On Broadway

There's something very powerful about New York City.

I guess it's an energy or feeling. Just stepping out into the city makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. There's so many people, doing so many different things. And there's so many different people, doing so many things. And at one point, it was enough for me to pack up all my things to become an official "New Yorker".

At the time, I was just about ready to graduate from high school. I was only eighteen, but I had a blind sense of courage that could have pulled me through the toughest of circumstances. For the last three years, I had been dancing, singing and starring in any musical within driving distance. Some say I was bitten by the "showbiz bug", but I knew my passion didn't happen by accident. My plan was to leave my hometown in Ohio and attend New York University in the heart of Greenwich Village in NYC. From there, I would major in dance and theater and audition for any director who would give me a chance.

I wanted to be on Broadway. In my senior high school yearbook, I wrote I someday wanted to dance with Chita Rivera. Chita was the original "Anita" in the musical West Side Story which is one of my favorite shows, mainly due to the AMAZING choreography. Actually, dancing on Broadway was my back-up plan. I initially wanted to be a Radio City Rockette, but plans quickly changed when I realized there was no way I was going to grow an additional three inches to meet their height requirement.

Well, I never did attend New York University. I backed out at orientation.
Something just didn't feel right. That decision changed the rest of my life....

All these memories are flashing through my mind this week, as I walk the streets on New York City. I'm here visiting my parents, who vacation in the city once every couple years. The goal of the trip is to see as many Broadway shows as humanly possible. This year, I saw four shows in three days (Shrek: The Musical, Jersey Boys, 9 to 5 and Girls Night).

I absolutely loved it every New York minute of it!

Still, while I'm here, I can't help but wonder what would have happened had I ignored the gut feelings I had nearly 13 years ago. So much of this industry is based on chance. Would I have been one of the lucky few taking the final bow during curtain call? Would I have always been a chorus girl? Would I have ended up flipping burgers and taking people's lunch orders?
Would it have been worth it? It's impossible to say.

I do know I would have given it my all. And when you do that, you have no regrets.