House to half, then to black. Barbara Cook glides onstage in shrimp-colored palazzos, nods to Wally at the piano, opens her mouth to sing, and says, “shit.” Collective gasp. A virus, she says. She thought she could sing, but cannot. Our money will be refunded in full, but meanwhile, she regales us with theatre tales and greets each of us at the lip of the stage. Last in line, I tell her I’m a cantor and she takes my hands in hers and says earnestly “Oh, I’d love to hear you sing.” I reply, “I’d love to hear you sing!”
Karen Webber, poet, cantor, and teaching artist, presents music/theatre and spoken word pieces in senior centers, college classrooms, and houses of worship. Author of Vessels of Light.