BroadwayGirl NYC - Page 4

It's Tony Awards Season again, and I've been pondering the things about theatre that I appreciate the most. Surely, score and libretto and scenery and (of course) acting. But what about the ensembles, the special effects, the fight scenes, and the on-stage chemistry of so many sexy couples? Sure, the Tonys can't cover EVERYTHING. But the shows deserve accolades for more than just the traditional Tony honors. So I present to you my 2011 Alternative Awards -- aka Tony categories that SHOULD exist -- for the 2010-11 Broadway Season.

I entered the Golden Theatre in 2011 to see the revival of The Normal Heart on Broadway. But when the lights went down, it was 1982 and I was witnessing the start of the fight to eradicate the disease we now recognize as AIDS. The next morning the show was still with me; that made my next event all the more poignant: the annual BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Celebration, which celebrates six weeks of intense fundraising by the New York theatrical community, all of which goes to Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

I have been thinking about Ilse. Remember, the lonely artist girl from Spring Awakening, who was shut out by her family after fleeing from abuse? I think about her un-tied hair, the men's white workshirt she wore, her bare feet and the wildflowers she brought as peace offering to Moritz. I am haunted not only by the notion of the pain she must have endured upon realizing she had been disowned, but also by the physical image of this girl, a specter really, who has recently reentered my consciousness and made me ache like she is real.

She's one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. She's a legend of television, one of the funniest women of her generation, and is experiencing a renaissance of popularity like none the entertainment industry has ever seen. She has a hit sitcom, is featured in TV commercials, and recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in her eight+ generation life. SO WHY HAS BETTY WHITE NEVER BEEN ON BROADWAY?

This week, I had the pleasure of seeing Tom Stoppard's masterpiece, Arcadia, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. As the idea of time was deconstructed onstage, I began to think back to the other evenings I'd spent in this same place, and the other shows I'd seen here. My memories were vivid, and suddenly it was if I was watching not just Arcadia, but the other four Broadway shows I had previously seen performed on this stage, all entwined together and coexisting in a gorgeous and epic theatrical dance.

Twitter has provided the means for celebrities of all types to communicate with their fans in an intimate way -- one on one -- without needing to be face to face. It's wonderful how many of them have embraced the medium, and used it to let us into their worlds. It's even better when they reach out to thank us for our support, respond to questions, or engage in conversation. 140 characters at a time, I've developed a whole new set of online friends who are all on Broadway. The acknowledgement of us 'little people' makes me appreciate them in a bigger way, and makes me want to support them onstage in everything they do.

It's one of the most common rejections on American Idol: 'Sorry, but you're better suited for Broadway.' But as we've seen over the past ten years, American Idol and the Broadway stage are not mutually exclusive - not by a long shot! In fact, it's the opposite: every single season of the show has either borrowed talent from the New York theatre or created stars that have rocked musicals on Broadway and/or on national tours across the country.

I am sure you've heard by now that BroadwayWorld is currently running a contest, asking readers to send in their first memories Les Miserables. I've been lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of these touching stories. I have been so moved by these that I thought they must be shared! I've taken snippets from many of the entries, and edited them together into a chorus of recollections of this beautiful musical.

The occasion: FAN DAY on Broadway, on which the producers of Chicago gave away every single seat in the theatre for free. The idea was to reward those people who had supported the show throughout its 15 years, and to show them reciprocal appreciation. Not only was were the tickets free, but all of the fans in line got t-shirts to memorialize their attendance, along with plastic versions of the iconic Chicago bowler hats. Midtown was a sea of black and red, with strains of Kander & Ebb playing through multiple speakers and headphones, as excitement grew.

Today, I want to introduce you to an organization I've known about for years but didn't fully understand until I learned about it through -- what else -- Twitter. It's simultaneously one of the most visible theatrical organizations, and yet one whose scope is seldom fully grasped. I'm talking about the American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator and managing organization of the Tony Awards. But you may not know how much else they do for the theatrical arts, in New York and beyond.

I've tweeted about them and I've sung their praises. Today, I dedicate my entire column to my favorite New York City theatre company! Believe it or not, it's not a Broadway- or an off-Broadway company. It's not even a group that uses the stage as their primary means of changing the world. No, this company uses the classroom - and the original ideas of kids - as the launching pad from which they dramatically affect lives. Ladies & Gentlemen... meet The Story Pirates!!

I had the most incredibly existential experience at the theatre last week - twice, in fact - when I saw parts one and two of the Signature Theatre's gorgeous staging of 'Angels in America'. It wasn't my own existence I was pondering; it was the existence of this play, this universe into which I became transported, and how I could view it as an inside and an outsider at exactly the same time.

It's a quiet season on Broadway; a time of load-outs and dark marquees. It's easy for us passionate Broadway fans to feel a sense of loss while theatres go dark around us, but I urge you to look on the bright side of the slower season, and look ahead to the wonderful new fleet of shows that is coming our way during this new year.

an you believe it's December already? Christmas is just a few weeks away, and Hannukah started this week. If you haven't already done your shopping, now would be a good time to start.

It's the end of November, and that means it's time to give thanks for everything that matters. As you know (or can at least figure out from my moniker), Broadway is the biggest part of my life and first on my list of blessings. Here, based on my columns from the past eight months, is a public show of gratitude for the multitude of moments, memories and masses that make me such a happy Broadway Girl.

Sometimes, you just know. And the other morning, I woke up and I just knew!! The moment I opened my eyes, I thought to myself: 'Today is the day I win the Wicked lottery.' The ticket lottery for Wicked - available at the Gershwin Theatre 2.5 hours before each performance - is famously busy. Over a hundred people regularly enter their names, and only twelve or thirteen winners are generally chosen. I've entered myself into the drawing countless times, and have never won. At the height of my frustration over losing so often, I wrote a column proposing a 'frequent lotto-er' program so those like me could benefit somehow from continuing to put our names into the ring.

As summer turns to fall, and we bring out our fleece jackets and scarves, the tourist load begins to filter out of Times Square. Almost over night, it seems there are fewer red-coated men hawking double-decker bus tours; fewer full-sized 'Elmos' looking in need of a wash, taking photos with passersby for tips; and most importantly, significantly shorter lines at the TKTS booth in the square at 47th and Broadway. The line is full of strangers, but I often find that by the time I reach the window, I've gotten to know someone who would never otherwise have crossed by path.

This isn't a review; this is a remembrance of the most special night of my Broadway-loving life. A few days ago, I was twittering about opening nights on Broadway. There were several coming up, and I was dreaming of what it must be like to attend. I asked my friends on Twitter to send me descriptions of the parties they'd attended. as well as the performances they had seen, on opening nights. And even within their 140-character responses, I got a pretty good idea of how magnificent and glamorous these A-list events could be.

Sometimes you go to the theatre to see a star, but you end up seeing something different -- or stumbling upon something even better. This past weekend, I went to two Broadway shows that had understudies. In both cases, I was entirely happy with what I saw.