Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Four

Four

Over the past week, I've enjoyed four milestones, not only as a theatre blogger, but also as a theatre lover.

On the first score, Saturday found me "celebrating" the fourth anniversary for Steve On Broadway (SOB). The day was spent doing one of the things I love to do most: seeing a show. In fact, I was in the audience for two markedly different Great White Way productions (Red and Come Fly Away).

But I also observed my anniversary day enjoying the cameraderie of fellow bloggers/friends Patrick Lee (Just Shows To Go You), Linda Buchwald (Pataphysical Science), Leonard Jacobs (The Clyde Fitch Report) and Andrew and Phil (West End Whingers), along with non-blogging friends Bill and Ken and new friend Baz Bamigboye.

(And all of that came on the heels of wine and/or coffee-infused moments of pleasure earlier in the week with Roger Calderon (Daddycatcher's Realm), Kevin Daly (Theatre Aficionado At Large), Kari Geltemeyer (lit-wit), Jonathan Mandel (New York Theater), Sarah Roberts (Adventures In The Endless Pursuit Of Entertainment), Gabriel Shanks (Modern Fabulousity) and last but certainly by no means least Jan Simpson (Broadway & Me). It was a week to savor, and is serving to inspire me to write yet again.)

My second milestone hit last Wednesday. Doing what I always do after each Rialto performance, I dutifully logged the Broadway shows I had seen that day into my ever-expanding list, only to discover that my Wednesday matinee of Million Dollar Quartet marked the 200th time I had set foot in a Broadway theatre for a show. (Since I've been known to revisit some of my favorite plays and musicals, this was not my 200th production -- it was only my 184th.) I'm not sure how that compares with your theatregoing habits, but over my span of nearly 25 years attending Main Stem performances, I think the folks at the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing would likely deem my attendance above average, and since the inception of Steve On Broadway (SOB), my near perfect attendance would be way above average. Given that I still pay for every ticket, it also means I've plunked down a tidy sum through the years. But I don't regret a single penny.

My third milestone occurred just yesterday when I took in the evening performance of Everyday Rapture at the American Airlines Theatre. In seeing Sherie Renee Scott's semi-autobiographical musical, I now lay claim to having seen each and every one of the 38 new shows that opened on Broadway during the 2009-10 Theatrical Season. That string includes such short-lived productions as Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Miracle Worker, All About Me and Looped.

Finally, my fourth milestone is one that's served as further inspiration for writing Steve On Broadway (SOB) yet again. I was proud to be among three theatre bloggers participating in a Q&A with Alicia Silverstone, who was recently on Broadway in Time Stands Still. Having the opportunity to pose questions to this underestimated actress marked my first time formally interviewing any thespian. I'm hoping it won't be my last. (I'll write more in the days to come on our conversation with Silverstone, but in the meantime, here's another post from one of my blogger colleagues.)

So for the one or two readers who are still out there, thanks for returning to Steve On Broadway (SOB) and sharing in my four milestones with me. It's great to be back.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

Labels: Alicia Silverstone, Anniversary, Friendships, Interview, Milestone, Special Messages

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Monday, April 26, 2010