No matter how many times you go to New York City, rounding a corner and seeing the famous skyline always takes your breath away. I’ve been to NYC with the theater department five times, and more than that on my own, but I never tire of the Big Apple.
On Wednesday, April 25, the group of students and alums, along with chaperones Guidance Counselor Larry Hensley, Associate Director of Admissions Kim Bruggeman, and Director of Development Laura Lang, got off of our bus in the theater district in groups of four or more and had a couple hours of free time for lunch and shopping before we went back to the theater for a show. While most of the group I was in went to McDonald’s, one of my friends and I went to Cosi, a delicious sandwich shop, where I had the most scrumptious raspberry margarita lemonade of my life.
After eating, we went to Nintendo World, as voted on by the members of our small group. After heading back towards the main Times Square area, a few of us split off into the Disney store and Forever 21.
Eventually, we met back at the theater to see Sister Act. The sets and costumes were breathtaking, and the show itself was light and funny. Raven Symoné was the lead and did an excellent job of convincing everyone that she was no longer Raven Baxter from the show, That’s So Raven. As with any Broadway show, I was entertained the whole time and had plenty of lines to quote on the way back.
One difference between this trip and others that I’ve taken was what happened outside of the theater. We had to wait for our coach bus to come back, so our group was standing outside the stage door. After the show, some of the ensemble was coming out to get some food and fresh air, so we asked for their autographs.
After a couple more minutes, people with bigger and bigger roles started to come out. People who were playing leads were chatting with us, and all of them seemed friendly and kind. Carolee Carmello, who played the lead role of Mother Superior, seemed genuinely surprised and delighted when I told her that she had done a wonderful job, and thanked me earnestly.
With only a couple minutes left until the bus came, Raven came out. I’d waited outside of stage doors for far longer to try to see a star, but she was the first who’d come out while I was still there. She went down the line of students and other fans, signing autographs and smiling for pictures.
I got my fifteen seconds with her as well, during which she impressed me with her quiet tone and authentic disposition. While she was signing my program and taking a picture with me, she thanked me for coming and complimented my hair. While my experience with Disney Channel and Broadway fame was brief, it was fun and a great story to tell people at home.
Martha Schick is a Managing Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com