Take Two

I am in a play that will open in a few weeks, and I usually have a nightmare at this point in the rehearsal schedule. I am standing behind the curtain and just about to walk on stage when I realize I don’t know my lines. I never find out if I suddenly remember them, as I always wake up at that point.

Plays require numerous practices for the actors to get ready. Sometimes I get impatient and begin to question the necessity of such repetition, but then I remember my bad dream and am thankful for all the practice experience. I have to know my part because there is no second chance.

For a play to be successful practice, practice, practice is required. When everything comes together you know what you and the other actors are going say, when they should say it and to whom. You know when you are supposed to come on stage, where you should stand, who else is going to be with you and what they are going to do.  To the audience, all this should come across as smooth and natural, with no bumps and a dialog that doesn’t sound rehearsed. To the actors on stage and those waiting in the wings there should be no surprises. If there are, the director may pull her hair out.

With my own loss of hair, I have noticed that the parts normally offered to me are going to younger men. A woman in the play who is about my age said to me during rehearsal the other day, “What happened?  We used to get the younger parts – now we play the older folks.”  And then she answered her own question. “We got older, Jerry.”

Well, maybe we did. I have been told I will be a grandfather sometime next year and all signs seem to be pointing in that direction. In fact, it becomes more obvious each time I see my daughter.

But, I’m not sure if I’m right for the part of grandfather. My own grandfathers were  elderly. They wore sensible shoes and suspenders. Their long sleeved shirts were buttoned-up tight at the neck. I suppose I could make that work with the right costume and make-up.

Certainly, playing the part of a grandfather would provide me with certain advantages that are otherwise unavailable to a younger man. Having witnessed similar scenes unfold before, a grandfather knows when to laugh, when to be serious, and what to expect in the next act.

Having learned from my mistakes I will, as a grandfather, have the opportunity to do better this time around. I will have more to give and less to demand. I won’t lose my temper with a young child, I will be a better listener, I will be a better story teller and have more time to use four letter words like play, pray, talk, walk, hold and love.

A young father has many things to learn and there are so many other demands on his time and energy, but a grandfather is positioned to give back – to share his life with his grandchild.

When it came to raising kids my dad used to tell me, “You do the best you can, but you go only get one chance.”

But the way I see it with grandchildren, it’s kind of like a second chance.  And this time I think I know my lines.