There is a terrific example of an "I Am" song in "Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York."
Dougal is planning to enter a church where his negligent father will get married. Dougal is ambivalent. He calls his mother--a person who was once abandoned mid-pregnancy--and leaves a voice message. He describes the scene:
I'm wearing my suit with the scuffs in the knees--
The one that we got for my GCSEs.
If I stand in the street any longer, I'll freeze.
If I put my eye to the door, I can just about see--
There are hundreds of people and stars on the tree.
I'd better go in and say, Hi, Dad, it's me....
As he makes observations, Dougal is thinking. He is crossing a bridge from childhood to adulthood--he is recognizing (at a cost) that someone who remains silent for twenty-five years is likely someone who does not care about you. The good news is that Dougal does not need his father; Dougal already has what he needs.
The last time I wore this, I looked like a clown.
Last day of school, with my hair gelled down.
And all of my friends went out on the town--but me.
The day when our lives were supposed to begin--
When everyone else had gone out, I stayed in.
And we sat by the fire--drinking gin--
And watching TV.
You were always enough.
This is the turning point in the show. It's handled intelligently--through a reflection on a hand-me-down suit. One of the better songs in the musical.
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