Why My Mother Told Me Not To Point

There's nothing like giggling uncontrollably on stage!

Saturday night, as usual, I was performing in "Oklahoma!" at DMTC, in Davis. While singing the title song, 'Oklahoma', and while we sing 'you're doing fine Oklahoma' we're supposed to point briefly at the audience. I zoned out - maybe concentrating on the song - and kept pointing at the audience. And pointing. When I came to, the shock of realization made me giggle through the rest of the song.

My stage partner Sara Wieringa is good with tactical shoves and tactile clues if I happen to forget stage blocking or dance steps, but pointing vacantly at audience members put her in a quandary, which she tried to address while remaining in character. I was pointing with my left arm and had my right arm linked with hers. She tried squeezing my arm to catch my attention, but I just squeezed her arm back more. She thought about reaching up and bringing my arm down, but it couldn't be done without attracting attention, since we were in the front row.

Well, what would a 1906 pre-statehood Oklahoma housewife do if her husband started pointing vacantly in public at strangers? She elected to let me be. Remember, I Peter 3: Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.