Fun Times On Broadway

I love the person who decided to start pricing tickets at a lower rate for students. This affords those who cannot afford, a chance to watch some amazing theatre without going broke. I've been averaging roughly 1 show a week. (You are permitted to be jealous now). I've been within spitting distance (please take that literally) from Kristen Scott Thomas, Jeremy Piven, Elizabeth Moss, Harvey Fierstein, I could go on but that would just be boastful.

This past week I recruited a couple foreign friends from work to experience some Broadway goodness. We decided to see the matinee performance of David Mamet's 'Speed the Plow', starring Jeremy Piven, Elizabeth Moss and Raul Esparza. The student tickets we were given allowed us to have seats on the second row and one seat front row center. God bless the foreigners b/c they were not quite aware of theatre etiquette (i.e. arriving with plenty of time to find a toilet, find your seat, and read the entire Playbill before curtain). So, my classmate and I were waiting with tapping feet for my other friends to arrive. Finally my Kiwi friend comes running up 1 minute before 2 p.m. I leave a ticket at the box office for my friend Helen, who has not arrived. As we find our seats I realize the ticket I left for Helen was the one front row center! Had it not been moments before the curtain, I would have ran back to the box office to exchange hers for mine, but time did not allow. Dread was building as the curtain rose and the play began. Brilliant performances took me away for a while, but then I was nudged by my friend to let me know Helen had arrived. The poor girl had to cling to the stage as she stepped over half the row until she landed safely in her seat. The actors on stage were definitely aware of her (how could you not be when she is holding onto the stage?!).
Following the performance the cast remains on stage to talk about a charity donation thing they do every year. Jeremy Piven did the talking. He began by saying, "Thank you very much for coming out to the show, except that girl who was late. Where is she?" The other castmates come to the edge of the stage, fingers pointing at my friend who is sinking lower and lower into her seat! Mr. Piven continues, "I mean you come 45 mins. late to a show? Its only 70 minutes long for crying out loud." He was exaggerating, of course, but this continued for a couple minutes as the theatre filled with laughter. It was hilarious! I've never seen Helen's face so red, but she is a easy-going Irish gal, so if anyone could handle it, she could. SO FUNNY!

Last night, I witnessed one of my classmates perform the lead in Hairspray! She is the understudy for Tracy Turnblad. A small group of us were able to get front row seats and watched her twist and turn and sing her little heart out. It was pretty surreal seeing someone I know on a Broadway stage, like its nothing. She was fantastic. We got to go in the stage door after the performance and I actually got to stand on the stage while we were waiting for her. No bigs... just hanging out on a Broadway stage. When we left we hung out a minute to see her walk out of the stage door and see all the people waiting go nuts and ask for her autograph. What a trip!