There is a slight musty smell floating in the air. I shift in my seat and glance around at my fellow audience members. There are only three other people besides me. My mom sits next to me, almost squirming in her seat. In fact all four of us are distinctly aware of the number of people in the audience and are somewhat anxious. There are only 18 seats in the theater with a 12 by 15 foot stage. The optimist would call it "cozy" or "intimate" while the pessimist would consider it "claustrophobic" or "intimidating". In any case we were all acutely aware of our every move.

To the far left side of the stage there was an upright piano, the type of piano that you would see in an old-fashion ballet class. This is where the playwright/composer/director played the piano. The play is about the life of the romantic, impulsive, and passionate Paul Gauguin, the painter. There were only three people in the cast playing over a dozen different characters, metamorphosing beautifully. The actor's infatuation with their characters was very convincing. They contained so much zeal and ardor in becoming the characters that they were sweating bullets by the end. Their singing had so much fervor, that all four of us in the audience couldn't help but be swept away by it. The professionalism of the acting, and their singing was all top bars, and made the show very fascinating to watch.

Gauguin was a stockbroker in Paris in the 1870s with a wife and four children. After a particularly frustrating day at work he decided to abandon it all and to dedicate his life to art. First he moves in with fellow artist Vincent Van Gogh and then flees further to the remote French Marquesas Islands. There is always a price to pay with following one's dream and consequences to be dealt with.

Some people go out to the movies on Saturday nights, or go out dancing, or to a bar. These actors though, 6 nights during the week come to this tiny stage and pour their hearts out performing for the small handful of people who come to watch their show. I hope that the message of Gauguin and George Fischoff leads more people to follow their dreams.