Broadway Cares Flea Market: Great Day, Great Cause

This past Sunday, I joined thousands of other theater lovers and members of the theater community at the 26^th annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction, which is held every year by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). It was a beautiful fall day to hunt for treasures amongst the many tables that lined West 44^th Street and Times Square.

Broadway Cares is a not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization that provides essential services for people with AIDS and other illnesses across the country. Through the generous efforts of the theater industry, the twenty-six yearly flea markets have collectively raised approximately $9.9 million. It’s one of my favorite charities, and I love being able to support it by attending the flea market every year.

The treasures come from many Broadway shows (both past and present) and other theater-related organizations. Broadway and television celebrities come to sign autographs, and the day caps off with the Grand Auction, where special big-ticket items and unique experiences are sold to the highest bidder. This year’s flea market outdid all others, setting a new record by raising a phenomenal $681,892.

This was my sixth visit to the Broadway Cares Flea Market. I started going in 2007 when I first discovered Spring Awakening and the three lead actors (Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and John Gallagher, Jr.) were signing autographs. Of course, this was long before each of them became famous outside of Broadway! I’ve been coming back ever since.

Lea Michele, Jonathan Groff, me, and John Gallagher, Jr.
Can't believe how young we all looked in 2007!

I didn’t spend a ton of money this year, but I found a bunch of really great stuff. Here’s the list:

• Rent t-shirt from the Hollywood Bowl
• Tony Awards bag
• Spelling Bee luggage tag and magnet
• Collapsible box from Broadway Cares
• Once cast recording discounted to a really great price because the case is cracked
• The 2012 Tony Awards playbill
• Signed prop bus ticket from American Idiot
• Spring Awakening light-up pen
• Set of Newsies trading cards that were one of the last sets printed

But perhaps the best find came when I discovered a Funny Girl Playbill with a very young Barbra Streisand on the cover from October 1964. Her biography is so refreshingly charming and funny, especially knowing this was written only a few short years before she became a recording icon.

I had a great time at the BC/EFA Flea Market as always, and everyone was warm and friendly. I only wish that more of the current shows came to sell some of their memorabilia. The older stuff is great to find, but younger generations of theater fans also really enjoy finding things from shows that they’re fond of. But it’s still always nice to see hundreds of Broadway lovers and performers gather to celebrate their passion for theater and donate to an amazing cause. I can’t wait until next year!

The 2012-2013 Broadway Season: My Must-See Musicals

Every year as the Broadway theater season unfolds, I make it my mission to see as many new shows as I possibly can. I like to try and see a healthy mix of musicals and plays, but there are so many this year that I have to split the list in two. First up are the musicals at the top of my must-see list.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: A musical based on Charles Dickens’ last novel. Because Dickens died before he could write the ending, the audience chooses their own version of how the story ends (it’s the first Broadway show with multiple endings). I’m on a quest to see people who I consider living legends of Broadway before they stop performing, and Drood has one of the best – the incomparable Chita Rivera as Princess Puffer. Opens November 13^th at Studio 54; previews begin October 19^th.

Bare: A rock musical/coming of age story focusing on Catholic high school students. This technically is Off-Broadway, but I’ve been waiting for this show for years. I bought a concept album of Bare about four years ago, and the music and story are both beautiful and haunting. I also know several members of the cast, and it’ll be great to see how they bring the show to life. Additionally, Travis Wall of So You Think You Can Dance fame is the choreographer, so the dancing is going to be incredible. Opens December 9^th at New World Stages; previews begin November 19^th.

Matilda: Based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 book and the 1996 film about a young girl with extraordinary magical powers. I’ve never read the book or seen the movie, but I know the premise of the story. Last year, I worked at a Broadway production company, and I got the chance to listen to the cast recording before the show premiered in London. I would drop everything to see the opening number performed live. It’s over ten minutes long, but its harmonies, orchestrations, and clever lyrics are fantastic! I’m so curious to see how this show does. Opens April 11, 2013 at the Shubert Theater; previews begin March 4^th.

Kinky Boots: Based on a 2005 British film about a shoemaker who maintains the family business’ success by making exotic footwear. It has an all-star creative team: music by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Stark Sands (who I loved in American Idiot) and Billy Porter star. Opens April 4, 2013 at the Al Hirschfeld Theater; previews begin March 5^th. 

Diner: Based on Barry Levinson’s 1982 film about a group of high school friends reuniting ten years after graduation as the second member of the group prepares to get married. I watched the movie for the first time recently, and I’m excited to watch the plot come to life on stage (and see who plays the Ellen Barkin part). Sheryl Crow is making her Broadway debut as a composer, and I’m really intrigued to see how her songs fit with the story. Plus, one of the cast members is one of my top five theater performers ever, but I can’t say who yet! Opens April 10^th, 2013 at a theater to be announced.

There are a few more I’m really interested in seeing, but these are my top five. I know they’ll all bring their own magic to the Theater District, and I hope that people come out to see these shows. It may be tough to get a ticket, but there’s no better way to discover new talent and new music.

Welcome Back, Andy!

Andy Cohen’s late night talk show Watch What Happens Live returned to Bravo this week after a short hiatus, and I couldn’t be more excited. My late night TV ritual wasn’t complete without his quick wit, hilarious games and bartenders, and guests who are willing and eager to participate in the mayhem of the clubhouse.

On Wednesday, Kevin Jonas and Lance Bass came on the show, and it quickly became a walk down boy band memory lane. The Jonas Brothers were popular once I stopped obsessing over boy bands, but I had a huge crush on Lance when I was younger, so I love when he pops back into the limelight.

Here, Andy, Kevin, and Lance play a game where they have to recreate five Jonas Brothers poses in 30 seconds. I DARE you not to laugh out loud!



 

 Glad to have you back, Andy. How I’ve missed you so!

An Unknown Star at Newsies

Right before classes started at the end of August, my mom and I went to go see Newsies, a Broadway musical about the Newsboys Strike of 1899 (and based on a Disney movie/cult classic). I was mostly there to see Jeremy Jordan before he left to continue filming Smash, and of course, the phenomenal Tony Award-winning choreography.
 

 

The first act was enjoyable, especially the incredible number “Seize the Day” when the cast dances on newspapers. If you haven’t seen it, check out their performance on the Tonys:

As intermission began, we quickly exited our seats in the mezzanine and headed for a much-needed bathroom break. Normally, going to the bathroom in a theater means everyone waits in a huge line for so long that some don’t make it back for the start of Act Two. At Newsies, the line for the bathroom snaked down two staircases and stopped in the middle of the orchestra level near the lobby! With a line at least fifty people deep, I started to get nervous that we’d be on line forever!

But then I was shocked to see how quickly the line started to move, and when I reached the top of the stairs, I discovered Nelson, one of the Nederlander Theatre’s employees. Nelson controlled the crowd at the ladies’ room with military precision that was as astonishing as the choreography on stage. He used his powerful personality and booming voice to make sure women went in one way and out the other or stayed to one side of the aisle so no one collided. Because of Nelson’s tremendous effort, I actually made it back to my seat well before the second act began.

Later that week, I was doing press clippings as a part of my internship (more on that later) when I came across this article in The New York Post. It’s about some of the best and worst restrooms in Broadway theaters. I stopped for a moment and thought of Nelson. Unfortunately, he and the Nederlander were not included in the writers’ reviews. If they were included, they would’ve undoubtedly received 4 out of 4 toilet paper rolls and would have topped the list of best theater restrooms. Although Nelson’s name doesn’t appear in the Playbill or on the call board, he truly is a star!

Well, Here Goes...

So it finally happened. I made a blog. I’ve considered the idea of blogging on and off for years, but any plans to start failed because I thought I wouldn’t have anything to blog about, no one would read it, or I chickened out (but usually a combination of the three).

But now here I am, blogging after months of procrastinating. The swift kick in the butt to actually start this blog came from a class I’m taking this semester that will ultimately teach me how to blog. I have a feeling that once the class ends, I’ll keep blogging just because there’s no point in stopping once I’ve gotten the hang of it.

The Chronicles of Katie is just as the name implies: a blog sharing the details of my life and everything that interests me. I’m a huge theater enthusiast and I love all things Broadway, from the shows themselves to certain people I would drop everything to watch perform at other venues. I also love pop culture of all kinds and have plenty of obsessions and guilty pleasures. But I won’t share those now; that’ll ruin all the fun!

I hope you enjoy and come along for the ride as I explore the random adventures that make up my life.