Broadway.

We got to New York in January, and a friend from the Les Miz tour sublet us her apartment on the Upper West Side. I had different coloured streaks in my hair and a bunch of pets to haul along with me.

There were Christmas trees on the sidewalks, and I think I ate at Famiglia almost every night. Or had Chinese food.

I think I had a week for my put-in. The stage manager asked me if I wanted to see the show that night after my first day of rehearsal and I politely declined because I didn't have anything to wear. I thought you had to dress up to see a Broadway show. I was so green. Again. He kind of laughed at me and said I would be fine in jeans, but then directed me to Lord & Taylor. :)

Um, of course I went shopping.

Sadly, a few days before my opening night on Broadway, we lost my 17 year old cousin in a car accident. She also loved musicals and wanted to be on Broadway someday, so I dedicated my performances to her and put her name in my bio so her name would be on Broadway. My opening night was very bittersweet. I had so many lovely messages from my castmates on the road and my new castmates in New York, and I was very emotional. My parents had flown out from Vancouver to see me too. They have always been so supportive and amazing.

Things soon settled down to a sort of normalcy. I found a huge apartment in Washington Heights and set about decorating it. And before I knew it, I was a New Yorker. Apparently, I looked just like someone in my neighbourhood named Rosalina, so people would always yell out to me and have conversations with me as if I were her. I didn't learn much Spanish, sadly. As much as I adore and love languages, and even though I know some French, I just have the hardest time with Spanish. I can read Russian for you in an instant. Explain that.

So it was "Les Miserables" in New York, and then it was readings of new shows, workshops of new shows and lots of events and excitement in the Big Apple. I did plenty of publicity, taught some master classes and did some talkbacks, picketed in a strike and sang in malls... you know, that kind of stuff. :) I auditioned like crazy. And I took a month off to get married.

The show closed on Broadway for the first time in May 2003. It was a thrill and an honour to be a part of that closing company. I got to work with amazing people, meet idols and fantastic performers, amazing crew and talented musicians and sadly, see the parting of what had become an amazing family. We still keep in touch, a lot of us. And Les Miserables really was the most wonderful family. I hear say they'd call our theatre "The House of Love." It really was.

When the show closed, I had a month off, so I cut my hair (remember, no wig? They owned that hair for 5 1/2 years!)... and dyed it - of all things - RED! And then I began rehearsals for the National Tour of Thoroughly Modern Millie...