The Joy of Surprise

I didn’t imagine writing many posts for this blog when first we started it, but I’ve been moved by a recent experience to write.

One of the reasons I read as much as I do, go to as many plays as I do, engage with art as often as I do, is the opportunity to be surprised. Not shocked, which is easy and unfulfilling, but shown something I didn’t expect to see in myself and others.

This past weekend, I took my young daughter and a bunch of our extended family to see High School Musical. The trip was originally planned to be just me, my wife, our daughter and her older cousin; initially, we didn’t invite her younger cousin because we didn’t think he’d be into High School Musical as much as the girls are, and weren’t sure he’d be able to sit through the whole show. But, he didn’t want to be left out, and so we ended up expanding the party to include him, his mother and the kids’ grandparents.

He impressed me right away with how patient he was waiting for the play to start and how attentive he was once it did. But, that wasn’t necessarily surprising, because he’s a good kid and had his mother and grandparents along with him. I was just pleased he seemed to be enjoying it.

And then the play ended with its great musical finale, balloons dropping from the ceiling, this huge cast taking their bows, and my nephew is standing up, applauding wildly and literally screaming at the stage “I love you guys!” I take issue with the forced standing ovations I often see from Seattle audiences, but this was nothing of the sort. This was pure, spontaneous joy. He wasn’t standing because he thought he should but because he couldn’t do anything but.

And this was the kid I thought wouldn’t appreciate the play.

It was a great reminder of several things, not to underestimate kids and their ability to appreciate new things for one. But most poignantly for me, a self-professed lover of theatre, it was a reminder of just how powerful and surprising art can be, whether deep and existential or bubblegum pop and romance.

It’s why I keep coming back.

Jim Jewell is PR Manager at Seattle Children's Theatre and moderator of Behind the Curtain.