When I recently reconnected through Facebook with my dear friend and former neighbor, Brenda, she reminded me of the famous “Michael” incident. Many years ago, while babysitting my two year old son, she put in a video for him to watch. It was Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and when he decided he didn’t like Ursula, the sea witch, he picked himself up and promptly walked out the front door, which created somewhat of a panic when Brenda and her two daughters discovered a short time later that he was gone and found him booking it down the street to get away from Ursula.
That was such a “Michael” thing to do. I learned early that my son was a decisive fellow who made quick decisions, and acted promptly, which is why I got phone calls from the principal on his first day of kindergarten because he punched an older bully on the bus and in the second grade, when he cut a swag of hair off a girl who was teasing him.
Nonetheless, I thought of Michael last night when I went to the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh to see the musical stage production of The Little Mermaid. Surrounded on all sides by children, I wondered how Ursula, the sea witch, was going to go over with them. I was particularly concerned about the little boy sitting next to me. He must have been about three, and he was, like my Michael at that age, a “handful,” which means loud, rambunctious, fidgety, and demanding. He was working with a big wad of purple gum. Notice I didn’t say he was chewing it, because I never saw it in his mouth. He was too busy stretching and squishing it like Silly Putty.
“Who knows where that gum is going to end up,” I whispered to my husband.
I glanced at the boy’s mother to see if she shared my concern, but she was busy blowing a giant gum bubble herself and did not appear to be aware of her son’s sticky fingers.
“Put that gum back in your mouth,” scolded his older sister, a young, sensible teen, who could have been talking to either her mother or little brother. Once the play started, little gum boy settled down, sat back and enjoyed the show without disruption. So did mom and sister.
The production, music and performers were so colorful and fun, I found myself smiling through the entire show, which was a sheer delight. In fact, I most loved the character of Ursula, the funny, fabulously wicked sea witch, despite the previous Michael drama. A little girl behind me obviously had some trepidation, though, because she kept asking her mother very reasonable questions about Ursula’s motives and behavior. Unlike my son, she stayed in her seat and stuck it out.
Actually, she fared slightly better than my husband, who, true to his reputation, nodded off a few times. However, I was glad that he was conscious during the Under the Sea number because I would have been disappointed if he missed those giant, puppet jellyfish that wafted across the stage. They were utterly brilliant, and moved with such real-life precision, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.
Since I woke up this morning, I’ve been singing and humming Under the Sea, which, more than anything, indicates how much I enjoyed The Little Mermaid last night.
I just hope the ushers don’t find purple gum Under the Seats.
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