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Dear Me on the Eve of the 2008 Tony Awards,
Tomorrow night you are going to watch the 2008 Tony Awards, in person, live at Radio City Hall! You are going to sit in the very back row in the highest rafter of that immense theatre and have this intense realization that Broadway is not a magical mystical place on the other side of the planet. It’s real. And it’s filled with the most extraordinary people.
You should go see In the Heights. I know you think it’s not your thing, but you will regret not seeing it. You’re going to use one of the songs to audition for drama school. But that’s later.
Forget about the boy sitting next to you. He’s going to smash your heart into a million thousand pieces.
A few days later you will see Tony Award winner Patti LuPone in Gypsy. You will write in your journal “PATTI LUPONE!” Underline, underline…! You won’t understand that reference yet. How could you? It hasn’t been written. Another life changing Broadway show. But again, that’s later.
In a few weeks you are going to go to summer camp. You will hate it at first. And then you’ll spend another eight summers there. You’re going to meet your future husband there. It’s going to take a couple of years for it all to fall in to place. When it does, it’s lightening fast and you won’t know what hit you.
In a couple of months you will walk the Camino for the first time. During the walk, you’ll realize that you want to do the acting thing professionally. You want to go to drama school. You want to sing and act and dance and trip the light fantastic.
You will. But it will take a bit of time. And some detours. And the aforementioned heart break.
I want to tell you that eleven years from now, you will be married to your very own New York Jew (well, technically he grew up in Virginia, but his family is from New York, so, close enough). You will be amazed, literally daily, by how patient, loving, and wonderful he is.
You get to meet Patti LuPone! She emails you and wishes you well when you have cancer. Yeh, sorry, you get cancer. It’s fucking awful. But you get better. So much better. You’re running your 5th marathon this year! YOU RUN MARATHONS NOW!
You also work in the theatre where Gypsy played. Can you believe it?! You will be working as an usher. I know, you want to be *on* the stage. Please try and be patient, we’re working on it. In the meantime you get to watch Caissie Levy belt her face off 8 times a week. You’ll first fall in love with her voice when you see Ghost in London. By the way, before you move to New York, you move to London to go to drama school for musical theatre. Oh, and before New York, you live in Fort Collins. Google it. You’re gonna love it.
So, Me 11 years ago. Tonight is your first night in New York City. That feeling you have that you are home is right. Eleven years from now, you’re actually not going to watch the Tonys for the first time in over a decade. You’re going to be rehearsing for a reading of a new musical. You’re singing! And playing your flute! The people are lovely.
You are tripping the light fantastic. It is hard and wonderful and everything and nothing like you thought it would be.
Something is stirring…
Breathe it in.
Sincerely,
Me.
Tomorrow night you are going to watch the 2008 Tony Awards, in person, live at Radio City Hall! You are going to sit in the very back row in the highest rafter of that immense theatre and have this intense realization that Broadway is not a magical mystical place on the other side of the planet. It’s real. And it’s filled with the most extraordinary people.
You should go see In the Heights. I know you think it’s not your thing, but you will regret not seeing it. You’re going to use one of the songs to audition for drama school. But that’s later.
Forget about the boy sitting next to you. He’s going to smash your heart into a million thousand pieces.
A few days later you will see Tony Award winner Patti LuPone in Gypsy. You will write in your journal “PATTI LUPONE!” Underline, underline…! You won’t understand that reference yet. How could you? It hasn’t been written. Another life changing Broadway show. But again, that’s later.
In a few weeks you are going to go to summer camp. You will hate it at first. And then you’ll spend another eight summers there. You’re going to meet your future husband there. It’s going to take a couple of years for it all to fall in to place. When it does, it’s lightening fast and you won’t know what hit you.
In a couple of months you will walk the Camino for the first time. During the walk, you’ll realize that you want to do the acting thing professionally. You want to go to drama school. You want to sing and act and dance and trip the light fantastic.
You will. But it will take a bit of time. And some detours. And the aforementioned heart break.
I want to tell you that eleven years from now, you will be married to your very own New York Jew (well, technically he grew up in Virginia, but his family is from New York, so, close enough). You will be amazed, literally daily, by how patient, loving, and wonderful he is.
You get to meet Patti LuPone! She emails you and wishes you well when you have cancer. Yeh, sorry, you get cancer. It’s fucking awful. But you get better. So much better. You’re running your 5th marathon this year! YOU RUN MARATHONS NOW!
You also work in the theatre where Gypsy played. Can you believe it?! You will be working as an usher. I know, you want to be *on* the stage. Please try and be patient, we’re working on it. In the meantime you get to watch Caissie Levy belt her face off 8 times a week. You’ll first fall in love with her voice when you see Ghost in London. By the way, before you move to New York, you move to London to go to drama school for musical theatre. Oh, and before New York, you live in Fort Collins. Google it. You’re gonna love it.
So, Me 11 years ago. Tonight is your first night in New York City. That feeling you have that you are home is right. Eleven years from now, you’re actually not going to watch the Tonys for the first time in over a decade. You’re going to be rehearsing for a reading of a new musical. You’re singing! And playing your flute! The people are lovely.
You are tripping the light fantastic. It is hard and wonderful and everything and nothing like you thought it would be.
Something is stirring…
Breathe it in.
Sincerely,
Me.
2 Comments
You make my heart smile for your inner strength and fight. We will come from far and wide when you take your Broadway Bow. You have won already in my mind
Thank you so much Dave! <3