A Star is Born...

We all knew Emma had tremendous talent.
She's been playing the violin since she could stand and she's been winning honors for years for her performances.
She could read when she was three and has no fear of appearing on stage or in public.
But when she opened the Alpine Community Theater's Lion King Jr. show Monday, I was stunned with her confidence, her ability, the notes and her command of the stage.
She had the role of Rafiki down cold.
This is a young girl who has only been in acting for a couple of years, first as a pirate and last year with a role where she sang a small solo (also a surprise).
None of us were prepared for this metamorphosis.
She owned the part, singing with heart and gusto.
We were all blown away.
This girl doesn't usually talk a lot when we go places.
She chooses her words carefully and smiles more than she chats.
Small talk isn't generally her thing.
So when she came out singing like she'd been in front of an audience for her whole life we all dropped our jaws.
It's marvelous.
It's wonderful.
And we are so very impressed.
It's great to be her grandmother!
(Lion King Jr. is on stage for a few more days at the Valentine Theater. Emma is in the Grassland cast.)