Teen Cabaret

I missed the Teen Cabaret this weekend at DMTC, which was unfortunate (it fell during my regularly-scheduled ballet class). Nevertheless, I wondered about the advisability of several of the teens' mothers making a surprise appearance on-stage midway through 'Dancing Queen,' the ABBA-born song from "Mamma Mia."

Every cool teenager has one nightmare that keeps them up late at night, one existential agony than threatens to erupt whenever the music is playing. That fear is that their parents, or God forbid, their mother, will suddenly start dancing and twirling where their friends can see. Pleas for mercy fall on deaf ears, and capable teenagers are rendered helpless, when the rhythm is right and mom begins imagining she's in the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert. How much more shocking could it be when taken by surprise in public?

I don't know whether having several mothers onstage adds to, or neutralizes, the humilation, or indeed, whether it matters at all. It's certainly fun for the mothers, and even teenagers can put on a game face, and stop grimacing for a few seconds, upon seeing their moms smiling and laughing.

Having endured the worst, cool Davis teens can now sleep soundly, at least for awhile. Nothing worse can happen, after all. Like they say, if you eat a live toad first thing in the morning, the rest of the day can only get better.