We wanted to know the stories of your personal connections to Broadway. You did not disappoint. 

A Broadway show has different meanings for different people, but the common denominator is just that—it has meaning. If you love Broadway, there’s a good chance that somewhere along the way there was a pivotal moment of connection.  

A few weeks ago, we started gathering your stories as part of our MY BROADWAY project. They are touching, funny, surprising, and delightful. So much so that we want more. Here’s what you’ve shared so far. If you haven’t told us your “My Broadway” story yet, please do. Head over to the MY BROADWAY page and fill out the simple story form.

 

 

Carol Channing Proves the Show WILL Go On: Douglas Shaffer’s Story 

In the 1970s, there were THE grandes dames of Broadway—Liza Minelli, Bernadette Peters, and Carol Channing, who was killing it as Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly!. Douglas Shaffer was in the audience for one particularly memorable performance.

“In the late 70’s,” Douglas says, “some friends and I went to NYC to see the lights, grab a bite at Mama Leone’s, and to take in a Broadway show. Somehow, we managed to grab tickets to Hello, Dolly!. The performance did not start on time, and everyone was getting restless when the announcer came on saying ‘Ladies and Gentlemen... Miss Carol Channing!’ Everyone roared when she appeared from offstage. 

She apologized for the late start indicating that she was injured in a cab accident on the way to the theatre and the treatment etc. took longer than expected.  It was then we noticed that her arm was in a sling and there appeared to be some bumps and bruised on her face. Vowing that the show must go on, she disappeared behind the curtain. 

No one noticed she did the whole show one-handed. After the curtain calls, she came back on stage to tell us that we were the best audience ever! The crowd roars went on forever. Wow!!”

 

It’s a Family Affair at Phantom: Dean Adams’s Story 

Phantom of the Opera was a gateway show for a lot of us, including Dean Adams, who made his trip to the show one his family will remember forever. 

“My first Broadway show was around 1995. I had heard some of the music and seen videos of Phantom of the Opera, so when I read about the production, well, plans were made,” he says. “My wife and I were living in Detroit, and for the first time I had money to afford to treat my parents to dinner and a show. My wife and my parents road-tripped with me to Toronto. We had a great dinner at the York Steak House and saw Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theater, which had been renovated specifically for the production. We were all blown away. And our love for live musical theater was born.

Since then, we have seen dozens of musicals, several more than once, ranging from local/regional productions to national tours to actual shows on Broadway. We’ve had many good times at shows over the years. But the experience of treating my parents to a dinner and show they would never have done for themselves will always be a special memory for me!”

Inspired To Greatness by Carousel: Robert Wood’s Story 

Some of us found our love of Broadway during a school field trip, like Robert Wood. 

“My first Broadway show was a touring company of Carousel in Charlotte at Ovens Auditorium,” he says. “I was in the 6th grade, and Cindy McC was my "date." As soon as I got home from the matinee, I began writing a script based on recall for Cindy and me to star in... 

But alas, I ended up more basketball player than leading man—and I couldn't dance like Tommy Tune.”

The Everlasting Paw Prints of Cats: Erin Hicks’s Story 

The costumes, the dancing, the songs ... the times we ugly cried during “Memory.” Some Broadway shows change lives, and Cats is one of those, as Erin Hicks recalls. 

I grew up in farm country New Jersey about 1.5 hours from midtown Manhattan. It was a privilege to have access to such an amazing city by a relatively short car or train ride,” she says. “The summer I turned 11, our dear family friends, who I (still 40 years later) call Aunt Pat and Uncle Chuck, took me to New York City for a day that culminated by seeing Cats on Broadway at the iconic Winter Garden Theater.  

At intermission, the cast lingered on stage to sign autographs and greet the audience. Aunt Pat suddenly realized that I was missing from our seats. She wondered if she'd have to call my mom and tell her I was lost in New York.  

But then she looked to the stage and saw me—talking to and receiving an autograph to my program from the cast member who played Old Deuteronomy, the wise old cat. 

I realized that day that there was nothing like seeing a show on Broadway. It's a gift I was able to give my own daughter Jessie when I took her to New York for her 12th birthday a few years ago. We saw MJ The Musical and & Juliet. Jessie left the experience agreeing that there is nothing like Broadway!” 

One Generation to the Next: Tara Young’s Story 

A lot of us had parents or grandparents who loved Broadway. Their love of musicals led them to share the soundtracks and stories, giving us the “Broadway bug” that would keep them with us after they were gone. Here’s Tara Young’s story. 

“My grandmother in the 70s had a huge record player. It was a piece of furniture, not just a turn table,” she says. “She loved Rodgers and Hammerstein and played The Sound of Music, The King and I, and, my favorite, Oklahoma!  I knew every word to every song, and we would sing them together.  

I saw the movies but never knew what musicals on stage were. When I got my first job at 16, Oklahoma! came to Greenville. This was before the Peace Center, so I got us tickets with my own money, and we saw it at the Little Theatre. It started my love of theater, and I’ve loved musicals ever since. Unfortunately, this was the only show my grandma and I got to see together before she passed away. But that day lives on in my memory. She and I, singing, one last time.” 

 

The Healing Power of a Broadway Show: Denise Newhouse’s Story 

Because we often experience Broadway shows with loved ones, some of us have deep, powerful attachments to songs from certain musicals. Our loved ones live on in the theater, as Denise Newhouse beautifully describes. 

“My English and Vocabulary teacher, Mr. Broome, took us on a field trip to see Little Women when I was a senior in high school,” she says. “It opened a whole new world for me. Mr. Broome said I reminded him of Jo.  

After high school, I got married and raised a family. Funds were tight and life was busy, so I never had an opportunity to see another show until many years later. I went to New York with some friends. We saw In The Heights on Broadway, and my love of theater sprouted again.  

My husband (who was not a theater enthusiast) always encouraged me to be a season ticket holder, but I felt guilty, so I never did. He sadly passed away one and a half years ago and made sure I was financially okay. So, for the first time, I have season tickets this season, and I have LOVED it!! I’ve had many sweet, tender moments during most of the shows that bring memories to my mind. It has been healing for me.”

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Be part of MY BROADWAY and share your story. Visit the MY BROADWAY page to tell us what connected you to this incredible art form.  

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