I would like, if you will, describe a very special day that now holds the fondest of memories, and a big part of it having to do with this special show. However, first and foremost, I went to see the show July 2, 2010, which was my 21st birthday. So like I promised before, here is an account of that day, those memories, and some funny little stories in between.
I love my Philadelphia and of COURSE my Philly sports, but New York City is a love affair that I just cannot deny. This beautiful city draws me back in the most intoxicating ways and I can never stay too far from it for too long. I plan to live there someday, if only for a while for I feel it has always been a second city, second home for me.
With that being said, my parents helped me plan a full day and night trip for my special 21st birthday. My dad drove us to Philadelphia to the 40th street station. Outside of the train station, are the Megabuses. The drive was nice. I was so tried so I had a nice little nap listening to some music. When we arrived, the Megabus staff helped us get our bags from under the bus. I immediately spotted a Starbucks across the street to which I knew had to be the first destination. We crossed the walkway and started to walk down the street. I passed a newsstand and quickly scanned the headlining gossip mags as we briskly walked by when all of a sudden, CRACK! Without knowing it, I stepped into the biggest divot in the sidewalk. My ankle rolled inside of the hole, just big enough for my foot, and fell hard on my knees and then to the ground in probably the most excruciating pain since I first broke my ankle years before. Now, I have broken my ankle twice before to where I had it casted and healed. It has been weak ever since with tiny sprains from time to time. I was hoping to God that it was not broken again. But the pain was shooting. And not only that, we did not eat any breakfast leaving that morning and with the partially lengthy bus ride, it was getting close to noon and my stomach was churning. The pain made my stomach take one rollercoaster dive. All thought of the embarrassment of wincing in pain on the sidewalks of New York City went right out of my head. A very sweet nice business type man that was walking by and had witnessed my fall was tending to me and asking if I needed an ambulance. I grabbed my ankle shaking my head and saying, "No, no, no, no, no, no." The man, my mom, and sister politely helped me up off the street. I needed to get up because I was in a high foot traffic area and also to see if I could stand. Just as I had stood up, my stomach took a major drop. I closed my eyes even tighter trying to push the thought of throwing up out of my head and the possibility of further embarrassment. I headed straight for the wall where I sat back down on the dirty street, which I didn’t even care at that point, and tried to let the nausea pass. Catching my breath and practically laying on the street, my mother thanked the man who had helped me and pleaded with me to stand up again off the dirty street. “C’mon sweetie. Starbucks is right here.” It literally was. I barely noticed that my fall had landed me a door away from my destination. Luckily it was not in front of the store of sipping onlookers. As I leaned against my sister and limped inside Starbucks my sister said to me, “Happy Birthday.” Ironically and sarcastically she scoffed which made me smile a bit. But I was determined NOT to let this ruin MY day.
My sister and mom helped me stand again and almost limp into the green and white caffeine oasis. I took a seat on one of the taller chairs close to the window and propped it up on the bench seating next to the window. My mom asked for a bag of ice and by the time they gave her the bag and she returned, tears had began to fall down my face. It was part pain part frustration and possibliy part sleep depreiviation? I can never sleep before an exciting event. But I couldn’t hold them back. I was not bawling, but enough for the warm tears make my eyes red and my face red hot too from trying to hold them back. My mom propped my ankle to position it comfortably on the ice bag, wiped my tears while fixing my makeup, gave me a kiss, and took our orders. A line at the counter was starting to form. Again, I didn’t really care about being seen in this state. Anyone could see I was in pain, so crying in public place is not so socially unacceptable…right?
After finally eating a nice breakfast at probably one of my favorite places ever, I hobbled my way to a cab and poured myself into the backseat. We made our way to the Novotel on 52nd street, literally right next to the Broadway Theater. We were there earlier than we were expected to check in but I could not imagine walking anywhere with how much pain my ankle was in. They moved us to another room than we had booked since that was available at the time. We unpacked, settled in, and I laid down to ice my foot. Erica and Mom go looking for a place to smoke, but I stay inside to rest some more. Then, as I am lying down, I hear a knock on my door. I open the door and there is hotel employee with a tray of gourmet chocolates and treats and a champagne bottle with two drinking flutes.
“Hello.” I greet, confused by the big display.
“Hello. Anniversary?” He asks in a one work question. He had a completely endearing accent and shy demeanor about him.
“Oh no I’m sorry, there is no Anniversary here. I think you might have the wrong room.” I explain.
His face dropped and I could see the process of thought run through his head. I think he may have even pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. He walked away quietly mumbling something about wrong room and room numbers. I closed the door and chuckled a bit to myself. The whole thing was utterly adorable.
Shortly after that, my sister and mom returned and I had explained the situation to them. I thought that they would get a kick out of it too until my mom’s expression changed and she quickly picked up the phone and dialed the front desk. The man happily returned, probably knowing he was not in trouble or wrong, and handed my mom the treats that were in fact intended for me. My mom closed the door and shot me a crocked glace with a smile as in, “thanks you almost ruined our surprise for you.” I laughed and said, “How was I supposed to know? He asked me ‘anniversary?’ and had two champagne glasses.” The treats were rich and on an amazingly beautiful serving dish that I wanted to take home.
I got changed and we decided to hit the streets. First we went out on the balcony outside the lobby restaurant and then while walking outside, a butterfly had landed on Erica’s shoulder and stayed there even going down the elevator and outside. It crawled on our fingers, and even our faces. We took some really cute pictures of her. I named her Alice. I think her wing was slightly ripped and that is why she didn’t fly away so quickly. Or she is just a city bug and loves the attention. Ha. I placed her on one of the plants the hotels had decorating the exterior and said, “Thank you and God Bless you little bug.”
We then went to the M&M factory, one of my most favorite places ever. (I also went to the one in Las Vegas last year. I guess that just leaves visiting the one in Orlando?) I love M&Ms. Haha. We walked up and down Time Square and had an overly priced lunch at TGIF Friday’s (New York! What do you want?) I actually wanted to get an alcoholic drink while I was there but Erica stopped me. She said, “Why not get your first alcoholic drink, first time carded, in the theater. Make it special.”
Erica’s legs were killing her and Mom was pretty tired. This was only a few weeks after her hip surgery. It was still a few hours before the show and I still wanted to do some exploring. They went back to the hotel and I went to the center of Time Square. I remembered this beauty shop I wanted to visit so I found a tourist spot in Time square where I asked someone where the nearest “Ricky’s” was. I got an address and phone number. The nearest Ricky’s was just a few walking distance blocks from our hotel. I walked the streets of the city, bought some beauty products, including a much needed, the much talked about SPANX. Haha. Worth the money. I can’t forget the sunglasses guy. On a street about a block and a half away from the hotel, there was a sunglasses stand on a nice part of the street. The very nice elderly black man that was selling them and I struck up a conversation about Sports, including my Philly sports and the trading of Vick as well as it being my birthday. On a side note, everyone I met that day was so nice. I’ve heard horror stories about the cruel City. Everyone EVERYONE I met that day was like a little gift from God. I made back in time for a shower and got all dressed up. We hung out at the restaurant inside the hotel, but our orders took way too long. We ditched dinner so we would not be late for the show.
And then Showtime! I cannot say enough about this show. Since I heard that Kristin was coming back to Broadway, my heart was all a flutter. And being the huge Will & Grace fanatic that I was and still am, I could not think of a more perfect match for the two of them to be together in this show. I have never been able to see Kristin Chenoweth perform live before, which has always been a dream of mine and something I was damn sure a goal I would accomplish before I died, no matter what. Haha. It was a perfect, and I do mean perfect show. Sean had us rolling ROLLING in isles. There was this scene where he walks into the office of his boss, and there is this very interesting modern looking chair. He is trying to figure out how to sit on it. He puts his leg through the hole and flips around so fast and then scrabbles himself back up to his feet as his boss walks in. I am a TOTAL sucker for physical/slapstick comedy and I was completely laughing like a four year old. Then a little later in the scene, the boss sits on chair the right way and Sean’s character, C.C. Baxter, stops mid sentence and goes, “Ohh” with a look of epiphany as in ‘Oh that’s how you sit on it.’ Died…laughing! And that was only like the second scene.
(See what I mean about Sean and the chair at 5 seconds into the video! LOL!)
The emotion was so real, every time. Kristin had me crying during the attempted suicide scene, which definitely pulled some heartstrings. She’s just a pip and I love her no matter what she does. She could be dressed as a sad clown and I’d be entertained. But the risk she took of not being “the funny one” or at least the center focus of being the “funny one.” Don’t get me wrong, she had her own hilarious lines, but when it came to bearing her heart and breaking in for us, (and over and over again for almost 300 times) she was totally committed. She should have least been nominated...and win. The whole show should have won. Listen, I'm no theater critic, and I admit, in this case I am quite biased. However, theater critics' are slowly loosing their place. (Sorry fellas) I mean thinking back to Wicked, it was not the critics that made that show a juggernaut, it was the masses of loyal fans that made it "Popular." (haha) Same thing with Promises, Promises. It was the fans that kept the shows sold out each night. And I am honored to be a part of one of those loyal fans.
I bawled like a baby as the lights came up for intermission. An overwhelming amount mixed emotions flooded me and my face and eyes. The lights came up as I brushed the tears away quickly with my palms. Trying to avoid any looks, as I’m sure my makeup was not how I put it on before I walked inside. I was praying there was no running mascara hoping not to frighten the adorable barely tweener that sat next to me, obviously getting her Cheno-fandom on as well.
(Kristin <3)
The show would advertise, “IF you like Mad Men, then you like of this show.” It is so true. I wanted those costumes very badly. Not that I would fit into any of them (certainly not Kristin’s by any mercy of God.) But my graduation project in high school was theatrical costume designing, and period/era clothing like that, I just drool over. Not literally, because then I’d never be able to give them back, but I have so much fun in the attics of our community theaters looking through old props and dresses. Same reason I love antiquing. It’s like transcending yourself to another time. Perhaps another time I had lived in before. My grandmother ralways says I’m an old soul. Anyway, we stepped outside at intermission and I felt very era. Smoking in one hand, I mentioned how I would love to have a martini in the other. How early 1960s? My mom mentioned, “Maybe when we get back to the bar at the hotel, you can.” My eyes lit up. Oh yea, stupid, you’re 21!
The opening of act II was the perfect comic relief after Fran Kebelik (Kristin) attempted suicide. Katie Finneran knocks it OUT! She absolutely killed it. She has a very short part in the middle, but rightfully won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a musical last year for her role as Marge MacDougall. And let me tell you honey, was I screaming, cheering, and crying when that happened. Her acceptance speech was beautiful. During the beginning of October she had a few last shows as she went on maternity leave. The ever hilarious, ever wonderful Molly Shannon filled her shoes until the very last performance. I would have loved to see Molly in that role, but honestly was so thrilled I saw it with Katie instead.
(Katie & Sean! Hilarious!)
Stage door time!
“I have never done this stage door waiting before.” I told one of the girls I was squished next to as we were preparing for a scramble of people stepping over each other for autographs. The two friends proceeded to tell me that they were high school students. The girls told me how this was something like their fourth show this week while they were visiting. Student rush tickets. We waited for a long time, particularly for Kristin. The door would open and there would be a sweep of tweener gasps hoping it was her. Of course people freaked when Sean came out, everyone knows him. Programs, playbills, memorabilia, were being hurled within a sea of arms. I shoved mine forward to get my Sean autograph, and alas, there it was. Each cast member really took the time to autograph each one as they went down the crowd. Katie came out and I jeered and shrieked with excitement. While she didn’t get the same frenzy as Kristin or Sean, I made sure she knew I was a fan. “Congratulations on your Tony win, Katie!” I said as I had thrust my program forward with probably the biggest cheesiest smile ever. She took the program in her hand, looked me dead in the eye and with the most sincerity and humbleness, said thank you. I mean, it sounds simple but you could tell that it really meant something to her and I felt so great being able to tell her that. As she left I heard a few people saw they were unsure of who she was. (She did come out blonde while in the show, Marge is a redhead.) Other people filled those people in who she was. And then, Of course it was Kristin time. We knew because her little dog Maddie came out first in some child/dog carrying thing strapped to one bodyguard’s chest. I thought it was quite comical that Maddie got a bigger fan fare than some other cast members exiting the stage door that night. If you know Kristin, you know her baby, her dog Madeline Kahn Chenoweth. That’s right…full name. And then there she was, looking like the fabulous diva she is stepping out in a cute tank and sunglasses. (The sunglasses are seriously not to look diva-ish, it’s really because, like me, flashes of light from say, a ton of cameras, trigger migraines very easily for her. I hear ya sister.) It all happened so fast. I might have said “thank you” as she came by to sign autographs, but completely dazzled, I only remember being star struck once again. I met her in April of 2009 when she was on her book signing tour. I just love her.
(Sean signing)
(KATIE THANKING ME!)
(Sorry. Best and only one I have of Kristin at the Stage Door.)
We went back to the hotel and drank a little and ate some food. The kitchen was not technically open but my mom had made arrangements. After that bust day, I had an easy night’s sleep and the next morning my mom and I had fun walking around the city before we had to catch the bus home. A bunch of streets were closed off for some sort of merchant’s fair. There were tons of stands with foods, crafts, jewelry, you name it. It went on for blocks too. My ankle still hurt those days, but I bought some sterile wraps and constantly iced it when I was not walking. Like I said, I was determined and did not let it ruin my special day.
(Me & NYC)
(Sissy & I)
(My beautiful Mama!)
Another year older, another year to remember how blessed I am to recognize the wonderful people in my life and the great blessings that God has given me. I’ll never forget that day.
Love,
Katie oxox
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