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PHOTO ALBUM

 

Once upon a time, in a not very well known country called Portugal, a young boy was born. He grew up near Lisbon, with all the love and comfort that his parents could give him. When he was four years old, his parents took him for the first time to the movies. The picture was Disney's CINDERELLA and the boy fell in love with that art form.

It was on television that he saw his first musical. It was an Astaire-Rogers movie and the young boy couldn't believe his eyes. He wanted to dance and sing like them, but above all, the musical genre got a captive place on his heart. It was also during his childhood that he saw the Julie Andrews' show on television, and so the world of the musicals started to open before his eyes.

Later he would run to the cinemas to see THE SOUND OF MUSIC, MY FAIR LADY and, specially, HELLO, DOLLY! Classics like SINGIN'IN THE RAIN, SEVEN BRIDES TO SEVEN BROTHERS and THE BAND WAGON, that he saw twice on a weekend, helped his musical education. But the best was yet to come.

By the time he was 12 his mother bought him the cast album of the original production of CHICAGO and he discovered the amazing world of stage musicals. Since then, his love for that kind of music never ceased to grow. Thanks to the cast albums, his dream world became a musical fantasy and names like Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Kander & Ebb started to mean something to him.

In May of 1989, when he was almost 25 years old, he went for the first time to London and fulfilled his dream of seeing musicals live on stage.

The first show was the revival of ME AND MY GIRL and, although it wasn't as good as he wished, it was an unforgettable experience. The first notes from the orchestra made him chill, and then the magic came alive on stage. The boy was amazed and completely in love with what he was seeing.

Other shows followed, as the London trips increased. Broadway only came later, much later. He was 33 when it happened and he was conquered by the magic of the place. Among the first shows he saw, was CHICAGO. It was as good as the cast album he heard when he was 12.

Portugal, a country with hardly any musicals, may not be the right place for him, but thanks to the cast albums and his London and Broadway trips the musical is very much alive to him. So alive that he decided to create a site about it and share his passion with the world.

by Jorge T. Santos (2000)

 

email me: jorge@jorgeplace.com