Stage Debut

Part of the Metz family Thanksgiving tradition is for the kids to put on a play (at least some years that's part of the tradition -- these plays don't happen every year). It turns out 2007 was an on year, and the play was a stage adaptation of Skippyjon Jones, a book several of the little cousins read repeatedly. I'd give you a quick synopsis of the story, but I clearly missed some key plot elements during the performance -- I don't have the foggiest idea where all the Mexican imagery and language came from. You'd think that with a lead character named Skippyjon Jones there would be pirates involved, not banditos.

Banditos it was, though, along with chihuahuas and jalapeños. Evan's role was that of the Chili Pepper, which is one of the more important vegetable roles in the play. Here he is vamping for the cameras in his costume before the curtain goes up:

He looks a bit worried there, possibly because he'd seen the script. This picture shows Evan's big scene, in which he has to lie on the ground next to the other flora (his cousin Lauren, the pea pod) and not get trampled. He didn't have any lines, so he had to do all of his acting using just his hands. It was a very challenging role for such a young performer, but I think he did quite well:

I don't remember exactly how the plot played out, but the conclusion of this scene involved all the non-vegetable characters hopping like Mexican jumping beans around the vegetable characters, who stay rooted to the floor paralyzed with fear. Evan and Lauren played their roles to perfection, but the tension was a little too much for some of the adults, so Steph and my cousin Amy swooped to the vegetables' rescue.

Here he is backstage with his Grandma after the show, unwinding after a taxing and harrowing performance: