One of the hardest things about cancer was losing my singing voice. The debilitating effects of radiation and chemo took away the top octave of my range. 

During my recovery, I was introduced to a singing teacher who was also a cancer survivor. She promised me that, in time, my voice would return.

Progress has been slow and frustrating, but the more I have run in training for the NYC Marathon, the stronger my voice has become.

Last week, I was given the awesome opportunity of singing with the Buck's Rock Orchestra for the Tribute Show. The theme this year was "Dance Music," and the orchestra's contribution was "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady.

While I love me some Lerner and Loewe, it's not repertoire that is usually in my book. I'm more of a belter, and there's an E flat at the end of "I Could Have Danced All Night" that even pre-cancer me would not have loved.

Due to musical rehearsals, I did not have a chance to sing with the orchestra until the day before the concert. My phrasing was a mess. The high E flat was not pretty. But, it was exciting to be singing again.

Between rehearsal and the night of the show, I went for a nice long run. I warmed up my voice, put on my pretty new dress, and slipped into a pair of heels.

The gong rang thrice, and it was show time.

Standing on stage in front a Buck's Rock audience is the best. It is always a warm and forgiving crowd. It's so nice to get a cheer just from walking out on stage!

The song went great, and ya'll, I even hit the E flat! IT WAS THRILLING! I felt like I could have sung all night. Big thanks to Bruce and the Orchestra for inviting me to sing. 
​
Definitely more running and singing to come!

We have nearly reached my goal of raising $5000 towards leukemia research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center!

Can you help me over the finish line and make cancer history? 

It feels like Christmas Eve! The Tony Award nominations are being announced in approximately seven hours and I feel the desire to share my predictions. 

I am delighted to say that I have seen two-thirds of this year’s potential nominees (and I worked on one! Even if it was in front of house, it's so thrilling to be a part of this crazy, awesome world). Huge improvement on two years ago when I had seen precisely ZERO shows! 

Below are my predictions for the 2017 Tony Awards in all the musical categories. It’s not that I don’t love plays, I just don’t see enough of them to make an informed decision, because time and money. A theatre junkie living in New York needs to have some kind of limits. My predicted winner is in bold. 

Best Actor in a Featured Role 
Andrew Rannells - Falsettos 
Lucas Steele - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 
Gavin Creele - Hello, Dolly! 

Best Actor in a Musical
Josh Groban - Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Ben Platt - Dear Evan Hansen 
Christian Borle - Falsettos
Andy Karl - Groundhog Day
David Hyde Pierce - Hello, Dolly! 

Best Actress in a Featured Role 
Jen Colella - Come From Away 
Caroline O’Connor - Anastasia
Rachel Bay Jones - Dear Evan Hansen
Jackie Hoffman - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Best Actress in a Musical 
Patti LuPone - War Paint 
Christine Ebersole - War Paint 
Bette Midler - Hello, Dolly
Denée Benton - Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 
(For this category alone, I do not envy the Tony voters their job… HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?!) 

Best Book of a Musical
Dear Evan Hansen
Come from Away
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Best Choreography  
Come from Away
Anastasia 
Hello, Dolly! 
Holiday Inn
Groundhog Day 
(Again, how do you choose?!) 

Best Conductor/Musical Director 
Sunset Boulevard 
In Transit 
Come From Away 
Bandstand
(I'm sad that In Transit is unlikely to get much love here. It was conducted entirely by SOUND, with MD Rick Hip-Flores giving cues via a microphone backstage. The logistics of that blows my mind.) 

Best Costume Design
Hello, Dolly! 
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
War Paint 

Best Lighting Design 
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Dear Evan Hansen 
War Paint 

Best Scenic Design
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Groundhog Day
War Paint
Hello, Dolly! 

Best Orchestrations 
In Transit 
Come from Away 
Hello, Dolly! 
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Best Score
Anastasia 
Come from Away
Dear Evan Hansen
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Best Direction
Come From Away
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
War Paint 
Dear Evan Hansen

Best Revival 
Hello, Dolly! 
Falsettos 
Miss Saigon

Best Musical
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
Dear Evan Hansen 
Come from Away 
Anastasia 
War Paint 

WHAT A SEASON!!! I genuinely loved the vast majority of what I saw this year. I think Come from Away will nab a good number of the awards simply because it opened later and is fresher in voters’ minds. Producer Ken Davenport did a blog a while ago on the fact that shows that open in the fall do not fare as well as shows that open in the spring come awards season. 

But honestly, how do you compare all these wonderful pieces of art? Natasha, Pierre is immersive and scintillating while Come from Away is moving and heart-warming. War Paint and Hello, Dolly! tell the stories of powerful, wonderful, complex women. Anastasia shows us that “children’s” movies do not have to be light and fluffy. Dear Evan Hansen is tapping into the psyches of anguished teens. And all of these shows are using different styles of music, story-telling devices, and conventions of musical theatre. They all sing and dance and tell powerful stories. I feel so very lucky to have been witness to it all. 

After 31 previews and 366 regular performances, Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour played its final performance on Broadway today. 

Working in front of house for the past four or five months, I have been an infinitesimal speck in the run of this production. 

The show is not groundbreaking. It is not the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. It presents a world inhabited by mostly white people, where people of color never speak. Gay men are the punchline of jokes, and gay women do not exist. Women may be stars, but they have no agency. Even when they can sing, act, dance, and write moving lyrics, their sole function is to be the pivotal point of a love triangle. 

And yet, Paramour will always hold a special place in my heart.

It’s my first job on Broadway. It got me into the illusive ushers union. It has inspired me in my quest for physical fitness. Throughout the run, I have made friends with some truly wonderful people who I’m really going to miss spending time with 8 times a week. 

Circus invites us to see the world in a more whimsical and playful way. It’s a world where people walk on their hands, fly from the ceiling, and balance roses on their foreheads. 

The level of athleticism and artistry of the acrobats is out of control amazing. I have gotten fitter as a result of watching this team of athletes do their thing 8 times a week. They inspire me to be better, work harder. Most of the acrobats are men, but there is one woman who stands out, Gasya Atherton. She is awe-inspiring to watch. Follow her on Instagram for inspirational photos of a beautiful human being being amazing. 

The Atherton Twins are astonishing. I understand why people are always moved to try and film during their number. I don't understand the people who are bored during their number. One night I had to stop a woman from watching a fashion show on her phone mid-performance. If two beautiful half-naked men swinging from the ceiling above your head in perfect unison doesn't hold your attention, I don't know what will. To my knowledge, the twins haven't missed a single show. I can't wait to see what they'll do next.

I love Cooper, the Clown. He doesn't speak a word, yet he just about steals every scene he's in. He's always interesting to watch, always on, even when he's not the focus. 

I love the unicycle act. I love the dancing in the Calamity Jane number. I love the audible gasp that comes from the balcony when the zombies descend. I love the trampoline act. 

The best part of working on Paramour has been finding a community of creative people. Actors, writers, lovers of theatre. People working on fascinating projects and doing what they can to survive in this intense crazy city. Just really lovely people who are easy to have a conversation with. ​

So, au revoir Paramour. You will be missed. 

Someone once asked me when I was going to quit front of house and get a “real job”. It may not be the most complex or highly skilled form of employment on the planet, but being a part of ensuring the safety, well-being, and enjoyable experience for up to 1900 people in a room eight times a week is a real job. And one that I absolutely love.

I have worked in front of house, on and off, for over a decade. I’ve been an usher in Sydney, London, and New York. I’ve worked in tiny black box theatres, an opera house (not the Sydney one, though I have sung there with various choirs), and commercial theatres with up to 1900 seats. It’s a job that was my staple through two degrees, and been my constant while I try and get a job on the stage. Australian performer Paul Capsis started out as an usher. As did Caroline O’Connor.

Becoming an usher occurred thanks to a fortuitous happenstance. I was at university in Sydney, and one day was babysitting a cousin in the city. My aunt and I agreed to meet at the MLC Center. I was a little early and saw a sign for the Theatre Royal. I was on the look out for a new job, and decided to go in and ask if they were hiring. I met the delightful Trish Charan, who remains to this day one of the best bosses and human beings on the planet. I interviewed, got the job, and officially left seven years later when I moved to London.

I love getting paid to watch theatre. I love being on a long run and being able to see the same show 8 times a week. On a good show, it’s like being paid to take a masterclass. On a weaker show, it’s a masterclass in how not to do theatre. Terrible shows are when the front of house team really bands together.

On a long run, the show itself (usually) remains the same, but understudies, new cast members, and the audience itself, can make every night new.

The house has a different feel for each show. School groups, groups of pensioners, matinees, Friday nights, shows on or around significant holidays, all impact the feel of the room and the smoothness of an evening.

It’s not always wonderful. Constantly telling people to turn their goddamn phones off and explaining for the umpteenth time, that “No, silent mode is not off. The screen is glowing, therefore it is on. Please. Turn. It. Off.”

Constantly reminding people they cannot take photos or film the show. You weren’t taking a photo of your child. You weren’t just checking a message. WE CAN SEE YOU. STOP DOING IT.

Explaining late seating. Explaining that yes, your 3 month old baby does require a ticket.

Dealing with drunk patrons. Dealing with screaming babies. Dealing with the couple who decided they would just pop forward to the empty seats in the middle of the front row once the lights went down and refusing to move when the latecomers arrive for those seats.

I’ve watched a couple pick each others noses. I’ve heard plenty of stories of frisky couples who just couldn’t wait to get home and thought they couldn’t be seen in the dark (you can be seen, and, yes, we’re watching you). I’ve seen a few people faint. I’ve seen a drunk woman run onto the stage at curtain call. I've helped deal with patrons whose tickets were stolen. I've seen people turn up on the wrong night. I've seen people show up at the finale asking to be let in.

It’s the live immediacy that I love. Hearing the collective gasp of an audience. Seeing an audience erupt with waves of appreciation and joy at the curtain call. Talking with patrons at intermission and hearing their stories. The thrill that courses through the front of house team when there’s a celebrity in. It's not every day you get to sell a program to the Queen of Spain.

The people I’ve had the pleasure of working with make is what makes front of house one of the best jobs. Most are “resting” actors, performers in-between gigs (or still waiting for gigs). There are also researchers, medical students, artists, writers, and retirees. People from all walks of life, all different backgrounds who share a love of theatre. You become close working together 8 shows a week for months on end.

It’s not the most glamorous or well-paid (especially in the U.S.) job, but I love it. If I’m lucky, one day I’ll be one of the white-haired treasures who've been ushering for a thousand years.

Until my job is being on the stage, I'll happily take your tickets, show you to your seat, and join you in celebrating the joy of participating in live theatre. It's one of the most unreal jobs in the world.

There are performers 
Audra, Julie, Bernadette, Liza, Patti, Chita, Barbra, Bette
Whose reputations precede them
“Living legends”
“Broadway Divas” 

It’s one thing to watch your heroes on the screen
Over and over again in your living room
To listen to the cast recordings and soundtracks on repeat 
But nothing beats the real life 
In the flesh
Live performance 

There’s always a little fear in seeing them
What if they’re not as good as they are on film? 
What if they just don’t got it anymore
You hear stories

When I saw Liza in 2013
Friends warned against even buying tickets
She had a reputation for not showing up 
And sure, her top notes weren’t what they once were
But she was breath-taking 

And last night
I got to see Bette
When she appeared on stage
The audience leapt to its feet 
The love in that room was overwhelming 
(Roxy: I love the audience and they love me and we just love each other...) 

Can Bette sing as high as she used to? 
Does she dance like she used to? 
Does she do it like Barbra? 
No. 

But Bette doesn’t need to be Barbra
She’s Bette 
And when you see her on that stage
You know why Bette Midler is Bette “the Divine Miss M” Midler 
She radiates warmth and energy and charisma 
She's damn funny 
And boy does she know how to work a room

The great thing about a show like Hello, Dolly 
Is that it’s written for an older woman
It doesn’t require huge belting because
Dolly uses her charm and humor and wits to navigate the world 
And you fall in love with her over and over again

The production is sumptuous and gorgeously realized
The costumes border on garish they are so bright
The color palette is like something out of a technicolor candy store
Are we in heaven or in danger of overdoing on sugar? 
Jerry Herman’s score is sublime. You can’t help but feel happy
The vocal arrangements gave me goosebumps
Those harmonies just lift your soul and make you want to dance
The gorgeous choreography 
Expertly executed by a delightful ensemble
It’s all a visual and auditory feast 
That manages to be a wholly separate experience from the movie 
It is uplifting and marvelous musical theatre
At its best

It’s not perfect 
While there were people of color in the ensemble 
I would love to have seen more diverse casting in the supporting roles 
The performers were truly terrific, but the overwhelming whiteness is frustrating

I dreamt about the show all night 
And woke up still on a high 
After a tough few weeks battling a particularly nasty bout of depression
This infusion of light has been desperately needed 

So thank you Miss Midler 
And your luminous team 
For doing what you do
And doing it so well.

In honor of International Women's Day, here are ten female characters from the world of musical theatre that I love! 

10. Julie Andrews: Maria/Mary/Millie 
Ok, Dame Julie Andrews isn’t a character in a musical, but I grew up watching Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music on repeat, and three of her characters were a huge influence on my younger self.

Mary Poppins (from Mary Poppins), Maria (from The Sound of Music), and Millie (from Thoroughly Modern Millie) were all outspoken, forthright women, who sang and danced to make life more bearable and magical. The indomitable spirits of these characters changed the lives of the people they encountered for the better, and enchanted millions of viewers around the world. 

Julie is a writer, producer, and director, and comes across the most genuine and wonderful human being on the planet. You don’t even know how excited I am for Julie’s Greenroom. ​

Happy International Women’s Day! 

I had the most wonderful dream
I went back to camp
And spent entire days teaching voice
And singing and playing piano 
I hung out with some of the loveliest, funniest, most talented humans 
Who inspired me every day with their creative energy and output 

I floated down a river in a giant plastic tube 
I sat in on auditions and casting 
And felt like an important and valued member of the team
I sang in the Music Shed staff band and we started a spontaneous dance party with our version of Shut Up and Dance!

I worked on Assassins and became re-obsessed with Sondheim’s goddamn brilliance
Every note is important
Contributes to the telling of the story
The creation of character
I sat under stage lights at 1.30 in the morning and, despite having been up since 7.30am the previous day, felt alive and happy and at home

I taught voice lessons to over thirty campers
And three staff members
We did scales and breath control
Sang pop and musical theatre songs 
A privilege and a joy to help people find their voices 

I worked on Urinetown and fell in love with conducting 
A whole new kind of performing (to me at least)
Feeling like a total beginner
Being hungry to learn more
And instead of feeling terrified and anxious by not knowing
Being inspired by it

It was the hottest summer I can remember 
With afternoons so humid you felt like you would melt into the pavement 
In the heat we taught and sang and danced and schlepped instruments across camp 

Right up until the first day
I wasn’t sure I could actually do it 
For months I had had ongoing aches and pains 
All unexplained and infuriating 
I was tired and depressed 

And then we drove up 
Buck’s Rock Road 
And it all fell away

This summer 
I tripped the light fantastic 
Finally found my old self
But she was different
Better 
I remembered what it was that we wanted 

In the blink of an eye
We were back home in Brooklyn
And the green woods felt like 
A beautiful, wonderful dream

The end. ​

After a year of not being able to go to theatre, I've seen 9 shows in the past month. It makes my heart Very Happy to finally feel like I actually live in the theatre capital of the world! Below is a summary of what I've seen so far. 

The musical of one of my all time favorite movies with a score and book by two of my favorite composers, Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich. My first time at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, and my first show since stupid effing cancer, did not disappoint. 

I have no doubt this show will go to Broadway, where I hope it will be a huge hit. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a cast recording. 

You can read more here. 

A musical about three sailors on leave for one day in NYC. With a sumptuous score by Bernstein and endearing book and lyrics by Comden and Green, On the Town is a bona fide classic.

The number one reason to see this show: the dancing!!! Oh, the glorious, wonderful, beautiful dancing!!! I’m itching to see American in Paris now, because if the dancing/choreography is better in that (based on Tony Award for Best Choreography) I think I will die and go to heaven. 

The entire ensemble were just gorgeous. The ballet in the second act was like watching an MGM musical performed live. I cried several times it was so damn beautiful. 

Everything about this show is gorgeous. The lighting, the costumes, the orchestrations, the singing. I loved it. Definitely want to see it again. 

I had been anxious about seeing Kinky Boots for the stupid reason that it “stole” the Tony for Best Musical from Matilda. There is no way Cyndi Lauper deserved Best Original Score over Tim Minchin (compare the lyrics “Let me hear you say “yeah”/Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” to “My mummy says I'm a miracle/ One look at my face, and it's plain to see./ Ever since the day doc chopped the umbilical cord,/It's been clear there's no peer for a miracle like me!”) but now that I've seen the show, I understand why Kinky Boots won the big coveted prize. 

Set in England, Kinky Boots is based on the true story of a man who inherits a shoe factory and revives its failing fortunes by manufacturing heels for men. It's a great story about facing adversity, embracing who we are, and ultimately finding acceptance. This production is fun and genuinely touching, and it was wonderful to see Billy Porter playing his Tony Award winning role.  

After the show, my friend Annie and I were lucky enough to be treated to a backstage tour with original cast member Adinah Alexander. It was fun to walk on the stage, and head behind the scenes to see all the gorgeous costumes up close! 

A special event at BAM featuring the original Broadway cast of Into the Woods, along with composer Stephen Sondheim and book writer James Lapine. Mo Rocca interviewed everyone in light-hearted conversational manner, and the cast sang their signature songs. It was all done for the fans, and it was glorious. The highlight for me was absolutely Bernadette Peters. It was quite an experience to see a Broadway legend in action, and I swear she has not aged a single bit. How does she do it?! 

I don’t think this kind of event would have been possible if the original production hadn’t been filmed and made available on VHS/DVD. I was three-years-old and living in Sydney when Into the Woods premiered on Broadway. It closed when I was five, a full nineteen years before I even went to New York for the first time. The filmed production gave me access to the show. 

Filmed live theatre is the future (as a complement to live theatre, not a replacement), and this event was proof of its power of giving ephemeral shows a much longer lifespan and wider audience. Dear producers: please stop being afraid of filming of your shows, and make them available. The end. 

You can read a more detailed description here. 

A short engagement at New York City Center as part of the Encores! program, A New Brain is a one act semi-autobiographical musical about composer William Finn’s encounter with AVM (a brain clot). Although I have listened to the recording countless times since I first encountered the show at uni, I have never actually seen a production. 

Starring Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, Glee, Frozen) and Ana Gasteyer (The Good Wife, Wicked, SNL), I knew this was going to be a special event, and it did not disappoint. The production was wonderful, with a top notch ensemble, clever staging, and gorgeous rich vocal arrangements by Jason Robert Brown.

The only downside? The tween-age kids sitting two rows down from me who spent the entire show playing on their phones. One kid even had headphones in. I was in the middle of my row and couldn’t get up to say something to the (absent) ushers. It was incredibly distracting. I complained afterwards, but the house manager just shrugged. 

I’m all for kids going to the theatre. I believe it’s incredibly important. I felt sorry for the kids — they were bored, and whoever was in charge had clearly made the wrong choice in choosing the show. But grown-ups should be teaching their kids about what behavior is appropriate in the theatre. My memory of Ana Gasteyer singing “Music Still Plays On” should not be intertwined with Candy Crush.

Seth Rudetsky is a Broadway music director, pianist, author, and radio host. I am a huge fan of his "deconstructions" and know that any event that Seth is a part of is going to have huge star power and plenty of sassy belting. 

Voice for the Voiceless was a special one-night-only benefit to raise funds and awareness for You Gotta Believe. Seth and his husband James recently completed training to be foster parents, and learnt that thousands of young adults age out of the foster care system without being adopted. These young adults face substantially higher rates of homelessness, health issues, and unemployment and one of the few resources in place to help them, You Gotta Believe, has just had the bulk of its funding cut. 

Organized in a mere six weeks, Seth and James rallied some of Broadway and televisions biggest stars to the cause  — Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Megan Hilty, Darren Criss, and Eden Espinoza to name just a few. Seth hosted, conducted, and played keys, all while serving up his usual fast paced and witty repartee. The performances, a diverse range of Broadway and pop songs, were wonderful, and the 14 piece band was surprisingly tight. 

The highlight of the evening though, were the stories of young adults who had found their "forever homes" thanks to You Gotta Believe. Even more touching were the stories of young adults who were yet to be adopted. The event raised over $500,000. Read more here. 

One of my Buck’s Rock buddies kept posting about how amazing this show was, until she wrote “If any of you poor jerks haven't seen Hand to God yet, just go do it. Find a way. Because you don't know how badly you need this play in your life until you see it.” With a recommendation like that, I felt obligated. 

A play about a family in Texas and their encounter with the devil, Hand to God is clever, funny, and incredibly poignant. The story is sad, touching, and played with incredible humor by a talented cast. Steven Boyer is a stand-out, and his puppet skills are awesome to behold. Beowulf Boritt’s scenic design is brilliant, and one of those clever sets that has the ability to transform right before your eyes. 

A musical about a failed producer trying to woo back his starlet, and former love, whilst traveling aboard the 20th Century train between Chicago and New York. The Roundabout’s production is a great star vehicle for Kristin Chenoweth, and Larry Hochman’s orchestrations and vocal arrangements are delicious, but this is not Coleman and Comden and Green’s best musical. 

Unlike On the Town, which has a lovely heart, there is no substance to On the 20th Century. The overture is gorgeous, and the opening number featuring four tapping porters is thrilling, but it all goes downhill from there. The pacing is strange, the ensemble aren’t utilized enough, and act one ends without any sort of climax. The best numbers are the flashbacks not set on the train, but, unfortunately, we spend three-quarters of the show aboard the locomotive.

Worth it to see Kristin Chenoweth be Kristin Chenoweth. 

10 out of 12 (a play about tech rehearsal. A fellow Buck’s Rocker worked on it, I can’t wait) 

Shows for Days (starring Patti LuPone. I don’t care what it’s about. Patti could be reading a phone book and I would still love it. It’s Patti. She can do anything.) 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (starring Taye Diggs. Be still my beating teenage heart.) 

The King and I (Kelli O’Hara singing Rogers and Hammerstein!) 

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.