Emily Swallow Instagram – Flashback to an incredibly special time in June when I got to return to the stage where I had my FIRST professional acting gig. This time it was for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of @virginiatheatrefestival. I returned to some songs I sang many summers ago (“Mr.Snow” from Carousel) but it also felt right to try something better suited to where I am now.
“Being Alive” is a seemingly simple song, but age only shows me more and more how subtle and specific and anti-sentimental it is. My mom was in the audience a few nights, and thinking about the lyrics in the context of her 55-year marriage to my dad almost stopped me in my tracks.
We all say we want to be known, but what if that means you don’t get to dictate how people see you or what your “image” is? Vulnerability and day-to-day intimacy are not for the faint of heart. Yet as Sondheim reminds us, “alone is alone…not alive.”
“Somebody hold me too close
Somebody hurt me too deep
Somebody sit in my chair
And ruin my sleep
And make me aware
Of being alive, being alive
Somebody need me too much
Somebody know me too well
Somebody pull me up short
And put me through hell
And give me support
For being alive
Make me alive
Make me alive
Make me confused
Mock me with praise
Let me be used
Vary my days
But alone is alone, not alive
Somebody crowd me with love
Somebody force me to care
Somebody make me come through
I’ll always be there
As frightened as you
To help us survive
Being alive, being alive
Being alive!”
#fbf #flashback #flashbackfriday #throwback #company #stephensondheim #musicaltheatre #uva | Posted on 10/Aug/2024 02:46:16
