So About That Time I Was in an Off Broadway Production

18 May 2017

We left St. Thomas in early May, and flew to New Jersey to visit Richard's side of the family.  We've been staying near the south Jersey shore.  Spending time enjoying seeing various family members, especially the up-and-coming generation - meaning all the little kids in the family.  And their parents, as well, but the kidlets are cuter.

We've enjoyed the sunshine, an arts fair or two, and the exuberance of spring flowers.  Plus lots of good food.  

We somehow found this wonderful glass mosaic mural located in front of the Arts Garage.  This is sort of an arts collective on the ground floor of a parking garage, with all kinds of art exhibits and shops to browse.  http://www.artsgarageac.com/

The Peace Mosaic is outside, and is just gorgeous!  Lots of origami crane images flying through the glass flowers - bright, cheerful, and hopeful!




Richard and I decided we needed some city time, so we took the train to New York City.  We both grew up visiting the city, and it's part of our lives.  Plus we both have family and friends here, so it makes sense to visit every year or two.

So this is how it went - take the train from Philadelphia to Penn Station.  Walk through the station to the A train subway station.  Get on the train.  (I fell over onto the guy who was getting up to give me his seat.  I'm good like that.)  Head up to Inwood Park, way at the north end of Manhattan Island.  Find our B & B, say hi to our hosts, drop off our stuff.  Go back out to get a nosh (a chocolate egg cream, also part of our NYC childhood visits).  Richard is standing on the sidewalk, and who walks by and starts chatting but my eldest nephew!!!!!  He's living a few blocks away, is crazy busy with work, but was heading to the subway stop and wow, what a small world in this giant city!!!

We've been getting in touch with family and friends, setting up times and dates to meet, all that.

But we were free on Wednesday.  It was a nice warm almost summer day, so we headed into the center of the city, Times Square.  Went to the TKTS booth to buy half-price theatre tickets.  Of course, hot shows like The Lion King and Wicked were sold out, so we talked to some of the staff and settled on The Marvelous Wonderettes.  Which turned out to be an inspired choice!

The Marvelous Wonderettes is a small production (four actors, all women) set in 1958, at the school prom.  The Wonderettes (excuse me, the MARVELOUS Wonderettes) are performing at the Springfield High School senior prom, home of the Springfield Chipmunks.  They sing and dance their way through teenage angst, shifting friendships, mean girls, crushes on teachers, and young love.  We see them again after intermission, ten years later at their first high school reunion - once again singing and dancing as they tell their stories of love, loss, and friendship with pop hits like "It's My Party," "Leader of the Pack," "You Don't Own Me," and my personal fave, "Respect."

So it's light, fun, funny, musical comedy.

But then they go one step further, and involve a few members of the audience.

We were seated in the 3rd row orchestra - meaning third row from the stage, slightly to one side of center.  The first two rows were empty, deliberately as it turns out.

As we were waiting for the show to begin, the guy who took the tickets at the door asked someone a few seats over from us if he wanted to have the actors sing to him.  He declines.  They asked the man in the middle of the row behind us, and he agreed - his elderly mother was with them, and he and his wife thought she'd get a kick out of this.  They exchange seats with the couple at the end, and the man is right on the aisle for future singing.

Lights, mics, action, the show begins.  We're humming along, or mouthing the words, this is the music of Richard's younger years and these were golden oldies when I was a kid.  We're enjoying the show.

And then one of the actors says something about appreciating the help of the French teacher, Mrs. MacPherson, and turns and gestures right at me!!!!!  Well, I know all about being a teacher, so I wave and smile back at the actor - and all of the teenage characters wave and yell various French phrases at me (including "croissant!"), so I smile and wave again.  And then they all give me their signature Chipmunk move, which includes little hand paws and chattering chipmunk front teeth - so of course I have to do that back again!

People are all looking at me, Richard and I were laughing, it was so funny!

Well, my job wasn't finished.  Apparently Mrs. MacPherson also has the golf class (because she's Scottish, despite teaching French?) and they borrowed my pencils.  We got to vote for Prom Queen.  As the actors collected the filled in ballots, one of them came over and gave me the envelope, and reassured me that I didn't really have to count the votes, that was just in the play.  I told her I really was a teacher, I'd have been happy to count the votes.  She laughed at that.

Now, somewhere in here one of the actors confesses that she's in love with one of the teachers - who of course is the guy at the end of the row behind us.  Not only do the women all sing to him, he gets walked up on stage and sits there while he's serenaded through a few numbers!  He was laughing but also a little embarrassed, not realizing quite the extent of his "being sung to."

Okay, so the character bringing the ballots over to me "trips" and the ballots go flying.  We have a few more songs, I hand over the envelope, and my favorite character is elected and crowned Prom Queen.  End Act One.

During intermission, I chatted with the people behind me - turns out the guy who moved from the aisle seat so the other man could be serenaded really is a teacher, and his name is that of the character in the play!!!!  I said I was a teacher as well, though not of French.  It was definitely a cheerful audience!

In Act Two, as I said, we're in 1968, at the reunion.  More singing and dancing, the guy in back of us is on stage again with more singing, it's all cute and sweet.  

And then my buddy on stage, the one who gave me the envelope, is going through the trials and tribulations of relationships, and is crying and once again appeals to her dear teacher, Mrs. MacPherson.  She's on stage imploring me to wave and blow her a kiss, so of course, what can I do but follow through.  Though I finish with another chipmunk salute, which made her break character and laugh!

Afterwards, I told the male audience member/actor that he did a really good job - he and his wife said I did a great job too.  It just was one of the more hilarious things that has happened to us in a long while!  (Fortunately, I never had to go on stage, not even for the final bow, LOL!)

Their website:  https://www.themarvelouswonderettes.com/

And that, my friends, was my debut at in off-Broadway show!!!