"It's Good to See Me, Isn't It?" Broadway is Open!

photo by Jenny Anderson

It seemed so normal yet foreign and dreamlike all at once. On a warm September afternoon, I walked out of the New York Marriott Marquis, turned right towards 46th Street, cut through the Hotel Edison lobby, and emerged on 47th Street. I stared at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, its marquee lights sparkling like a lighthouse welcoming weary sailors home. I joined the line to enter the theatre and showed the attendants my ID and proof of COVID-19 vaccination - a sign of how different life really is these days. As I passed through the metal detectors, I heard the unmistakable beeps of the ushers' ticket scanners (a sound I hadn't heard in far too long), and that's when it hit me. Broadway is back, and so am I. The usher directed us to our seats and with a deep breath, I stepped into a theatre for the first time in 18 months. 

My family and I arrived into New York City earlier that day with tickets in hand for that evening to see Wicked's second performance since its Broadway re-opening. We decided to swing by Waitress on the off chance we could get some last-minute tickets to the matinee, and we were lucky! With $49 rush tickets in box seats in hand, Waitress officially became my first show since the start of the pandemic. Throughout lockdown I daydreamed about what it would be like when theatre returned, and I fantasized about what show I wanted my first show to be when it was safe to do so. When Broadway tickets went back on sale in May 2021, I found myself gravitating to old favorites. I wanted my first experience back in a theatre to feel like coming home. During those mid-September days when I re-familiarized myself with my favorite city, I saw three beloved shows: Waitress (my 4th time), Wicked (my 7th time), and The Lion King (my 3rd time), and the experience was emotional, thrilling, and oh so special. 

I could feel the tears welling up as I sat in my partial view seat at the Barrymore. As the house went to half the audience cheered, and as the curtain rose to reveal Sara Bareilles and the rest of the fantastic Broadway company of Waitress, I let the tears fall. They were tears of joy and of relief. We made it. I spent the next two and a half hours unable to wipe the goofy smile off my masked face. I had forgotten how magical live theatre is. Live theatre heals. Live theatre sweeps people away and provides an escape for just a little bit. At curtain call I immediately stood up and cheered for the cast who all looked visibly overjoyed to be onstage. From my box seats I was able to look behind me and watch the rest of the audience. My mom followed my glance and as the house lights came up, she too began to cry. "We have all been through so much!" she exclaimed as I leaned over to hug her, "There was a time I thought we would never be back here." It was a significant moment for us both. 

Later that evening I couldn't get to the Gershwin Theatre fast enough. Wicked is one of my all-time favorite shows, and for most of the pandemic all I wanted was to be there when it re-opened. Of course tickets to re-opening night sold out quickly, so I got the next best thing: tickets to the performance after re-opening. The energy inside the Gershwin that night was unlike anything I have ever experienced in a theatre. When it was time for the show to start the house went to half and the audience immediately jumped to their feet and started screaming. Yes, screaming. It was so loud that we couldn't hear the pre-show announcement instructing us to turn off our phones and keep our masks on. My emotions got the better of me in the moment. I fell back into my seat, put my head in my hands, and started sobbing. The poor woman sitting next to me must have thought I was a crazy person! This was the moment that pushed me out of bed on the hardest days of the pandemic.

What happened over the next two and half hours was the best time I have ever and will ever have inside a theatre. Every actor received rapturous entrance applause - the whole ensemble, Madame Morrible, Nessarose (played to perfection by my friend Mili Diaz in her Broadway debut - another reason why I was bawling that night), and yes, even Doctor Dillamond. Both Ginna Clare Mason and Lindsay Pearce, the actresses playing Glinda and Elphaba respectively, received standing ovations upon their entrances. Glinda's entrance was extra special. For those of you who don't know the show, Glinda descends from the flies on her bubble, and as the ensemble of Ozians swarm the stage below her, she addresses them by speaking her first line, "It's good to see me, isn't it?" Well, you can imagine the double meaning that line holds these days, and Ginna Clare Mason delivered brilliantly. Instead of addressing the ensemble below, she waited for the thunderous applause to die down before looking out at the audience, throwing her arms out towards us and asking, "IT'S GOOD TO SEE ME, ISN'T IT?!" Cue even more cheers, applause, and crying. Glinda's next line, "No need to respond, that was rhetorical," got a huge laugh as we all finally took our seats (until Elphaba entered a few minutes later, of course). 

I am convinced that not a single person in the audience that night was seeing Wicked for the first time. The most popular (no pun intended) songs received entrance applause and the actors had to pause several times as we cheered for iconic lines. The famous act one closer, "Defying Gravity," received a standing ovation. That song makes me cry even on a good day, so on that night I was completely undone. Just like with Waitress that afternoon, I couldn't stop smiling and my face hurt afterwards. By the time the curtain fell and we had to walk back to our hotel, I felt simultaenously emotionally drained and reinvigorated. I felt so grateful that I was able to experience such a momentous night. 

After spending some time wandering the city the next day, we headed to the Minskoff Theatre that night to attend The Lion King's third performance back to Broadway. We had a wonderful time and the artistry of the show (especially during "The Circle of Life") blew me away yet again. Our seats were on the aisle in the orchestra, so many members of the cast walked right past us to start the show in "The Circle of Life," most notably the iconic elephant. I headed home the following day feeling more normal and less anxious than I had felt in months. I was so happy that my next NYC trip was already being planned for January 2022. 

Of course, the pandemic threw a bit of a wrench into things. The Omicron variant wreaked havoc on the world and especially the Broadway community. I watched in horror as show after show had to cancel performances due to breakthrough COVID infections. I was infuriated as the president of the Broadway League blamed understudies, swings, and standbys (aka the superheros of Broadway) for show closures. To make matters more stressful, my mom and I were due in NYC for a weekend of Broadway shows on January 6th. We were unable to decide between what we wanted to do versus what was safest to do - do we forge ahead with the trip or do we cancel out of an abundance of caution? We ultimately decided to go through with our trip plans, but modified our agenda to try and minimize COVID exposure while we were in the city. When we weren't in shows, we were relaxing in our hotel room when we would have normally been wandering the city or out shopping. With the stress of Omicron, we were perfectly fine with ordering takeout from our favorite restaurants in the theatre district and watching Friends all day long. 

Over our four days in the city, we saw five shows. After having our 2020 tickets cancelled, we were thrilled to finally see the revival of Company on Thursday night. I loved the gender-bent changes! Katrina Lenk was a perfect Bobbie, Matt Doyle (one of my favorites!) blew me away, Claybourne Elder had me cracking up, and hearing the legendary Patti LuPone sing "Ladies Who Lunch" was worth every penny spent on tickets. On Friday night, after braving the snow that morning for rush tickets, we saw the revival of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman and the incomparable Sutton Foster. This was by far our favorite show of the trip. I was afraid this revival would oversell and underdeliver, but I was thrilled to be wrong. Every aspect of the show, from the performances to the beautiful set and costumes to the stunning choreography, was superb. My mom and I both walked away wanting to go back the next day. We didn't, but gosh was it tempting. 

Saturday was a double feature for us, as we saw Caroline, or Change and Mrs. Doubtfire. Both shows were scheduled to close the following day, so I'm really happy we got to catch both of them while they were still running (as of the printing of this blog, Mrs. Doubtfire only closed temporarily due to COVID and is set to re-open in a few weeks). I particularly loved Mrs. Doubtfire, and Rob McClure shone in the leading role. For our final show of the weekend on Sunday, we went back to an old favorite and got swept up in the spectacular world of Moulin Rouge. I am not a huge fan of jukebox musicals in general, but I absolutely love EVERYTHING about Moulin Rouge, and I would go see it again and again without complaints. We headed home and immediately isolated, but thankfully escaped the trip COVID-free. I feel really good that we were able to support Broadway during a very difficult time for the industry. 

The moral of this story? Broadway is OPEN. Theatre is OPEN. Support Broadway and national tours and don't forget to support your local regional and community theatres. Theatres all over the world are doing everything they can to keep audiences safe. I have felt so safe at every show I have attended thus far as the pandemic rages on. Get vaccinated, wear your mask and sit back and enjoy. Theatre is back and it isn't going away any time soon.

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