http://cptv.vo.llnwd.net/o2/ypmwebcontent/Commodore%20Skahill/CMS%2002-17-2011.mp3
I got my first glimpse at backstage Broadway when I was in the first grade.
My playwright father's first and only musical, "Donnybrook," opened on Broadway. He didn't make it through opening night. He got up and left the theater and walked around the block for most of the show. The director, Jack Cole, sat in the wings, his head in his hands, sobbing. People said that was pretty good. He had spent previous opening nights in the bathroom throwing up.
I was six years old, and I remember wondering why anyone would put themselves through such agony. But I could see that, if you did work on a big show, the only honorable response was to be miserable. It would be years before I could see the flip side, the almost unmatchable intoxication and exhilaration of putting together something as wild and big and thrilling as a Broadway show.
Today, we'll go behind the scenes with a touring show.
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
***This episode was produced by Sarah Miner***
