When I was in the seventh grade, I went on a school trip to New York City. That trip was, and still is, the only time I’ve been to NYC overnight. In case you’re wondering, I did go to NYC in May 2008 to see Rent and in December 2009 to see Hair, but on both occasions, my mom and I just drove up for a Saturday matinee and returned home to DC the same day. Anyway, this 7th-grade trip coincided with our unit on immigration to America; on our schedule was a visit to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, a tour of Ellis Island, dinner at a Mars-themed restaurant (God only knows why my teachers chose that one – the food was terrible!), and seeing the then-brand new Broadway hit Ragtime. Al Gore was visiting Ellis Island that day, so it was closed to the public and we didn’t get to go – we went to FAO Schwarz instead.
Honestly, I remember more about the tenement museum and the dumb Martian restaurant than I do about Ragtime. And that is something I deeply regret. I wasn’t yet living at the mercy of all things Broadway as I am now. That show had its share of stars, including a pre-Glee, pre-Spring Awakening Lea Michele, and I didn’t even keep the Playbill! Sometimes the thought makes me shudder. I sat in the back row of the theater, and my seat was between two male classmates who were best friends – and we weren’t allowed to trade seats. I sat there bitter that my friend Sarah was not near me, and I didn’t let myself get swept up in the majesty of the production, the magic of the moment. Now, I desperately wish that I had paid attention. And kept the Playbill! That could have been ten more years of my life utterly mesmerized by the stage.
I couldn’t afford to see the show during its 2009 revival, but I very much hope that I get another shot at Ragtime in my life.
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