of.

Expat girl played the role of judge and nailed it. Don't take MY word for it. I'm just reflecting the parents' and teachers' comments. Watching her, you could tell she was enjoying every minute of her stage presence. After all, she had been waiting to hit Grade 5 for the last two years... not to be amongst the biggest kids in Primary school but to grab one of the major parts that the drama teacher assigns every year to the "big" kids.

Bravo to the casting crew who managed to give each and every child their own moment of glory by scripting a part for even the shyest of little bears and most introverted tiny mouse. Helping out with costumes and make-up, I could detect the childrens' anxious smiles and agitated moves giving way to their excitement and finally the sparkle in their eyes as they realized that they were actually pulling it off.

At the end of the play, the judge invited the audience (jury) to vote by applause to determine the guilt or innocence of the wolf. The spectators were roaring, the clapping was thunderous and the jury had as much fun as the cast.

Bravo to all of you! We'll see you at the Oscars...