Where have I been, young lady! The answer is, a little bit of everywhere, and a few places that were in-between.

As you may have noticed in the last post, Michelle, a fellow saxophone player from college, was visiting this weekend. I played tour guide again and showed her all over the city. We wandered in Time Square, we saw the Statue of Liberty, we walked upon water at South Street Seaport (on the large ship named Peking), and we even hiked through China Town, Little Italy, and over the Manhattan Bridge. I even maneuvered us down Wall Street, where we saw the NY Stock Exchange and the Trump Building. You're fired.

But the best part of the entire trip, in my humble opinion, was the trip to 42nd Street, where we watched the musical, 42nd Street! I cannot explain the amazing feeling that surged through my veins as the conductor rose on his podium above the pit, announcing the beginning of the show. The red curtain lifted slowly, and what seemed to be a myriad of colored shoes began to dance about the shining stage. Too much went on for me to relate, for it would not seem anywhere near as exciting by you simply reading it here. I still experience the intoxicating perfume of the theater each time I hold the program to my face. I pray it never looses that smell, for I will always associate it with my very first trip to Broadway. And Oh! What a trip it turned out to be!



Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family) and her son, David Cassidy, held two of the leading roles in the musical. Shirley played Dorothy Brock, the washed-up singer/dancer who tries to manipulate David Cassidy (Julian Marsh) into giving her the lead role of his musical (Pretty Lady). It almost works, until Nadine Isenegger (playing Peggy Sawyer) comes along and steals the show. The costumes were incredible, especially the dress Peggy wears at the end of the performance, a blue gown shimmering like so many blue sapphires beneath the stage lights. It was an experience I will never forget.



I think I'm going to send emails to all of my old professors and ask that, since they are my teachers for life, that they contribute a monthly allowance to Ticketmaster in my name, so that I might see every show on Broadway there is to see. Keep your fingers crossed.