When I was a young sprat in the 1970’s my family belonged to the High Lane Club in North Haven, CT. It’s not as posh as it sounds. The club, for middle-class families, was situated on 4+ rural acres with a well-kept pool and lounge area, six tennis courts, and a basketball court. The standout of the property was the clubhouse, a massive three-story white clapboard building from the 1920s. The centerpiece on the second floor of the building was the ballroom large enough for 200 people, sporting a 6-ft-high stage, with spacious backstage and dressing areas, an extensive lighting board and acoustic piano. Stepping into the ballroom at age five, although I couldn’t articulate it then, felt like traveling back in time. The wooden walls, floor, stage, and 30-ft ceiling combined to create wonderful acoustics: warm, natural, and balanced. At evening events or during a show, the glass chandeliers sparkled, throwing gentle, shimmering shadows around the room.
Although ostensibly an athletic club (of which activities I reluctantly and fumblingly partook), the High Lane Club had a vibrant dramatic society that mounted an annual musical. From about age six to nine, I would spend many an evening on the floor of that ballroom, surrounded by the (minimal) 1st -4th grade homework that I never managed to complete as I was enthralled with watching the rehearsals. My Mom (who was always in the cho
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