And it just gets better ...

Okay, I lied. This post IS another pity party. Just let me get it off my chest, and maybe I'll feel better.

My daughters are tremendously talented. I don't just say that as a Mom; it can be objectively measured. They are bright, they are beautiful, they both love music and theatre, they can sing to break your heart, they can perform in an unselfconscious way that most high school girls can't match.

Ally first got involved in the school musical her freshman year when she stood out among the "Pick-a-Little" ladies in "Music Man." The next year, she completely stole the show as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. Ask anyone. Play the tape. When she came out to take her bow, the crowd roared in a way that, embarrassingly enough, they didn't do for the leads.

This past year, there were rumours that the play would be "Annie Get Your Gun" after Ally and Hank sang "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" for a chorus performance. They decided, however, to go with "Sound of Music" and gave Julie, the female lead from "South Pacific," one more bite at the apple. That made sense. And Julie did a terrific job as Maria. Ally did a great job as the Mother Superior, but under all those robes, no one knew who she was.

The fit between Ally and "Annie Get Your Gun" was obvious, though. She's a good comedic actor and a great singer and she can play a little tomboyish. Everyone -- her friends, my Mom, me, the music director -- could see that she was perfect for "Annie Get Your Gun."

Prior to school starting, the music director called me and told me that the play this year would be "Annie Get Your Gun." She was planning on Tues. and Thurs. rehearsals and wanted to be sure that Ally would be available. A mutual friend, told Ally that the music director had told him that she thought Ally could do the role of Annie in the play. He told Ally this. When auditions started, all of her friends immediately tagged her for the role of Annie. In fact, we couldn't think of anyone else who was even in the running. Ally had previously learned all the songs and she sang them for two weeks around the house.

Kate, of course, also wanted to be in the play. She and Ally helped each other pick and learn their audition monologues and songs. Kate worked hard to learn a great little speech with a lot of emotion and repeated it non-stop for a whole weekend. She really wanted the role of Winnie, who has two cute songs in the play, and is a secondary love interest. She was going through a lot of angst because it was so clear that Ally would be Annie, she didn't want to be totally left out. She also wanted to be in the play because it would be Ally's last year and the last time they could perform together.

The auditions went well. Ally was asked to cold read the part of Annie and Kate was asked to read the part of Winnie. It's a small school -- there's just not that much competition. We thought we knew all the potential rivals for the part and there was no one against Ally and just a few against Kate.

Then, the bomb dropped. Because the usual director and school drama teacher has a new baby, she decided not to direct this year. Instead, the school hired a woman who had just graduated from college with a theatre degree. I thought this was good because she would bring a fresh perspective to the play. Unfortunately, she also doesn't know any of the kids and was working from the three minute auditions exclusively. Her first impulse was to put a freshman in the role of Annie.

Ultimately, she decided that a girl who has done minor roles before -- but who is very cute -- should play Annie. I've heard this girl sing. Even if I were impartial -- which I am clearly not -- I would say that is a bad decision. "Annie Get Your Gun" is essentially a one-woman tour de force. Annie is in almost every scene and sings 90% of the songs. This girl can't do that. There is no way. I've heard her sing; I've seen her act. It isn't going to happen. Or, at least, it's not going to be pretty.

Ally received the part of Dolly, the slutty older woman comic relief with only part of one song. Kate is simply in the chorus.

Ally's heart was broken, of course. When she first heard that the play would be "Annie Get Your Gun," she knew it was her turn for a lead role. In fact, the music director made no secret of the fact that she had chosen the play for Ally. Everyone knew that it was Ally's year. Everyone ... but the new director.

Ally screamed and wept and carried on after her dad picked her up at school. She concluded she had been overlooked because she's too fat, too ugly, too untalented. He called me at home to prepare me when she headed home ... But when she walked in the door, she was bright-eyed and chipper. She said she would enjoy playing Dolly, that she had some good lines. She picked up her music notebook and headed off for her voice lesson as if nothing had happened. It totally broke my heart. It was her best performance ever.