In The Presence of Greatness

Shoot your shot when the chance comes ‘round, for it may not come ‘round again

Logged on to Facebook this afternoon and saw that the legendary Broadway director/producer Harold Prince has made transition at age 91. Huge loss for the theatrical community. Between stage and screen, Prince hardly saw a production that he couldn’t turn into some form of spun gold. For more than half a century.

I first dipped my toes into professional musical theater while I was still holding down a full-time job in the mid-90s. It was a crazy, sleep-deprived life! I would get to my office at 8:30am, run out between 5:30 and 6, then head to rehearsals until around 10. For weeks at a time. Then, the performances. Then, the offer to take a show to NYC, off-Broadway.

Of course, I couldn’t keep the day job while I was in New York. Tried to take a leave of absence, but the boss said no. So I quit. Packed my shit. Preferred to sing for my supper than write commercials and buy media.

A scrapbook page with photos from the NYC era, and the late great producer/songwriter Weldon Irvine.

After the run of the show ended, I headed back to Philly and was re-hired by the ad agency I worked for, at a better title and with a raise. And that’s how it was for another few years, until I…