There are those moments in my life that stand out because I was being such a jerk. Abby was about 13 and I was scolding her about something I thought she could do better. She looked at me with disgust and said, “You expect me to be perfect at everything. isn’t there anything I can be less than perfect at?”
I was surprised. But as I thought about what she had said, I realized that she was right. I held her to an impossible standard. But guess what? She is perfect at EVERYTHING. And the latest example of that is the play Human that opened last night at the Wortham Performing Arts Center in Asheville.
Abby runs Asheville Creative Arts which produced the original show written by the amazing Nephriii Amenii. Abby brought friends from New York and added them to the mix of local talent to create an experience that transported me to another time and place.
The main characters of the show are the set, the puppets, the lighting and the sound. I was entranced by the show that was going on around me without words and was jolted when I left the theater and was back on dry land.
The show tells the story of sea creatures who are questioned by a young sea horse about who the humans were. They tell the tale of humans who had great potential but became extinct when they lost their hearts and turned on each other. The youngster begs the octopus to donate one of his three hearts to bring humans back in a new, improved form.
Original music and choreography add so much to the story, and the actors are amazing performers. I had no idea Abby’s friend Kahlilah was such a great singer! And my sweet “daughter” April made me gasp when she went from a cartwheel to a split. Yikes!
The show runs until May 15 and is worth the trip to Asheville and the hassle of parking. And tickets are free! See it!
