As Kate continues to decline, it makes me happy when I see her enjoy life. Nothing else has the impact of musical performances. What makes it even more special is that we share this pleasure together. This week we have had four evenings of musical entertainment at home. I purchased two DVDs that arrived on Monday. One was Fiddler on the Roof. The other was Les Miserables. We watched Fiddler on Monday and Tuesday night. We watched Les Mis on Wednesday and Friday night. I can’t remember a time when she has been so demonstrative in her expressions of pleasure. There were moments in each musical that made her a bit teary.
I should add that it’s not just the music itself that moves us. We both enjoy the visual aspects of productions, the staging, the lighting, and, especially, watching outstanding actors giving their all. The video of Les Mis is not the theater production. It was the 25th anniversary concert at the Barbican Centre in London. They pulled out all the stops for this one. They brought back former actors for each of the major roles who joined in rousing performances of some of the signature music. This is our favorite musical, and this production was spectacular. I would have loved it had I been alone, but to share this moment with Kate at this point in in her Alzheimer’s was something to treasure.
