Yes, that’s (not) me in the center.
My Real Memoir
At age eleven, I’d had an offer to move to Japan and become an artist. That was my first big fork in the road. Then at eighteen, I’d had a tantalizing brush with rock ‘n’ roll fame. Now, on the verge of twenty-one, I was looking at another colossal bit of cutlery: the possibility of becoming a Broadway musical creator!
The day after the incredibly well-received performance of my musical Despite All Their Basic Inadequacies, our theatre department’s stage make-up instructor Bill Smith took me aside and gushed about the show, especially the music. Besides being one of the nicest people on the planet, Bill was as inventive in his field as his parents were uninventive in child-naming. So much so that he was greatly admired by David Merrick, the producer who virtually owned Broadway (Oliver! Hello, Dolly! 42nd Street). Dubbed “the abominable showman,” Merrick was notoriously prickly. But he loved discovering new talent, and Bill had his ear.
“As soon as the semester ends, I’ll be spending a couple of weeks at David’s estate,” Bill told me, “along with whatever actresses he might decide to marry next. Anyway, I want to pitch your show to him, so I’ll need a copy of the musical score!”
I was beyond excited. But “score?” I’d started studying Music Theory, but was eons away from being a musically literate, sheet-music-composing Rogers & Hammerstein type; I was still more a musically illiterate, lyrics-and-guitar chord-scribbling Lennon & McCartney type. My little piano-guitars-bass-and-drums “orchestra” had learned our show’s musical score by heart. Hence, I had nothing for Bill to take to the King of Broadway.
I didn’t know what to do. So I sprang into action. And did nothing. Looking back, I could have asked my friends in the music department (which produced sheet-music-writing keyboardists like dairy farms produce milk) if anyone would be interested in transposing my score for the world’s biggest Broadway musical producer—and then made all the applicants take a number. But I didn’t. At the very least, I could have gathered my musicians and singers together and taped the score. But I didn’t.
I did nothing.
And so the moment passed. But somewhere in the multiverse, at this very moment, I’m sure, Broadway legend Mitch Teemley is dusting off the two dozen Tony awards on his Scarsdale mansion’s music studio mantle.
I did give a copy of the playscript to my old high school mentor Mr. Baker (without the music, of course). He skim-read it, I suspect, and wasn’t very impressed. Which stung. A lot. Although, he did later admit that his Drama Production class had found the script, and done a very well-received student production (supplying their own melodies to the song lyrics). Hello, Mr. B? And you didn’t even invite me?
Meanwhile, another fork suddenly appeared one day in the courtyard between our school’s Music and Theatre Departments. It was the girl I thought…
I might just end up marrying.
My Real Memoir is a series. To read the next one, click here.
Hind sight is 20:20. Things worked out as they should.
imagine if 45:45
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Sometimes doing nothing is our destiny.
We’ve all done a bit of nothing when we should have done a bit of something. Broadway apparently wasn’t the path God wanted you to take. 🙂
Not in this universe, at any rate. ;>)
agreed!
Ah, all the roads not travelled . . . but there is still time, Mitch!
in hermie’s hailey & bailey episode hermie & wormie ask which path to take in the fork of the road.
is nannybird a character from hailey & bailey
I don’t know, Rudy. Do you?
from hermie the catepillar by lucado
You missed fame and perhaps fortune by this much—according to Maxwell Smart.
Right, Pam, and I think — is that your shoe ringing or mine?
Can you repeat that? I had to step in the cone of silence to answer my phone.
;>)
You defiyhave had a nice set of forks.
;>)
Wow. Even your zigzags and potential adventures are worthwhile stories!!!
;>) Thanks, Howard!
My pleasure. Thank you
This piece of your story, makes me want to see this production even more. 🙂 (it’s not too late! 🙂 )
;>) Thanks, Katie.