Closer Than Ever...

Well what do you know? 

In front of me now 

is an open door.

I'm moving ahead.

Not sure of the way.

And yet there's a light that I'm heading for.

It's closer than ever

Closer than ever.

         - Maltby and Shire

It has been a whirlwind of a month, and I'm not even sure how it all happened except that God is good and has plans we cannot even imagine.

My internship at Mungioli Theatricals has been nothing short of insanity. I absolutely love my job. I don't even mind that it doesn't pay a dime. HA! Granted, after this month I will have to fine a rent-paying survival job, but the benefits of the internship so far have been priceless.

When people ask what brought me to the city, I often reply with the simplest answer: I'm an actor, and this is the place to be. OH how true that is! (Many of you know there are a bazillion other reasons I love NYC, but for the purposes of this particular posting, we will focus on the theatre.)

I've seen two shows since I moved up here, plus the Tony Awards, BRAVE, a concert at my church, and a few movie sets. I've also witnessed production meetings of future Broadway productions, sat in on auditions and callbacks for a New York Musical Theatre Festival show, and talked to countless industry professionals via phone and email. I'd say that's pretty decent for 4 weeks.

During my first week at the office, I picked up a brochure that had Jenn Colella's face on it. (If you don't know who that is, open a new tab and Google her...right now... seriously, the blog will still be here when you finish, and you'll appreciate this story even more... She's pretty awesome). Jenn and I have worked together on audition material through the Amy Murphy Broadway Intensives I've been to each January for the past few years. So, I said to Arnold Mungioli (my boss) "Hey! I know her!" And he replied, "Oh Jenn? Yeah, I just cast her in Closer Than Ever. They start previews tonight. Do you want to go see it?"

EXCUSE ME, WHAT!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Fortunately, I was wearing appropriate theatre-going attire, so after we finished with our work for the day, we hopped on a subway and basically ran to the York Theatre to see the opening preview of Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever. 

Quick pause:

How many of you know who Maltby and Shire are?

Just a few? Maybe more? It's totally fine. Google them too... Seriously... 

(ok fine, for those of you too engrossed in the writing or too lazy to look them up, they wrote, among other things, the Broadway musicals Big and Baby - Montevallo did a production of Baby in 2011, and I played Arlene McNally)

Maltby and Shire were both in attendance that evening, and Arnold proudly introduced me to them. WOW! That was incredible. For a few minutes, I stood completely entranced as these two talented individuals talked about old memories of shows they wrote, shenanigans in which they participated, and the history behind songs that I have performed. It was beyond incredible.

After the show, I was also introduced to the cast (all of whom are phenomenal performers). When Jenn came out, and Arnold began to introduce me, she exclaimed "LINDSEY! I had no idea you were here until I saw you at the curtain call! How on earth are you?!?"

SHE REMEMBERED ME!!!

We got to chat for a little while, promised to do lunch soon, and that was that. I reconnected with a friend and admired colleague...

But wait, there's more.

Last week, Arnold invited Jimmy (the other intern) and me to the actual Opening Night of Closer Than Ever  with the warning, "Dress nice... You never know who you might meet."

The FIRST person I saw as I entered the theatre was Rebecca Luker. THE Rebecca Luker (do I even need to say it again?... If you don't know the name, look it up... You'll be even more impressed... or at least you should be). She was accompanied by her husband, Danny Bernstein (another BIG Broadway name... like so big he performed at the Tony's this year). I could go on for hours and hours about waiting until the right moment to say hello, but to make this story short

SHE REMEMBERED ME TOO!!!!!

While our time chatting at the theatre was short, we had a nice conversation at the Opening Night After Party (OH MY GOSH I WENT TO AN OPENING NIGHT AFTER PARTY) where she made me promise we would sing together soon - a promise I intend to keep. She also introduced me to Michael Feinstein, and George Dvorsky. There was so much networking going on, my head was spinning. At one point in the evening, I found myself listening to Tony Nominated Christianne Noll (Ragtime) talk about having a bad day and slamming her finger in the door of the set, and I was reminded that all of these incredible people are just that... People... People just like me who moved to New York once upon a time with a dream and a lot of determination. Granted, these are all very talented and incredibly successful people, but still, they are people.

There were actors, agents, casting directors, musicians, and "musical theatre greats" everywhere I looked. Then there were the interns. The young, bright-eyed hopefuls who clustered together after doing their best to make a good impression. I found myself in a circle of 20 somethings who are all somehow connected to this industry whether stage managing, play writing, choreography, acting, or costume design. I couldn't help but thing "This, this right here... THIS is the future of the theatre industry... This is the start of history." It was really incredible.

I'll leave it at that for now, but don't you worry - the rest of the Show Business update is soon to follow... 

A little teaser to keep you interested:

NYC Dance Week

Blair Underwood and Nicole Ari Parker in Streetcar Named Desire

The apartment piano

Celebrities at auditions

...and...

a voicemail from Mrs. Incredible herself.

Grace be with you,

Lindsey Shea