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

(Bravo)

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 run, 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

(Breathtaking)

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