Distilling Life and Making Magic

There was a time when I had nagging doubts about spending time on such frivolous persuits as theatre, acting in shows, writing musicals, and such. I was concerned that performance, which was so much fun, wasn't sufficiently serious an activity.

After a lot of thought I've changed my mind.

The creative arts like painting, poetry, sculpture, and theatre aren't frivolous -- even shows as silly as The Wizard of Oz. I've recently had the joy of playing the part of The Cowardly Lion [photos here ] with the New London Theatre Company and was reminded of the importance of the Arts.

In many ways the Arts distill what's central to the human experience and serve it up with passion and fire. Great art can move people to laughter and tears, provoke the spirit, inspire deep thoughts, and touch people in ways that otherwise can't be reached. Art creates a magic that is somehow more real than everyday life -- something that is profoundly serious even, and some times especially, when it's most comical.

I'm proud to be reminded of the power of Art when I'm on stage making people laugh and believe there's a special spot in all our hearts for the Jester, the Buffoon, the Wise Fool, and all the other variations of wisdom masquerading as absurdity.

In laughter, truth.