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!