The other night I was going through some boxes of books and old things when I happened upon some Playbills and programs from my last trip to New York City. Because I love dancing, seeing shows on Broadway gives me a boost. It’s like a natural high that I can’t find any other way. On my last trip I saw two shows, but then I got to thinking back to all of the musicals and shows that I have seen and how they inspired me. Here are a few of the shows that I have seen, and a little bit about how much I absolutely loved them.
Mama Mia! I saw this musical in New York, though I would love to one day travel to London and see it there where the original production took place. The Winter Garden Theatre is one of my favorite venues in the city, so seeing the musical there was amazing. The dancing was mostly jazz with some lyrical, and all of the dancers were so incredible.
Mary Poppins. As a child I always remembered loving the Mary Poppins movie. It was fun, whimsical, and it gave me more reason to let my imagination run wild. The dance with the penguins in the movie was my favorite part. I would copy Dick Van Dyke and dance along the whole time. Seeing the musical brought the Banks family story more to life. I still vividly remember the colors and lights of the show.
42nd Street. It was after seeing this show that my love for tap grew…and grew and grew. I got to see it the year after its Broadway revival in 2002. The musical is based off of the musical film from Warner Brothers made in 1933. When Julian looks at Peggy and says, “You’re going out there a youngster, but you’ve got to come back a star,” I was sure that what directed at me. The revival one the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and it was nominated for many other Tony Awards including Best Choreography.
