New York
Hardly a week later, the details from New York are getting fuzzy. It was an amazing trip for me. I laughed, I cried, I cried some more… it was pretty interesting.
The first day… or night… or morning, whatever, feels like years ago. It was during punchy time (or "wee-time" according to Rebecca Kremer), where your body is so tired it just goes into this "hahaha, everything is funny and I'm laughing but it's not even funny so why am I laughing I can't stop laughing" phase and everything is hysterically funny. I sat next to Rebecca on the bus and we listened to musicals on my iPod until we fell asleep. When I was woken by the sound of Ms. Clark's voice I knew I was no longer punchy. It had gone from wee-time to Michael is in a REALLY cranky mood and it would be best not to speak to him time. We ate McDonald's in the airport and waited, reading Cosmo until our plane was ready. I sat next to Hannah on the plane. Hannah and I have always been very close buddies but ever since we sat on the plane together we've gotten quite a bit closer. I introduced her to A Chorus Line, my latest Broadway love. We took a bus to Manhattan and we all got to go shopping. (By the way, Miss Mumm, forgive me if things are out of place or just like made up, I cannot remember half of this stuff). My parents agreed to take me to Times Square with the Rundes. I kind of know Times Square really well because for a whole week in November I walked all around it every night by myself. Nowhere in the entire world makes me more happy than Times Square, so I was extremely excited. We all got dinner together and then I asked me parents to let me go by my favorite places in Times Square really quick. I went and bought a nifty Les Mis program and went by my favorite theatres. Then we… went… back to the hotel? And stuff. And I feel like… we… OOH. We ate pizza, I remember! That was good. Then I took Aaron, Jenna, and Stephanie around to theatres when we had some free time. I showed them all the cool Broadway stores and then OMGAWESOMEIDEA. So I'm pretty much obsessed with Sutton Foster. Like, scary obsessed. And in November I bought tickets for The Drowsy Chaperone. And because I'm a good fan I know she doesn't come out the stage door AFTER the show, only before. So for three days in a row I waited for my Beloved Sutton. Twice in cold rain. For an hour. Each day. She NEVER came. Then I went to see the show. SHE. WAS. ILL. I was heartbroken. Like, really. I saw her standby. So when I came to New York this time I said to myself, "forget Sutton. You need to move on." And I thought I would. But then I had my little group and all of a sudden we were sort-of-by-accident-but-not-really outside the stage door and I begged my group just to wait for FIVE MINUTES. They acted kind of annoyed by agreed. Two minutes later… TWO MINUTES LATER… I look up. And… there… is… Sutton… FREAKING…. FOSTER. Walking. Toward. Me. I like… couldn't breathe. Time pretty much stopped. Then all of a sudden she was walking past me. No! Sutton! I freaked out. "Ms. Foster!" She turns around and looks at me. I think I'm going to tell this story in chat-speak now, if you don't mind.
"Miss Foster!"
*Sutton looks at me*
"Omg I came to see you in Nov. and you were sick. And I waited for you for three days in the rain and you NEVER CAME. *staring at her like really creepy* I was heartbroken."
*Sutton is kind of uncomfortable but she's also the sweetest person in the world so it's okay*
*Sutton opens her brassy, magnificent trap*
"Ooh, I'm so sorry!"
"It's ok… um… can I get a photo with you?!"
"Yes, of course!"
*ME AND SUTTON TOUCH AND WE TAKE A PHOTO. TOGETHER*
*I hug Sutton Foster*
*omg*
"Can you sign my phone??"
"Your phone? Are you sure??"
"YES."
*Sutton signs phone*
"You can put your number in there after you sign it."
*Sutton thinks I'm creepy as well as dorky*
"Oh, and Sutton…is it alright if I call you Sutton?"
"That's my name."
"Ok,… well, break a leg tonight, Sutton!"
"Thank you! Bye!"
OMG I MET AND HUGGED SUTTON FOSTER.
*end of chat-speak*
So after that bit of AMAZINGENSS we headed over to the Sam S. Shubert Theatre for Spamalot. OK, so this is going to sound really stupid and spoiled but… I have never sat in the balcony of a Broadway show before. I know, right? Like, deal with it. But here I was. In the balcony. Act 1 I'm liking, but I feel… disconnected or something. So my mind began to wander the house… orchestra seating. Ding! Four seats. Front row center. So I told my Sutton group we were going down there during intermission. They were very reluctant, especially one Jenna McGill. But I just told them to act natural and read their Playbills. And we got down there and the show started and everything was great. Wait, all of sudden, everything ROCKED. The show was so much more enjoyable! The actors literally seemed to be playing to us and our never ending and extremely loud laughter throughout the whole act. We went stage dooring after the show and we were all very excited to meet the actors, especially when most of them recognized us as the "front row group." So then we were off back to the hotel for… sleep. Which was very welcome, despite the New York amazement of it all.
So I'm totally writing a crapload here. Are you actually reading this? Anyway, second day. I will have to think about this for a second. OH… umm, that breakfast place. With the bacon and sausage and ham choices. That's about all I got from that breakfast experience. I'm not a morning person. After we ate there… ooh, I went to H&M. They have really good underwear. Like, I really love H&M underpants. I bought 8 pairs, as well as two sweaters. I need to stop buying sweaters and underpants. After H&M I think that was when we had a rehearsal. We rehearsed. A lot. Then we ate dinner? I honestly cannot remember. I was wearing… my black and white hounds-tooth scarf. Where did I eat food in that scarf? Was it that deli place? I think so. I had the chicken sandwich. It was good. Then I took the Sutton group to the RENT stage door to say hi to my friend Telly who understudies Angel. He told us to come after the show and see him again. Then to Mary Poppins! So, oh my goodness. Mary Poppins. Wowwwww. It was so amazing! I felt like a big baby when I found myself crying… like a big baby at the end of the show. I just thought it was a very good show. Technically, musically, acting-wise, everything. It was a beautiful production. I loved it. After the show the Sutton Group met again outside the RENT stage door. All of a sudden Rebecca goes, "Um. Jay?" I look up at and walking into a restaurant is JAY, the winner of Project Runway. Any other person the world would be ok with just seeing him walking into a restaurant, but no. I have to run in after him. "Jay!," I yell. YELL. Um, I have issues. He turns around and is so obviously not pleased to see a fan boy. He walks over to me and I hug him. Again…I have issues. He takes some photos with us and then I let the poor guy go to dinner. Then we hopped on the Subway and we were back at out hotel. Sleep.
Next day. Umm… really early. Planet Hollywood. I was Cranky Michael until we were standing outside Planet Hollywood and Hannah walked up and down the line of people shouting, "look alive people!" That's when I got a little punchy and laughed way too hard at that. We ate and then we… rehearsed. A lot. Oh my gosh! This was Important Sunday! Ok, so… going back to the first day. Musicals basically are my life. Wicked really changed my life. Like there are the musicals that have changed my life. And then there are the musicals (like Wicked) that have CHANGED my life. When I saw A Chorus Line at Thespian Festival, I hated it. A lot. Like I loathed it. Then I bought the movie and the original and revival cast recordings and… I fell in love. Like Wicked love. I LOVE A CHORUS LINE. Like, love love. So on the first day I begged my parents to let me buy a ticket. They so did not want to but the Powers That Be let them see into my SOUL and they saw that I NEEDED TO SEE THIS SHOW WITH THIS CAST or I would probably die. OK, so Sunday comes around and it turns out… I can't go. Several gallons of tears later, I accepted the fact that I would be headed for Chinatown and Ground Zero and not the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre to see A Chorus Line. Sad, right? WELL…
We get to Ground Zero. And I'm slightly pouty. But I know why God took A Chorus Line away from me. A very amazing thing happened to me at Ground Zero which wouldn't have happened if I was at ACL. When we got there we saw a black woman, with tears running down her face, screaming. Screaming at the top of her lungs and pacing up and down the whole street. I don't really know what it was she was yelling about, but she was passionate about it. The words "Jesus", "hell", and "racism" were all heard. I watched as people would just walk by and ignore her, or stare at her, or laugh at her. A man in a suit walked by and I heard him say how she had been yelling like that for an hour. I explored Ground Zero for about 20 minutes and then I went back up and she was still there. Pretty soon a big group from Wahlert were all talking about her together. And that's when I decided to do it. I told my mom I was going to go talk to her. Without really listening to my concerned mother I approached the woman.
"Excuse me, ma'am, do you need a hug?" I asked her.
All of sudden she wasn't a screaming crazy woman. She wasn't some gibberish-spewing freak on the street, but a human being. She stopped yelling and her face broke into a wide smile. She nodded her head and allowed me to hug her. She pulled back and looked at me.
"Pray for me," she said in her Human Being voice.
By this time I had matching teary eyes, like hers.
"I will," I promised. "You pray for me, too, please."
Then she grabbed me into a giant hug.
I will never forget the look of joy on her face. I couldn't believe I had been so moved. All she needed was someone to notice her. Maybe all she needed was just a hug. I don't know who she is or where she is now but I do know, as I walked back to the bus, teary-eyed, I no longer heard the hoarse yelling. She had stopped. And that silence was one of the best sounds I have ever heard.
The we went to church. We got there at about 4:20 and I said to my parents, "I'm going to A Chorus Line." It was already an hour and a half into the show but I did not care. I ran as FAST as I humanly could to Times Square. I get the to the theatre and the usher looks at me like I was crazy. "I'm very late… but I need… my seat." I think he knew I meant business and he told me to stand at the back for a bit while he got an usher for me. OK, so Paul from A Chorus Line is my dream role. I just love the character and I would love to play him. As I turn my eyes to the stage there was Paul. Performing his famous monologue. Instantly… I start crying. I am SUCH a dork, but oh well. So here I am, standing at the back, crying. And panting. Like a baby. The monologue gets over and I am sobbing, really. I can feel the usherette's eyes looking at me. She kind of lets me have my moment then takes me up to my seat. Now, remember. I am crying. As I walk up the stairs I hit my head on the ceiling. Really hard. Like…really hard. Like BOOM THE WHOLE THEATRE HEARS IT HARD. She turns around and asks me if I'm ok. Do you still remember that I'm CRYING? It was so embarrassing. She takes me to the box seat and there are three other people up there. I'm crying. I sit down and start watching the show. I continue to cry. I saw about 25 minutes of the show and it was amazing. I got up and left 10 minutes before the show was done. I bet the three people in the box thought I was crazy. Oh, well.
We went back to church and we… went to church. It was church-y. Then we… I don't even remember. Ate Italian food I feel like.
The next day we rehearsed… a lot. Then we performed at Carnegie Hall! Patti LuPone sold that place out by herself. I totally stood where Patti LuPone stood. That was pretty wild. And we sang. And it was amazing! It felt so GOOD just to finally get where we had been trying to get for so long! I would type more but I am basically thinking that I was asked to write a paper and not a novel. We… like… ate food again? I am seriously having troubleOMG THE BOAT. We went on a boat! And we ate and danced and floated. Then… sleep. Yes, sleep. Sleep went on a vacation of its own on this vacation. When it came back it was really nice.
The next day I slept and then I went to Times Square and bought some posters. Then we bussed, flew, and bussed some more and then… we were home.
OK, so… I'm supposed to summarize this bitch? What more do you want? The trip was amazing, I loved it and I will never forget it. Ever. Well… most of it. I had some pretty dang amazing experiences and I so grateful for every one.
I thought our director was really great. I was glad he wasn't psycho get everything done now guy. He helped us get what we needed without making the atmosphere too tense and uncomfortable. He made me want to work and get better without ever making me feel like I wanted Mozart to die. I feel like we all respected him very much and we all valued what he told us. I think his attitude helped ours which then helped the choir and our performance as a whole.