Full Circle Stop
Life has a funny way of looping back on itself. Events from the past meshing together with events of the present or sometimes even the future. Many, many….MANY years ago, I took a senior trip to New York City. You can just imagine a bunch of theatre nerds from North Little Rock, Arkansas out and about in Manhattan in the late 70’s. It was overwhelming, it was eye-opening, it was amazing.
We stayed on 42nd street in a hotel I only remember because the girls managed to blow the lights on our entire floor when we all plugged our hair-dryers in at once. We visited all the requisite sites. The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue (for a little shopping—I bought a nifty apple green suit I wore for years). And of course we crammed in as much theatre—off and on Broadway as possible.
The Tony’s were scheduled the week we were there in a theatre across the way from our hotel window. We had almost as much fun watching the comings and goings as we did touring and playing in the city itself. I even found time to lay myself across Barry Manilow’s limo, he wasn’t present of course, but I 
had a little brush with stardom nevertheless.
For me the highlight of the trip was the musical Pippin. (Although A Chorus Line was a very close second). There was just something in Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics that touched me at some elemental level. Not to mention the magic of Bob Fosse’s choreography. I carried Pippin in my heart (and quite literally on my realistic tape player) for years. The music symbolized for me, not only an amazing story, but a particular time in my life.
My love for Manhattan ignited during that trip all those years ago. And so it wasn’t all that surprising that many years later when offered the opportunity to live in the city, I jumped at the chance. (And it also won’t come as a shock that both my husband and daughter were serenaded many a night with the music from Pippin and stories from my time there.) I’ve had a magical ten years in Manhattan. A real life dream come true. And just like my previous trip, there are so many memories.
But all good things must come to an end. And so it is with bittersweet feelings I bid Manhattan adieu as we turn to our new adventure in Connecticut. And what better way to come full circle than to have attended the revival of Pippin! This is the first revival of the musical since it’s run back in the 70’s. So I was very nervous. After all I’d had thirty plus years to build it into something beyond reality. Not to mention the expectation I had built up for my husband and daughter.
So it was with trepidation as well as excitement that we entered the Music Box theatre. With baited breath, I waited as the lights dimmed and the music rose. Pippin was, and still is, my most favorite musical (and the Tony voters agreed—Best Revival of 2013!). It was as relevant today for me as it was all those years ago. And I remembered the magic that is theatre, that is Manhattan, that is intrinsic to all forms of the arts.
So it is with a full circle stop that I leave Manhattan and head to the Connecticut countryside. This time with my iTunes version of the musical playing in my ears…
Maybe I’ve finally found My Corner of the Sky…
And in another full-circle stop moment…this will be my last post as a full-time member of the Whine Sisters. I have loved every minute I’ve spent here, but life has a way of demanding more. And I feel as though my time is needed, not only for the new adventure I’m facing, but also to dedicate to writing. So I’ll pop by when I can and maybe, if they let me, I’ll do a post now and then. But right now, it’s time for a new chapter!
How about you? Any old memories that you’ve had the chance to relive and relish all over again?
So as I wave goodbye, I’m going to send one lucky commenter a signed copy of Dire Distraction. Comment on this post and you’ll be automatically entered to win!
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