The musical, Wicked, is celebrating its 20th year on Broadway. It takes place in The Land of Oz, before the arrival of Dorothy, and tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba and Galinda, who later become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. So, I pulled up my favorite songs...
Since rewatching the broadcast of Come From Away—the Broadway musical now streaming on Apple TV— I’ve had the song “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” stuck in my head. We sang it often at mass when I was growing up, and I found it to be not only a beautiful melody, but wonderfully aspirational...
This weekend, I’m walking into a situation with outrageous hopes, and it reminds me of this conversation I had with my husband. So I’m re-publishing this post from July 2017: The other day, I was explaining a hope I had for my business as I was opening a stack of mail. My well-meaning-but-wet-blanket husband repeated...
This year, it’s really simple: I’m grateful for all the art in my life. The art I produce, the art you produce, the art we love, and the art that challenges us. The art that spurs conversation and the art that settles the soul. The art that comes from our hands and our voices, but...
I recently saw a touring production of the Broadway show, Something Rotten. It’s a hilarious story about two brother playwrights trying to compete with their rival, the great and popular William Shakespeare. Though written for anyone, the show has special appeal to musical theater and Shakespeare buffs. It’s full of references only we would get....
The other day, I listened to a woman who was a 28-year survivor of cancer tell about the day she received her diagnosis. When the doctor gave her the bad news, she started to cry, of course. Then she asked, “What are my odds of survival?” “It’s just a number,” the doctor said. “Then don’t...
I remember as a child watching the musical South Pacific on TV, and being struck by the song, “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” I was one of those kids who cried often about all the suffering and hatred in the world. I never understood why people couldn’t just follow the Golden Rule and treat...
The other day, I was explaining a hope I had for my business as I was opening a stack of mail. My well-meaning-but-wet-blanket husband repeated his favorite quote, “Hope is not a strategy.” At that moment, I opened an envelope that contained a check from a person I had reached out to with a business...
The other day, I was watching a Charlie Rose interview with Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the megahit Broadway show Hamilton. I was recently in New York, and my hotel was across the street from the theater. It was torture walking by it each day knowing I’d have to kill someone in...
The other day, I was scrolling through On Demand looking for a movie to watch. I skimmed past the ones I’d already seen, plus the ones my husband wants to watch someday, which left me with fewer choices. I scrolled and scrolled, but nothing caught my attention. It was just more of the same. It...