I am freely willing to admit that I love and adore musical theatre, and indeed theatre in general. When I was little every summer I went to theatre camp with the local arts center. Sometimes I was in a musical, sometimes not. But every time, I had so much fun. When i got to high school I had aged out of the children's program, and so I didn't get the chance to do any serious acting again until college.
My freshman year of college I auditioned for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (having gained a love for Shakespeare in seventh grade, when I read "Hamlet" for the first time). I got the part of Snout, who played the wall in the final play-within-the-play scene. Once I had gotten the part and started attending rehearsals, I realized how much I missed acting--I had completely forgotten how much fun it was.
One of the things I loved about my college was the opportunity I got to go to New York and see a Broadway show. My senior year was the first time I had ever camped out overnight in front of a building to buy tickets for something. During the fall, the show was "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (the revival production, starring Daniel Radcliffe and John Laroquette). During the spring, the show was "The Lion King". I had a fantastic time on both trips, not just because New York is a great city, but because of Broadway.
My first ever Broadway show was "Rent". My grandmother took me on a trip to New York for my Bat Mitzvah (she had done the same for my sister three years earlier), and part of the trip included seeing a show. And I got to pick the show! My sister had been going on about "Rent" for months previously, so I thought I would go see it and tell her about it when I got back. After seeing the show I proceeded to buy the soundtrack immediately--two copies, one of which I gave my sister. It is the only thing I remember about that trip, because it was the most memorable part.
Even though I don't go to the theatre as often as I like, I still take the opportunity to watch the Tony Awards when they're broadcast. I remember the 2010 show, when Neil Patrick Harris was hosting for the tenth time (because he is that awesome). I liked watching the performances from the musicals during the show, even if I hadn't seen the productions being nominated. The only show I remember from that year was the winner of Best Musical: "Memphis". After seeing the cast perform a number, I told myself that I might want to look into this musical, because I liked that song--and because it won. But then I quickly forgot about it.
I forgot about it until my mother mentioned it last month. On a trip to visit her sister, she saw "Memphis" at a small movie theatre (a recorded performance of the show). She called to tell me about it, and that's when I remembered that it had won the Tony three years ago. Well, my mother immediately bought the DVD of the show and we watched it together. Love at first sight. I have my own copy of the show now, and it is going on my list of favorite musicals (which I will put at the end of this post for those who are interested).
I am really glad that my best friend has chosen theatre as a career, because now I have an excuse to go see more shows! I've been looking into some local theatre groups to try and get more involved--I consider acting a hobby, but it is one of my favorite things to do, and one of the things I am happy to have participated in during my life. I hope I can do more in the future.
My list of favorites are as follows (in no particular order):
"Rent"
"Phantom of the Opera"
"Sweeney Todd"
"Les Miserables"
"Memphis"
"The Lion King"
*Title of post and beginning quote from the film "Singing In the Rain"
