Greetings gorgeous ones!
I want to share some photos from one of my highlights at high school.
We did the musical "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". This was a high class production for our little PNG school. We were coached by a director who had been a professional actor before she was a wife of an MAF pilot (Missionary Aviation Fellowship - the mission organisation my parents worked for). The flats were painted from cardboard boxes by a professional set designer who happened to be visiting his sister in PNG at the time! Or at least that is my memory of it.
I was Morgiana, the slave heroine. (Second from left in back row with pink veil) My sister was the captain of the robber band ...played to the hilt from all her 6' 2" height! (First from left in back row with red turban and beard).
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| People hid in the urns and eavesdropped, then had boiling oil poured on them to kill them! Blood thirsty! |
On the second night I lost my voice and couldn't hit the top note in my solo in the finale. My sister, who has a similar voice, was standing next to me with a beard, so she did it for me as we prearranged.
Noone noticed!
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| Gorgeous costumes leant to us by very generous Sikh parents. I remember mine was wondrous silk. |
The famous scene where I kill my sister not with the dagger I hold, but with the curse I uttered many years before. She is doing a stage dive for which she had much coaching, how to fall from her great height. They carried her off and I couldn't watch, I always got the giggles because she was so long she sagged and dragged on the ground.
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| I think I was trying to look implacable! Sister against sister! |
Do you have favourite theatrical memories?
Love,
Jazzy Jack
All I remember about Ali Baba and the 40 thieves was a comment that if anyone wanted to make a movie if it they would have to have the chief thief come in and say "the rest of you 39 stay outside and wait for me" because no one could afford all those actors. But it seems as though you could afford all those actors and scene painters and directors who just happened to be passing PNG. I winter what attracted them up there to you and your sisters? :-)
ReplyDeleteoh wow! sounds like glorious memories!
ReplyDeleteand look how cute your teenage self was! ali baba & the 40 thieves is one of my fav tales - open sesame is so meaningful....
i was a stork in the "vogelhochzeit" in kindergarten - white shirt and red tights was the costume - with a cardboard beak. not very glamorous and the only theater play in my life.
hugs! xxxxx
Sounds like a fabulous time! You asked about some beach 'rocks' on my blog and I don't find an email address so I will answer here....The flat rocks are most likely a fault in the rocks that allowed different sediment in to get the different colors. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteHow fun that you have photos to remember this by.
ReplyDeleteI love that your sister sang that note for you.
6'2" is TALL!
bisous
Suzanne
:) love seeing this series of photos. what great memories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful memory!!! M remembers backstage and excited actors being made up. Watching the Real turbans being put on was amazing . D remembers finding the best spot to take photos. We both really enjoyed the well produced results of our special young ladies and friends. We have sayings and songs from it that are still part of family memories after so many years (rubber bands are robber bands)! D&M xxxx
ReplyDeleteThese are such beautiful costumes for a school play. And such juicy backstage tidbits. I was quite the drama geek back in the day. My favorite memory was playing Michael in "Peter Pan." I was cast in the part because at 16 I looked like a little boy. And I didn't weigh very much so I got wear the harness and fly! It was fun beyond fun.
ReplyDeleteYour school had such talents , both for sets and costumes they are wonderful. It does look like you and your sister had so much fun getting into character, wonderful memories.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a wonderful production. I'm struck by the marvelous costumes and sets. What an awesome experience you had!
ReplyDeleteI had minor rolls in a small number of school and church productions growing up, but despite the fact I would have loved a more prominent roll, was never cast as such. I guess a life on the stage was not in cards for me. :D
Many hugs & happy tail end of January wishes,
♥ Jessica
WOW! What great memories! I love it when you share the stories from your life. You are soooo beautiful in this silk costume, by the way!
ReplyDeleteI never was an actor - but I was a director once in school, 6th grade I think. I chose it myself - somehow even then I knew. :))
That looks a brilliant production! Very professional and how cool you were Morgiana- I was always a bit scared by the boiling oil bit of the story! How cool she covered your top note too- heee hee!!x
ReplyDeleteWow, I love that you still have all these pictures! The best is your sister singing for you - completely awesome.
ReplyDeleteWhat incredible costumes! Lovely to still have the photos. xxx
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