This morning I read an article covering an Australian woman who lied about having cancer and built an empire around it. She was caught, went off the radar for a bit, and is now being interviewed on television with the story “she lost everything.” I won’t link it, because I refuse to give That Woman clicks or further attention. I feel sorry for this person -- she clearly needs help, not television interviews.

My husband is heading off to summer camp today. Camp is my “home,” my happy place. It’s the place where I met and fell in love with Aaron. It’s the place where some of my closest friends are. It’s the place where I get to spend 8 weeks surrounded by some of the most amazing people who are spending their summer vacations making theatre and art. 

I can’t go because of: Stupid. Effing. Cancer. My fragile immune system can’t yet handle the risk of bugs (creepy crawly, stinging, or human-infecting), buffet food, or being in close proximity to children. There’s something ironic in the fact that I managed to make it to the lovely woods of Connecticut for six years from far flung locations like Sydney, but now that I live less than two hours away, I can’t go. It’s heartbreaking. 

On days like these, I feel like cancer has taken everything away from me. My old life was whisked away with the words, “You have acute myeloid leukemia,” and replaced with bone marrow biopsies, chemo, radiation, transplants, blood work, and the continual fear of relapse. Compared to the healthy, vibrant, energetic person I was, I have no energy. I’ve lost an entire octave in my singing voice. I can’t run. I have to be careful of where I eat. I can’t work. My hormones are a mess. I’m 30 and in menopause, but I keep getting what my doctor euphemistically calls “breakthrough bleeding”. If cramps, bloating, headaches, and bleeding for 3-5 days isn’t a period I don’t know what is. And it happens twice a month. I have large marks on my legs from the original infection that first landed me in hospital. 

That Woman claims she has lost everything. And yes, there are days, like today, where I feel like I have lost everything. However, if you’re lucky enough to survive, there’s a weird paradox in having cancer. It gives you a whole new life. Sure, it’s different than before, and you miss the old days when you didn’t have a god awful unpredictable illness whose treatment makes you wish you were dead. Personally speaking, cancer has helped me to re-discover who I am. I have re-kindled my passions. I have learnt how utterly loved, and cared for, I am. 

I am incredibly fortunate. I have health insurance. I have access to some of the best medical care in the world. I have a wonderful, loving, patient, kind, and funny, person to share my life with. I have family and friends who care for me. I live in a gorgeous sun-filled apartment in the city of my dreams. I have access to fresh food and clean water. I have everything in life I could possibly need. 

I can’t go to camp today. It hurts. I’ll cry. I’ll feel that life is incredibly unfair and F.U.Cancer and your impact on my life. But I’m alive. And with a little luck and continued remission, I’ll be back next year. I haven’t lost everything. Life has just shifted, and look at what I’ve gained.

Blackout 
A voice - 
Once upon a time…
The crowd erupts into
Rapturous applause 

Lights up
The host, Mo Rocca, walks onto the stage
He says he is 
Excited
Well, excited and scared
The full house 
Responds with 
Appreciative laughter 

Sondheim and Lapine are welcomed to the stage
The audience is on their feet
Cheering with  
An ecstatic roar 

Conversational banter 
The who, what, why, and how
Into the Woods came to be 

The Baker and his Wife
Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason 
Are like a married couple 
Charming and funny 
They have a genuine affection for each other 
How many times have I heard their voices?
Seen their images on my screen? 
And there they are on stage
Singing 
“No More” and “It Takes Two”

Kim Crosby appears
“On the Steps of the Palace”
Still as bright and clear as 26 years ago
The prince arrives,
Robert Westenberg
Cinderella’s real-life love 
“Hello Little Girl”
Wonderfully humorous 

Danielle Ferland
Little Red Riding Hood 
All grown up and wearing a red dress
“I Know Things Now” 
Ben Wright 
Also grown, now a father of four
Nails “Giants in the Sky” 

We hear behind the scenes stories 
And audition anecdotes 
Joanna Gleason talks of walking into the room
She hadn’t been on Broadway in 10 years
She had one song with her, a ballad 
There was Lapine. And there was “Zeus.”
They asked if she had an uptempo number
She offered to sing the ballad faster. 

Act 1 closes with 
“Any Moment” and 
“Moment in the Woods”
Mo Rocca warns us it will all fall apart in the second act
Laughter. Lights up. 

The audience chatters loudly. 

Act 2 opens with 
Bernadette Peters
She has not aged a single bit
Perhaps she really did drink a magic potion
But she hasn’t lost her powers
The rap, complete with witch’s prosthetic nose, is 
Perfect 

Through 
“Stay With Me”
We are captivated
And not going anywhere 
You can hear a pin drop 
But for the piano and 
Bernadette’s voice 
She is utterly, utterly divine 

More banter 
Sondheim is (it seems almost redundant to say it, because, OBVIOUSLY he is) 
Incredibly articulate 
And funny 
The camaraderie of the cast 
Warmth and love 
Appreciation that they were a part of this magical creation 

I wonder if this all would have been possible if they had never filmed the original production? 
Listen up musical producers! Film your shows and give them a life time well beyond the original run! 

“Your Fault/Last Midnight”
Bernadette’s final note is astonishing
“Children Will Listen”
I know I’m not the only one crying 
The finale. 
Another standing ovation

What an extraordinary event 
So special to see these wonderful people gathered
In celebration of art
And music
And story-telling 
The joy of nostalgia
The wonder of my childhood being accessible
And on my doorstep 
I love being in New York
And living a life
Made of these moments. 

It may surprise people to know that one of my favorite movies of all time is not a musical. In fact, it doesn’t even have any singing. Or dancing. It’s about a trained swordsman Cinderella who reads, rescues her prince, saves herself from an evil overlord, and has Angelica Houston as her stepmother. The 1998 feminist re-telling of Cinderella starring Drew Barrymore, Ever After. My sister and I were obsessed with it. We could recite the whole movie by heart without even needing to watch it. I wore my hair in braids. I wore glitter around my eyes. I named my first blog, "Breathe, Just Breathe" from a line in the film. 

With the exception of Hairspray, I’m generally not enamored with movies that have been made into stage musicals. Too often the book is a slavic re-creation of the film script, the scenes and staging lifted right from the movie onto the stage. It doesn’t make for great theatre, or musicals. 

So when I heard that my childhood sweetheart was being made into a musical, I was slightly terrified. What if they just re-created the movie onstage with songs in the parts that felt “emotional”? What if they wrote an entirely new script and didn’t even reference my favorite lines? What if they ruined my childhood??? 

I am pleased to say that Ever After the musical, playing at the Paper Mill Playhouse until June 21, did none of these things. It took my beloved childhood sweetheart in its arms and made it sing. It lovingly referenced the movie, but the show stood on its own two dancing feet and told the story in a whole new way. From the spirited opening number, Chére Danielle/Ever After, I loved it. 

Margot Seibert was wonderful as Danielle. Her strong mezzo voice is well suited to the score, and she is completely believable as the gutsy heroine. James Snyder was a perfect prince. He has one of those melt-your-heart soaring tenor voices, and his charm and sincerity were evident. Tony Sheldon a delightful Leonardo, delivering one-liners and wisdom with charm and warmth. Mara Davi was an astonishingly petulant Marguerite, and her ability to switch between soprano trills and character voices was hilarious. 

References to the film throughout, particularly King Frances and Queen Marie’s four poster bed, were well done but the creators weren’t afraid to shy away from changing moments to better suit the stage. The gypsies are used to great effect, though their characterization borders a little too closely to stereotype.

Overall, Zina Goldrich’s score is wonderful. It’s a truly rich tapestry that is light without being fluffy, and full of gorgeous tunes. Marcy Heisler’s book and lyrics are a genuine treat, and capture the delightful wittiness of the film without being slavish to it. I really hope a cast recording is made, because the score deserves to be heard. Tantalizing tidbits can be seen and heard here, here, here, and here (guess what I've been watching all morning). 

Kathleen Marshall’s choreography was perfectly suited, and the dancing gypsies were a surprise treat.

The show is not without its flaws. Derek McLane’s set design didn’t scream 16th century France - with its platforms on either side of the stage, it felt more like RENT meets the late Middle Ages. Having said that, McLane’s backdrop projections were beautiful, and evoked exactly the right feel without detracting from the action. 

A few numbers need to be cut, particularly the Act 1 finale Out of the Darkness. It’s a gorgeous love song (and absolutely needs to be on the cast recording, please), but the first act is already too long. The opening of Act 2, Who Do You Think You Are, where Danielle confronts her stepmother is a masterful moment of musical theatre, and would make a better Act 1 finale. Some of the key moments, particularly the father’s death and Danielle’s arrival at the ball, felt rushed and therefore lost. Other moments, particularly Henry and Danielle’s scene in the forest, were a little too labored. These could be easily remedied. 

I’m really excited for Ever After the musical to transfer to Broadway. It deserves a wider audience, and Goldrich and Heisler’s talents are well overdue for a Broadway success. 

I just hope I can re-watch the movie without feeling sad that Angelica Houston and Drew Barrymore won’t break out into song.