Angela and Me

So, anyone that has known me for a really long time- my family most definitely can testify- knows that I was OBSESSED with the tv show Murder, She Wrote while growing up. I could never miss a show- one time, I was visiting my cousins in Richfield Utah, about 3 hours away from SLC, and my parents wanted to leave before it got too late, but I told my aunt that it would just "break my heart if I missed Murder, She Wrote" and she felt bad and told my parents that she just couldn't break my heart and so my parents had to wait. This went on for years until it went off mainstream tv and we didn't get cable until like a year or two ago. The point is that I just adore Angela Landsbury.

Flash forward to my sociology trip to NYC a few weeks ago. I was only there a few days and unfortunately, I had events or presentations most nights except for one, which is really sad because I love the plays there. I could see one show. As many of you know, not all of the shows run every night in NYC- they have a few nights off. Well, I had seen that there was this new show called "Deuce" starring, you guessed it, Angela Landsbury, but it wasn't supposed to be running that night. So, I went to the TKTS booth (which, to digress, is currently by the Marquee Marriott instead of in the middle of Times Square since they are building a new and improved one) to get day of half-price tickets. Since Deuce supposedly wasn't playing, I was going to get "Spamalot" tickets, but I have to thank the vendor for his honesty because he said that I shouldn't buy the ticket because it was limited view, way in the back of the orchestra and still pretty expensive. So, I went and looked at the other shows, and lo and behold, DEUCE was there for that night!!!! It was truly meant to be. I went and got a great seat in the balcony for pretty cheap and the ticket guy said- "much better choice".

It turns out that the proceeds from the performance were going to support the Actors Guild Fund, which is why they had it that night. The play is about these two older women- Angela Landsbury and Marian Seldes- who were former doubles tennis partners and have come back to watch a modern day tennis match, very appropriate since my recent return this past year to tennis after seeing Wimbledon. It was hilarious- the exchange between the two of them had perfect comedic timing and the audience was very responsive. My favorite part was when they talked about all of the "grunting" these women were doing today and how unlady like they thought it was (which I would have to agree with). Angela was such a great actress- I really enjoyed the play and it was so neat to be able to see her in person, instead of just on tv.

After the play, I was walking away and saw all of these people lined up on one side of the stage door. I walked by and literally walked away, but I said "Come on Cheryl, this is Angela Landsbury. Your idol from childhood whom you spent countless hours watching. You can stand out here for at least a few minutes to try to see her." So, I went back to the opposite side where no one was and got right up to the railing. I ended standing next to this guy who is a hard core Broadway fan. This was his second time seeing this production and he told me that it was the best- that they had worked things out to get the timing right. He had a giant poster of the play, another poster with signatures of special famous actors, 3 photos of the 2 leads in the show, and his playbill. It was truly entertaining to watch him because as each character- even the minor ones- would come out, he would chase them down to get their autograph. I asked if he did this for every play and he said "just the ones he really likes" but I have no idea how many that was.

And then, the leads came out. First, Marian Seldes came out in all of her grace and was truly so kind. There was a line in the play where a fan asks for their autograph and she asks "who should I sign it too" and the response is that "an autograph like yours stands alone" and so when she said that to me with my playbill, I said the same thing and she said "bless you" and kindly touched me. She said that the play tonight was everything an actor hopes for- everything just went perfectly and was the best time they had performed. Here are some photos of her to see just how close I was.


And then, a few minutes later, she appeared. Angela. And she came to my side first! I was so excited. As she signed my playbill, I told her what a big fan I was and how Murder, She Wrote was my favorite show growing up and that she is an incredible actress, especially tonight. She was very sweet and here is a photo of her signing my program! That is how close I was to her!

It was just so neat- having a childhood dream fulfilled. I didn't get my photo taken with her, but here is one of someone else- just to show you it really is her and how great she looks. This was the highlight of my trip- and something I will never forget- Angela and me.