My first time back to New York since the fall of 2019 was a thrilling and emotional experience. We had tickets to see the two big revivals, FUNNY GIRL starring Beanie Feldstein and THE MUSIC MAN starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. We flew out two days after the Tony Awards. Just before leaving, an email landed in my inbox from Broadway.com announcing that Hugh Jackman was out with Covid. Fighting down frustration, disappointment and a little irritation that no one appeared to have masked at the Tony's, I decided to hold on to our mezzanine tickets anyway. Then, in the airport, another alert popped up on our phones. Beanie Feldstein was out with Covid. Boom. Covid strikes again. Only a couple of weeks earlier, a local production of OUR TOWN, to which I had been invited, closed because too many cast members had tested positive.
Directors at every level from high school to Broadway have faced the same challenges and the same questions - Will the show go on? Can the show go on? The Covid cloud hung over my entire theatre season. Mask mandates. Quarantines. Testing. My season theme mocked me. "A Season of New Beginnings" seemed like a good idea in the spring of '21 when we mistakenly expected that we would be returning to normal. Nothing has been normal in the theatre except the constant anxiety that has accompanied any and all plans, schedules and performances.
So when we got the news about Beanie and Hugh, it was an all too familiar feeling. The surprising silver lining, however, was the electric excitement that came with watching the standbys step into these iconic roles - ready, willing and able. As Fanny Brice, Julie Benko was extraordinary. Life was imitating art as she belted out "I'm the greatest star, I am by far, but no one knows it." They do now!
As Professor Harold Hill, Max Clayton was charismatic, charming and utterly engaging. He held his own with the superb Sutton Foster. Thanks to audience cancelations, our mezzanine tickets got upgraded to house row H center orchestra seats. We clapped along to Seventy Six Trombones and cheered wildly at the curtain call.
I felt a kinship with the Broadway theatre community at both of these performances. I felt a surge of emotion, bordering on catharsis, as I entered the Winter Garden and August Wilson houses after three long years. I realized how much I had missed Broadway. And perhaps more importantly, how much I love the theatre. Why this came as a surprise, I don't know. But when you come so close to losing what you love, there is a renewed appreciation for its place in your life.
This has been a long tough road. Like all theatre directors and educators, I'm desperately weary. But I'm also deeply proud to be a part of a community that has proven itself to be incredibly resilient, determined, creative and supportive of one another. Bravo to the standbys, swings and understudies who have kept the stage lights on with their talent, professionalism and heart. I learned an important lesson on this return to New York: The show must go on!
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