That's what Alexa called yesterday - February 20, 2010. The day we went to see Phantom of the Opera in New York City and got a backstage tour by the female lead. (As an aside... "Best. Day. Ever." is, I think, a bit more like a category of several days that are in the running for the title, though this one really was awesome and could win it for her. I agree that it was AWESOME and I feel pretty guilty that Ben and John didn't get to experience it, but I digress.)
We left the house as if we were a normal school/work day, heading out at 6:30 am, so that we could be in plenty of time to get breakfast and catch the 7:55 bus north of Baltimore. For those of you in the area, we took the Megabus from White Marsh and it was great - just as fast (or faster) than the train and much cheaper; they also leave out of DC and they have free wifi, 110 outlets, and bathrooms (all in a double decker bus!).
Alexa was invited on this junket by Tino, a friend from her high school theater group. In a convoluted way he knew a woman named Sharon whose cousin (Jennifer Hope Wills) plays Christine, the female lead in Phantom of the Opera. As we were driving up we got to hear about Jen's upbringing in a "theater family" who lived in Ocean City Maryland and made their living doing shows on the boardwalk, at the Carousel Hotel, and at the Jolly Roger. I also learned that Sharon was a single mom with a son (her only child) who died at age 18 just 3 years ago. Sharon had never been to New York and had been looking for someone to go with her to see her cousin. It became clear that we were helping her (for companionship as well as providing the eyes of teenagers) as much as she was helping us.
The ride took about 3 hours and we arrived in New York (essentially at Penn Station) just after 11 am. Sharon had done her homework and found a great deli near Madison Square Garden, where we ate lunch and grabbed snacks for the bus on the way home. If you are ever in need, Lenny's Deli was great - awesome selection of salads and sandwiches at a very reasonable price. However, Lenny's had no public rest room (presumably because they are predominantly carry-out - there were not many tables to sit at), so we had to find one. As luck would have it, just outside Lenny's door was a massive Borders's book store, which we know always has bathrooms. Now, you may be thinking that we clearly missed the show because of the difficulty of getting Alexa out of a massive book store (plus several of her friends who are also voracious readers). Well, thankfully we had plenty of time ;-) Dropped the mandatory chunk-o-change at Borders, used the restroom, and got a great bag in the process. Score!
From Borders we headed up to Broadway, walking along Macy's from 7th avenue. We did a brief stop in Herald Square for photos (we were with Theater Geeks - did you think we'd miss Herald Square?) and headed up Broadway toward Times Square. On the way we found a cupcake store (I've heard about them on NPR but never been in one). It was so cute and of course we had to get cupcakes for the way home - should you ever be on Broadway between Herald and Times squares, check out Crumbs! And we also did a quick stop in a shoe store where Sharon scored a great pair of boots for $30. Clearly a good call to take that route!
We made it to Times Square in time for a few photos then headed down 44th street to the Majestic Theater, where Phantom has been playing for over 20 years continuously. As we walked down the street we noticed that Enron The Musical is still playing (who goes to see this stuff?) and we passed Sardi's the famous restaurant. We got into the theater in time for bathroom/drink/souvenir stops and found our seats. (We all bought separately, most of us through a great discount online site called BroadwayOffers.com - use the code SAVE17.) Alexa and I were in Left Orchestra, just under the overhang for the Mezzanine - fabulous seats, on an aisle even!!!
I have never seen Phantom before (and have only ever seen one other show actually ON Broadway). Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the show. Gorgeous costumes, fabulous music, sets beyond your imagination, plus a flying chandelier and magical illusions. Un-believable. And knowing we were about to meet Christine, whose voice was magical with a phenomenal range made it all the more amazing.
After the show we made our way to the designated "Jen meeting place" and she brought us onstage. The first surprise was the chandelier - it looks so gorgeous and real from the audience, but lots of it is made of plastic! Jen was so great the whole time about letting us ask questions and telling us tidbits. She showed us the stage floor with it's trap doors for EVERY candle (which is A LOT of trap doors) and told us that things have remained essentially the same for 20+ years (which has its issues with dust/mold and keeping folks healthy). We got to see the boat that is used to navigate the Phantom's under-world (its just an old metal thing painted black) and when we asked her how it moved she told us its remote controlled from back stage - how cool!
It was VERY DARK backstage (Jen had a flashlight) and its amazing to think that she and the Phantom have to climb up a narrow metal ladder (that's moving) to get them to the bridge that they walk on during their journey down. We also found out that they have "doubles" that help them by taking some of the trips across the bridge until they can get from under the stage to the ladder. The wings along side of the stage were not as deep as I would have thought (which means not a lot of room for storing pieces of the set) but they are HIGH. So, lots of the pieces of set are stored ABOVE the wings. Very interesting. And, for the scene "Masquerade" where there is a grand staircase, we learned that the set is really a folding riser (with some spare mannequins to make it look like there are more people) which gets folded and then hoisted up above stage, much like a backdrop. Clearly, the height of the stage (probably at least three stories up and one down below) is a big advantage.
Then we went downstairs, under the stage. Very cool. We could see the candelabras and candles that get raised up, the crewbies hanging out, and the pit area. There was a box with various show names/logos stenciled on it that we were all totally impressed with and Jen was like "Oh, I don't know what thats for, they just stuff things in it." Very nonchalant. We passed through what passes for a green room (a bunch of chairs by the exit from the backstage area) as well as the bathrooms and shower rooms and then went to the hair room. This was awesome - there were three hairdressers (who were actually cutting people's hair!) and wigs everywhere. The show needs a lot of wigs, but what I hadn't thought about was all the people needed to maintain them. And, the hairdressers cut the actors' hair, but also members of the crew's hair. Its a little family there, you can tell.
As we moved toward the costume room we passed photos of all the casts. They do a photo every time someone leaves a role. There are just tons of these shared memories hanging everywhere, and it reminded me of a college apartment (or probably more like a sorority or fraternity house, I suspect) - where there are lots of posters and books and things that are really the collective property of the inhabitants who are there at the time... but they belong to the apartment/house/theater not to any one person. Books, posters, lots of little fun things scattered everywhere.
As we were walking we learned about the employment arrangements in a Broadway show. Jen and the other principles (the Phantom, Raoul, Carlotta, etc.) are on 6 month contracts. That is, every 6 months they could be kicked out of the show or re-signed. The ensemble and the crew are on contracts for as long as the show runs. With a show like Phantom, this is an incredible deal, because its been running for 20+ years - so its very stable for them. Benefits (like health insurance, retirement, etc.) are through the union and are only available when you are actively working (in conjunction with the number of days worked per year or something). Many shows open and close within a week - can you imagine how precarious employment would be for those folks? So its really really really beneficial to be in an active contract. Jen has been with Phantom for 4 years (though 9 months of that she was on maternity leave), which she said she'd never do because she knew how coveted a role in Phantom is for its stability. There are ensemble members and crew members who have been with Phantom from the beginning and stay because of the incredible stability it provides. We met one of them in the costume room (more below).
For those who have never been in a theater production of any kind (even a high school one) - costume changes can be challenging and harrowing. So on Broadway they have "dressers" - the principals have their own dresser who helps them in addition to the ones for the whole cast. These dressers are basically responsible for getting the costumes on and off the actors and keeping them organized and in place. Between scenes the actors come off stage and just stand in their designated spots while the dressers (and hair people) go to work - taking clothes and shoes off and putting others on. Jen said she just stands there and one person works on her costume while another works on her shoes and a third takes care of her wig. Privacy and modesty go out the window.
One of the dressers who has been with the show from the beginning came into the costume room while we were there. He was a really nice guy (and very stylish - he makes sure they look good as well as himself!). When I asked him if he was glad for the stability he said "Well, things come up in life and you get through it. I'm glad I'm still in this life." Something about the way he said it made me say "I'm sure you've seen lots of friends who have not made it through," and he said "You better believe it." The interaction made me think about AIDS and how hard it hit the theater community in the late 80s (when Phantom started its run). Long running shows like Phantom have, I am certain, literally saved people's lives because they have provided stable healthcare. I don't know what the situation was for this dresser, but somehow the interaction brought the issue to mind.
Jen answered all sorts of other questions (yes, some of the costumes are very heavy; the Phantom has four layers of wig/headcovering to allow for his 'nice hair' and his 'ugly face hair'; men attach their wigs to a headband; the wigs are sort of like hair sewn into lace; she went to Salisbury State in Maryland for her bachelor's before getting a masters in music from Indiana; when she was Belle in Beauty and the Beast they used a combination of costume/mask layers and a hydraulic lift for the Beast's transformation). It was absolutely fascinating and she was so kind and sweet and open.
It was time for us to get to our bus (and for her to get to the fans at the stage door), so we headed for the stage exit. We accidentally went up the stairs and saw that there are some (very small) private rooms for the principals, but we really were there by accident and scooted back down quickly. One of our group had left a coat in the theater and so while she and Jen went on a search, the rest of us hung out by the door and talked to Wally, the stage door manager. A nice guy who lives in Queens and monitors the monitors that show the fans in the alley. It was here that I was struck by the combination of "typical workplace" stuff (timecards, "Cover your cough" posters, notices of seminars and union events, etc.) and the "particular to Broadway workplace" stuff (particularly the items focused on the dancers - seminars about dancing injuries, career seminars for when they can no longer dance). This clearly is a job and a workplace, but also a very special kind of job.
When we left, we first walked into a private alley which is shared with another theater (the Jacobs). I don't know what I thought we were walking into, but I guess I expected the street/sidewalk. Then, when we walked out of the private alley, we were in a 'real' alley where the fans immediately congregated around Jen and Paul A. Schaffer (the person who played the Phantom who had left right before us). Of course, our kids were thrilled with the opportunity to also get his autograph (both he and Jen carry a silver sharpie - a good thing because the Phantom playbill and program are both black - clearly something born of their experience).
It was as we were walking onto the street that Alexa said "Best. Day. Ever." I was so happy for her and so happy to have shared it with her. She was so delighted and thrilled throughout the day - many many looks of pure joy. I was so pleased to have been able to be a little part in making it happen (i.e., paying for it and agreeing to go). And I was so amazed to see her asking questions, engaging in conversation, etc. It will go down in my mind as a best day ever simply because 10 years ago I would never have dreamed it possible to do that kind of a trek with my adorable and inquisitive Aspie.
We left the theater at about 5:20 and had to hoof it just about 15 blocks to Penn Station (from 8th and 44th to 8th and 31st) where we caught the 6:00 bus back home. The kids were all so excited. They chatted about how awesome it was the whole time we waited in line for the bus (and part of the way home). I reflected on how John and I have often said that money can't buy you happiness through stuff, but to the extent that having money available to have these kinds of experiences, it can provide some amazing and happy memories. Its kind of like a Visa commercial - two tickets to a Broadway show - $160, bus ride there - $60, having the best day ever - priceless.
