The Glow of the Spotlight: My Journey with Rebecca

I call time-out and wrap my arm around Benny, who trembles against my side. The story feels too frightening for him, I tell Rebecca, and maybe we should choose a gentler fairy tale instead.

Rebecca isn’t ready to give up on Baba Yaga so easily. She kneels down to Benny’s level and floats an idea: what if he plays the witch himself, instead of being scared of her? Benny’s eyes go wide at the thought of being the mean one for once, and he declares that he can be a mean witch.

We start over, and this time Benny throws himself into the role. He stomps and cackles, tries out Rebecca’s witch song in a scratchy little voice, and tosses in a threat or two of his own about spreading us on bread. Rebecca and I bite back our giggles and let him play the part exactly as he wants it. By the time we’ve rehearsed through the rest of the afternoon, our little production feels ready.

That evening, we herd the whole family into the parlor for the surprise. Rebecca announces the show like a real emcee, welcoming everyone to the Rubins’ own home theater and introducing her grandmother’s favorite Russian folktale. As if Mr. Shereshevsky knows how important the story is to his wife, he places a hand on his wife’s hand.

Once we start, everything clicks. Benny commits fully to his cackles, pausing only to check that everyone looks properly frightened. Rebecca dances through her song, and I tap alongside her, relieved when my steps land where they should. A stumble or two cannot stop us; we simply laugh and keep going.

When the curtain falls, the parlor erupts in applause. Rebecca’s parents clap, Bubbie beams with something like pride, and Benny takes his bow like he was born for the stage. Rebecca squeezes my hand and murmurs that this might be the start of something bigger for the both of us, some other stage, some bigger audience someday.

Later that night, Rebecca says she’ll always remember this. Cousin Max always says if you can make the audience laugh, they’ll love the show. But maybe if the audience feels a personal connection to the show, it’ll also be a hit. Maybe that’ll be the key to helping her family accept her dream of becoming an actress.

I beam at Rebecca. Hearing her say I’ve helped her think of a new way to earn her parents’ support feels like a standing ovation! Tomorrow morning it’s time for me to return home to my own life. I miss my family and friends and dance. But, I’ll never forget our performance of Baba Yaga: The Musical.