Steve On Broadway (SOB)

SOB's Theatrical Firsts Of The Noughties: My Broadway Debut

SOB's Theatrical Firsts Of The Noughties: My Broadway Debut

Over the course of the last decade, I’ve been truly fortunate to enjoy a number of enlightening firsts in my personal theatergoing that have only served to increase my deep and abiding love for the art form known as live theatre. What follows is one of my ten favorite experiences of the last ten years.


As I’ve noted here previously, I’ve never had any designs on becoming an actor.

But that didn't stop me from earning my bragging rights earlier this year as I "appeared" being on a Broadway stage during a show in progress, and it was not as part of an onstage audience as shows like Spring Awakening or Xanadu employed.

It all began by catching more than a good buzz when my Love Of My Life (LOML) and I took our second row seats for Diane Paulus' inspired revival of Hair -- unequivocally Broadway's best musical revival last season.

If you’ve seen this show, you’ll know that the musical threatens to end on a very sobering note. However, at the curtain call, the cast joins together for a reprise of “Let The Sun Shine,” which concludes in an audience empowering moment when everyone in the house is invited onstage to join in the singing and dancing.

My participation in the show had begun even before the curtain call when Tony nominee Gavin Creel bounded from the stage during the show’s eponymous tune. He perched himself on the armrest of the seat immediately in front of me, took his belt off and looped it around my neck, shimmying it back and forth, much to my amazement.

So when the audience began pouring onto the stage of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, how could we refuse the opportunity? My LOML and I leapt onto the stage, sang and danced as best we could. Like so many others, we were so swept up in the moment, we even snuck in a little smooch.

No, you won’t find us listed in any of the show’s credits, but we relished our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make our Broadway debut.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. I paid my own way for all performances above.

Labels: Al Hirschfeld Theatre, Broadway, Debut, Diane Paulus, Gavin Creel, Hair, Stage

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Saturday, December 26, 2009