All Good Things Must Come To An End

     *Phew*...that was me finally being able to take a breath. For the last week, it feels like it's been constantly go, go, go. Not in a bad way, this week has actually been fantastically enjoyable, but I am ready to take a break.
     This afternoon my school put on its last of six performances of the musical "Hello Dolly!". Don't get too excited, I wasn't a singer or a dancer in this production. If you know anything about me, then you could probably guess that I took part in playing clarinet in the pit orchestra.
     My school goes all out for musicals. The costumes, lighting, set, props, everything is top notch. Not only that, but the pure amount of talent that goes into the singing and dancing never ceases to amaze me. However this doesn't come without any work. These high schoolers have been working long hours every day, five days a week, sometimes more, since December to put on this production. As for the pit band, we had only been rehearsing since late January. Blood, sweat and tears go into creating an unforgettable show. Then, all this week, it's been late night dress rehearsals, all leading up to the big weekend of the shows. Four days, six shows, and not a moment to spare.
     During yesterday's matinee performance, when the cast was taking their bows and the audience was emitting its thunderous applause, I saw something that really captured how special this moment is. The boy who plays Horace - a senior for whom it was his last show - had a red face with tears welling up in his eyes. That honestly just made my heart want to melt. When you put so much effort - your heart and soul - into creating somethings so spectacular, and it's over, it's such a feeling of sadness mixed with pride. Even though I'm only a junior, I had just the tiniest twinge of the same feeling of sadness that the entire show was over. Never again would I sway to the beat of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes". Never again would I grin as my band director played the Louis Armstrong part in "Hello Dolly!" It's over.
     Luckily, whenever that twinge of sadness comes creeping into my thoughts, I can overcome them with the memory of a great show. The thought that I contributed - however slightly - to putting on a show that brought an large audience a great amount of joy and entertainment. That thought makes ever hour of rehearsing and every note on my clarinet worth it. Today we "Put On Our Sunday Clothes" with a great amount of "Elegance" and said "Hello Dolly!" for the last time.