The 23rd Annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids Flea Market regularly scheduled in Shubert Alley will now take place at Roseland Ballroom

Written 9/29/09

So Sunday night I came home feeling like absolute crap. My feet were in excruciating pain, my legs were in about as bad a shape, my shoulders were up to my ears, stiff and aching. I was exhausted. When I was planning on moving here and I was picturing the glamorous, fabulous life that I was going to live here, I did not picture me walking home from the subway wearing my mother’s giant Duke Medicine rain slicker poncho thing and carrying a bunch of plastic bags full of crap and my giant messenger bag with my lunch box full of my uneaten dinner, my hair a mess, my body stinking, and not a lick of makeup left on my face. I looked and felt like a mean cranky bag lady. This was not how I pictured my life.

But then again I was picturing this life from my room where I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina with my parents and unemployed. So I decided on my painful walk home from my subway stop to my apartment to take stock of things in the midst of my grumpiness. I had started the day early – yes – but it was for a good cause. We helped out the Araca booth at the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids Flea Market. It was at the Roseland ballroom this year because of the rain (apparently it was the first time ever) and that meant squeezing a lot of people with a lot of merchandise and a lot of people wanting to buy a lot of merchandise into one place. It was crazy, crazy, crazy. But then again, Christopher Sieber was standing two tables behind us, that gorgeous Indian chick from Royal Pains was at the table across from me, and we raised what felt like a ton of money for a good cause. Also I met the guy who played Youth in Passing Strange. Now he wasn’t actually at the Flea Market but Shrek is literally right beside the Roseland and this guy is playing Donkey. So at one point amidst all the screaming and hawking of things, Matty yells over at me that Robin has more swag for us to sell at Rock of Ages. So I run out to go pick it up. I pass buy the stage door for Shrek and there’s this guy squatting against the side of the building, in the rain, listening to headphones. I think to myself – that looks like the guy who played Youth in Passing Strange. Then I round the corner and realize that I am in front of Shrek and that probably really was the guy who played Youth in Passing Strange. I take a few more steps and finally say – Screw it, you only live once, go meat the guy. So I did. I met him and talked to him for a second, told him how wonderful I thought Passing Strange was, thanked him for his performance and told him to break a leg for his matinee. Then off I went to get more stuff signed by the cast of Rock of Ages to sell for charity.

Then after several hours of selling in this ridiculously crowded “ballroom” Byron and I leave to go work the Wicked Matinee. There was a little bit of employee bonding done, I continue to think that Nicole is possibly one of the coolest chicks around, and then I have to hurry out of there to Next to Normal. I didn’t get out of Wicked till 6:30 and N2N starts at 7:30, which means walk up starts at 7:00, and I’ve never been to this theatre and I haven’t worked the show and I don’t know what all is entailed. So I hurry over like a crazy person thinking – was all this worth it just so I could watch this show? Turns out it was. N2N is by far the simplest show I’ve worked. It’s completely laid back - and you literally just stand at the top of the stairs and watch the show. It’s awesome. I got to hear Alice Ripley do her sound check . I got to hear Aaron warm up to Rufus Wainwright. I basically got paid to watch a Broadway show, and it was wonderful. I loved it. It’s just a beautiful show. Not a very happy show, but beautiful.

So – yes, I was sore and stinky and tired, but really, what did I have to complain about? Why was I grumpy? What a fantastic day. I mean really – what a wonderful fantastic day! So there’s this fine line between the glamorous side of this business and this city and the unglamorous. Maybe I am right now on the unglamorous side. But compared to where I was – I think that Sunday proved that I am just one step closer to that line. Just a step closer.

Good day.