The Trip of A Lifetime-Part Two

To see the galleries from the events I photographed, check out my portfolio!

To read about part one of my trip, check out my blog post here!

Friday I had some time to begin editing and spend with my parents exploring before we went to see Just in Time. I knew it would be a fun night when I got to see the sweetest press agents for the show, Hannah and Nina, at the entrance of the the theatre before we waked in. The show tells the story of famed singer Bobby Darin's life. Just in Time is a beautiful, fast-paced, new musical that stars Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, and Gracie Lawrence along with an incredibly talented ensemble. I loved this show, and I especially loved seeing Valeria perform. The three Sirens-Valeria, Christine, and Julia-never stop moving dring the course of the show- they're always onstage, singing and dancing amazingly. I don't know how they manage the many quick changes they have! After the show, we waited in the lobby of the Circle in the Square Theatre for Valeria. We got to talk with her outside for a few minutes, and we planned to get coffee with her that Sunday. It was such a fun evening, spent with family, and seeing an amazing show.

Saturday was the "two-doe-shay" of our trip. We got up and had breakfast in the Upper East Side, then we got ready for show #1- Real Women Have Curves! Based on the 2002 movie, Real Women Have Curves tells the story of undocumented factory workers finding joy, hope, and family. The show has themes of resilience, family, and hope-and spectacular music. I loved the show! It was fun and beautiful, and my mom and I are still singing the songs weeks later. After seeing RWHC, we got ready for show #2- Pirates! The Penzance Musical! Before the show, we had one of my favorite parts of the trip; dinner with the amazing Jenny Anderson-my photo hero! Jenny is every bit as kind as she is talented, and I love being in her orbit. My Dad asked for her thoughts on almost every show of the season, and they discussed upcoming Tony noms while my mom and I wanted to hear all about her recent BOOK RELEASE and subsequent press events. It was surreal when my mom pulled out a copy of Jenny's new book and she signed it for me-it's currently in a prime spot on my bookshelf. It was so nice to see her and catch up. When we finished dinner, we realized it was pouring rain-and the radar said it wouldn't stop for an hour. My parents and I were already dressed up, ready to go to the show. We didn't know what to do. We tried to call an Uber, but there were none in the area and the app said it would take 20 minutes for one to get to the restaurant- the show would be starting by then! Jenny, being a true New Yorker, ran into the street, in the rain, and hailed a taxi for us. We ran out, thanked her, and hopped in. Jenny to the rescue!

We got to the theatre, and settled in our seats. Pirates! is a fun, sweet revival starring Jinxx Monsoon, David Hyde Pierce, and Ramin Karimloo and full of silliness and laughter with some thought provoking seriousness mixed in. Kelly was incredible in her role, and I was so proud watching her shine on a Broadway stage. Kelly's whole family was at the show, and I mean an entire cheering section, but she made sure I still got to snag a moment to hug her and thank her for letting me photograph her on opening. 

On Sunday morning, we had coffee with Valeria at a busy spot near our hotel and her theatre before her call time. It was so nice to get to hang out with her and hear about her experiences, and getting to spend time with her was a highlight of the entire trip. Then I got ready for the opening red carpet for Real Women Have Curves, one of the shows we'd seen the day before! The same amazing press agents, Amy, Marta and Nicole, who I'd met and worked with at Suffs, were working on RWHC, and when I discovered that I decided to reach out and see if there was any space on the carpet. I was so excited when they said yes!

So Sunday afternoon, I found myself on another Broadway carpet, and I was surrounded this time by kind photographers I had met at other carpets, many of whom I now consider friends. It was such a good feeling to take my spot on the carpet and know everyone around me was supportive and had my back. It felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The talented cast walked first, and it was amazing to photograph these people I'd watched perform so beautifully just the day before. After the cast, the celebrities and VIPs walked. This included Lin-Manuel Miranda (again!) and his family- his wife, the incredible Vanessa Nadal, and his amazing parents Luz and Luis, as well as Sara Bareilles, Karine Jean-Pierre, Henry Munoz, Barry and Fran Weissler, Ana Villafane, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and more. This was such a fun carpet that was bursting with so much energy and joy, and it was an honor to capture that. 

The next morning, it was time to sadly bid farewell to the Big Apple. We had coffee with dear family friends, wandered to the Tudor overpass to snap a few pics, and it was time to grab our bags and head to the airport. I'd finished all the fun-now it was time for the mountain of editing!

I'm so deeply grateful to everyone who made this trip happen. Thank you, of course, to my parents for supporting me and helping me manage everything. Thank you to Hannah and Nina, the wonderful Polk and Co. press agents who allowed me to be on the Just in Time carpet-and made this trip happen. Thank you to Jackie for letting me photograph Lumi and being so kind. Thank you to Chaliece and Ashlyn, the amazing press agents who gave me permission to follow Kelly backstage. Thank you to Kelly, for trusting me with capturing such an important day of her life. Thank you to the spectacular Marta and Nicole, who not only allowed me to be on the carpet for RWHC, but, last year, took a chance on the random eleven-year-old who's never done a red carpet before and reached out expecting nothing. Thank you so much.

This trip was filled to the brim with opportunities, experiences, exciting moments, and so much joy. These six days in the city were six days I know I'll always remember.