Gratefull....

I'm not just "grateful" for theatre...I'm "gratefull" ~ full to the very tippy top of my little elfin hat with amazing theatrical experiences for which I am thankful.

I could never ever list all the moments from the past year or so that merit a mention but here are a few that come to mind:

• Walking into the Circle in the Square Theatre for my first time at the revival of "Godspell" in Oct '11 and seeing water dripping from the ceiling.  I somehow knew at that moment that I was about to meet a dear friend of a show.  It was a deeply moving experience in my life, this gem of a show, and it brought me new friends that I do indeed hold dear.  It certainly built a "Beautiful City."

• That moment when Hugh Jackman appeared at my box seat at the start of Act II of his one-man show and proceeded to serenade me and sit in my lap.  I still can't believe it happened.

• The richly satisfying production of "Other Desert Cities" by Jon Robin Baitz.  The family we met through Stockard Channing, Stacy Keach, Rachel Griffiths, Judith Light and Thomas Sadoski, was complex and fascinating.

• When I walked through the doors of the New York Theatre Workshop to the strains of the festive music already being played on stage by the talented cast of "Once."  I fell in love instantly, and that love only increased after the show's move to Broadway...it lost none of its lovely charm and intimacy.

• Seeing the fantastic New York City Center Encores! presentation of "Merrily We Roll Along" with two of my oldest, dearest friends and linking pinkies that night as we recited "Who's like us?  Damn few."
  

• Making a last minute decision to see a new play, "Really, Really" at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA and being blown away by its depth and power.  It is coming to New York.  See it.

• Being emotionally pummeled in all the right ways by the performance of deaf actor Russell Harvard in the amazing play, "Tribes," and sharing memories of Gallaudet University with him after the show.

• The first time I learned what "starstuff" is, thanks to Celia Keenan Bolger, Adam Chandler-Berat, Christian Borle and the rest of the cast of the enchanting "Peter and the Starcatcher."

• David Selby's portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in "Necessary Sacrifices" at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.

• Being completely starstruck in the combined acting presence of James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury and Candice Bergen at "The Best Man."  

• John Lithgow's unbelievably moving performance as Joseph Alsop in "The Columnist."  
  

• Alan Cumming's tour de force "Macbeth" from the National Theatre of Scotland and performed during the 2012 Lincoln Center Festival.

• The unforgettable Second Stage Theatre production of "Dogfight," which brought together an incredible array of talent, especially the composing team of Pasek and Paul, and the wonderful Lindsay Mendez.

• Sitting in the twilight at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park with the sounds of the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Into the Woods" filling the air with magic.
  

• The multiple workshops and readings I attended, especially "The Break" (Signature, Arlington); "The Crow" (Kennedy Center, Page to Stage); "Last Dance" (York Theatre).

• "Stick Fly" and its amazing cast...this show somehow managed to be wildly funny and completely serious and profound all at once.
  

• The Public Theater's "Fun Home."  This one will stay with me forever.  It was a perfect storm of story, acting, music and staging.  I am really so very grateful for this one.

And there are many, many more.  So thank you writers, composers, actors, dancers, stage managers, directors, lighting, set, sound and costume designers, theatre staff and fellow audience members for reminding me of why I feel so full today...ok, it's partly the pumpkin pie, but it's mostly the theatre! 

 

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