Walking along Westminster Bridge I am listening to some random musical soundtracks. The wind is kinda strong and I am looking down the river an feeling as if I am on stage. Performing, obviously. Getting into each role... you know? Oh wow! What a dramatic girl I have turned into lately!
The truth is that... everyone who knows me is aware of how much I love musicals. And they are all like... Oh Carmen, yeah...stop singing Les Misérables soundtrack! Please! And I always wonder... does this make me a bit weird? Well anyway... who gives a f*ck?
As a musical lover, I am so lucky to be living in London cause (as you all may know) we've got here the West End, where the most famous plays and musicals are performed everyday.
I haven't had the chance to attend to a lot of them. Yet. I went to Billy Elliot's a while ago and absolutely loved it. It was worth every penny! (Billy is brilliant, guys)
I am also planning to see Mamma Mia! and The Phantom of the Opera as soon as I can. It seems that I am not able to find the time... (or the money!) Oh man! Could my London life get any busier?
However, I did have the chance to attend to many musicals when I was living in Madrid. Les Misérables is one of my favourites, (no doubt!). Also, when I worked as Front of House for the Rialto Theatre '40 El Musical' was on stage and even it had nothing to do with the musicals one could be used to, it was full of energy and always made me smile with its dances and dialogues.
I regret that I never had the chance to see 'Notre Dame de Paris'. Not yet, guys, but I am dying to. I had the opportunity to attend to a representation of this musical when a friend of mine (he's an artist!) performed it with his theatre group. Loved it, btw. The story, the performances... but most of all the songs, Oh guys, musicals make me happy. I just get to feel what the characters feel and I find myself getting into each role and singing stronger (and louder!) than with any other kind of song.
I've been listening to Notre Dame's songs lately. They make me strong. And they also make me think. There's one specific one that makes me realize the importance of first-sight situations. Have you ever felt them?
For what I have experienced... there are some times in life when everything just... makes sense. Agreed? A focused photograph appears in front of you. So clear. Clear as pure crystal. Clear as last Saturday's London sky.
Whenever you find yourself in one of those situations... your eyes open wider, your heart starts beating faster and a voice inside you is shouting in your ears: that's it, darling, that's it!
There's these moments in life when the pieces fall into place. Together. Every little detail fits. And this makes you realize all the paths you took just led you to that moment.
I can actually recall so many first-sight situations. And they took place in random days. Suddenly. No notice was given to me but I found myself there I can rememeber my inner-self yelling, screaming: "c'mon kid, this is it. This is what you where looking for so desperately! Take it! Catch the train! Run faster. Look at that map cause is the one that explains how to get out of the maze in which you've been lost lately!
My heart stops for a moment. And all at once it starts beating as a drum. My eyes completely dry, no blinking and no air coming into my lungs. But then again... finding recovery. My hands trembling along with my body. They tremble gently. And I always feel this thing in my tummy and shoulders and a warm river that gets from the top of my eyelashes to the end of my toes.
My brain collapses. I feel deaf for what seems like hours but it just happens during a few seconds. Instants between seconds, actually. And then... everything goes back to normal. Even though I lost control for a moment, as if I was drunk and dizzy... as if my feet left the ground. But, baby, its always necessary to get them back there.
Listen. Look. For those very first-sight moments. Like when you visited London and saw the Big Ben from Parliament Square and felt as if you belonged in the city that saw painters and poets fading away.
Or maybe you remember when you went to the theatre and something inside you was whispering that you needed to become an actor cause there was no other way: the stage had to be yours.
That's called love at first-sight, I guess. And yes, dear, you were supposed to be there so every knot could be untightened.
Oh guys... and what about the songs? You are just sitting there, having a coffee at Starbucks with your best friend and this song starts to be played. You listen to the lyrics and suddenly they get into your head. They explain exactly how you feel. Hey, this song understands me!
That's a great first-sight moment, ain't it? The first time you listened to your favourite song or the first time you saw New York's skyscrapers and your stomach went kinda... wow!
And what about getting back to that first-sight moment when you had an early shift and he saw you? Cause you didn't speak to each other a lot. But that was it, babe... just a look and you were trapped. There was no exit. No possibility of you forgetting the way I smiled. You lost control. And your world stopped for a second... you had never seen anything like that.
And then just... everything made sense. For a while.
So I've been thinking lately about how much I like those first-sight moments where all the pieces match each other. They don't happen quite often but whenever they take place, they make a room for themselves in your memory and stay there forecer. Or, at least, I hope so. I just don't wanna lose that early morning when I saw you standing in silence, looking at me while I was wearing the big blue coat, holding the camera, smiling... cheering everyone up on that cold november day.
------------------------
CarmenJimenezV
