SassyBlonde

For a long time I had forgotten how good it was. The give and take, push and pull, intimate communication between two musicians practicing their art to the fullest. Like good sex? No, better.

I just got back from dress rehearsal for my all-time favorite musical. I swear, when this show is good, it's bar-none the best experience I've ever had as a musician. The writing is excellent, the orchestration inspired, and if the casting is right, it's a completely transcendent thing to be a part of.

I realize I'm only a musician in the orchestra pit, but musicals have proven to be one of the best genres I've ever experienced for artistic fulfillment. They are, when done well, a perfect melding of the arts: visual, theatrical, and musical. Even though some aspects are never seen onstage by the audience, when each piece of the puzzle lines up with everyone else's, even for only a few seconds of the show, it's a more intimate fulfillment than any aspiring artist dreams of, no matter what part they play.

And I have eight more weeks to enjoy this.