Changing Lives

When I’m in character
I go insane
I stagger, I stammer, I sob
I make the audiences feel my pain
And if they don’t leave depressed
Then I’ve not done my job
Each time I find a role like Eleanor
The artist inside of me thrives
I put on that wig
And those prosthetic teeth
And know I’m changing lives
By the time I get tuberculosis in Act Two
Even the people who are dead inside
Will Shout
'Bravo!'
On Cue
The first review is in!
The New Jersey Star-Ledger
No, don’t tell me
… What does it say?
It says we’re a hit!
(sung)
We’re a hit and I think we deserve it!
That’s for sure
Also it means that this tour de force
Will not be forced to tour
To Eleanor!
May she run for eternity!
To Eleanor!
Cheers to a show that’s so inspiring
It’s almost too much to sit through
And if we’ve won that might mean one more thing
That in ten years or so, we’ll do Eleanor 2!
I can predict what the reviews will say
Before the next note has arrived
It’s ground-breaking
Earth-Shaking
Life-affirming
Breath-taking
Gut-wrenching
Heart-aching
In two words it’s
History-making
That’s why every actor strives
For adulation
And compensation
That comes from nightly
Changing Lives
It’s just what we do