Choices

Everyday we are faced with choices. Chicken or Fish? March Madness or a Book? Pundits on TV discussing the probability of super natural powers taking over a lost airplane, or a root canal? A few days ago we stopped by the Paramount Theatre to inquire about an upcoming a cappella performance. We bought tickets, but noticed the variety of shows upcoming. One caught our eye, and was free. A talk entitled transforming pain into power, by Daniel Beaty. 

On the night of the show (last tuesday) the crowd was enormous and diverse. Boston blue bloods, College kids, and people just like us. We had not heard of Daniel Beaty and after a few opening acts he came to the stage. One of his first numbers was a rendition of act one of his play Emergency (about an oxymoronic setting of a slave ship stopping at the Statue of Liberty), in which he is the sole actor playing 43 parts, each with a different voice. I am not a play person, but my mouth was gaping open, I have never seen such a talented person. His next act was a recital of one of his poems Knock Knock. I was not in the right line when they were handing out genes for poetry appreciation. This poem was a fusion of rap/opera/Edgar Allan Poe. It was more sung than spoken. Everyone stood up to loud applause after the 5 minute recital. We made good choices, venturing out to an unknown performer, and will be back for more.

I will leave you with the last stanza from the Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken

...

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.