I’m nearing my ten year anniversary as artist-in-residence and contributor to Broadway.com’s Broadway Ink feature. As a kickoff to a variety of pertinent milestones, my editors asked me to choose ten of my favorite illustrations from the nearly 500 I’ve done on assignment. It’s truly like what I would imagine choosing favorite children would be like. You can see my choices at the here. I used a specific set of criteria for that list, but I could tell stories about nearly all of my illustrations. Here’s a supplemental selection of my doodles that have particularly significant personal meaning to me:
A Little Night Music 2010
Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch had replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in this beautiful revival, and Broadway.com assigned me to draw it. It was the very first show I attended on complimentary press tickets, something that is admittedly a wonderful perk of covering the theatre for a publication. As Ms. Peters sang “Send in the Clowns” I noticed that the notebook in which I was scribbling was conspicuously near my eye level, in the third row, in full view of anyone onstage. If Bernie hadn’t been gazing contemplatively over my head, she might have felt the need to call me out for taking the world’s slowest bootleg.
Next to Normal 2010
I was assigned to draw this astounding show when the wonderful Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley joined the cast. After this sketch posted, Marin and Jason bought a print for their collection. Shortly thereafter, I was catching a late show of the amazing Tuck & Patti at the Blue Note Jazz Club downtown. As the lights dimmed, two seats next to me were filled by a couple just on time. It was Jason and Marin who had just come from their evening show. That evening, we connected over their show, the illustration, Tuck & Patti. Friendships like this are treasures. I’m so grateful to have found several dear pals because of our connections from stage to song to sketch.
A Life in the Theatre 2010
This revival of the wonderful Mamet play starred Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight. After I had attended the show, I was deciding what I wanted to include in the sketch. I latched onto the idea of representing a sequence that found the actors in a lifeboat. I hadn’t taken adequate notes during that scene and production photos didn’t include it, but I remembered that my friend Moira MacGregor (who had costumed shows I had done in Southern California and was now making her mark on Broadway) was the show’s costume supervisor. I e-mailed her to ask what Mr. Stewart wore on his feet in the scene. She sent me a copy of that page of her official costume plot. It was a lesson in the synergy in this collaborative art form as well as the generosity of friends. Black socks. He wore black socks.
The Scottsboro Boys 2010
I am still thanking the universe that I got to see this show. What a team! What a cast! What a sobering subject matter. This was one of the first pieces that I drew for Broadway.com that I connected with on such a profound level. After my official assignment, I returned to this production a few times, bringing friends along.
Arcadia 2011
I do my homework before seeing any show I’m assigned to. I have to admit, however, that sometimes, when the schedule is packed, I can get a bit lazy. Approaching this Stoppard play, I must admit that I didn’t know much about it. But my dear friend Lisa who has joined me at many weighty play-going experiences told me that this was among her favorite plays. It spurred me to lean into my homework. I learned a lot about it, and it definitely resulted in a better illustration than I would have done originally. Also, she did ask me to include the turtle.
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo 2011
I’m very grateful to say that Robin Williams bought the original ink sketch and five prints of this piece that represented his Broadway debut. His team contacted me and asked me to ship it all to his home in California. I was thrilled, but a little bummed that I’d likely not meet him in person. However, when wonderful NYC-based Arian Moayed and show family bought prints, I found myself at the Richard Rodgers Theatre making a delivery. (Ironically, another Broadway show for my pal Moira, this time washing lots of stage blood out of costumes). As I sat alone in the stage management office, a wild bearded face poked around the doorframe. “Are you the artist?” It was Robin. I stammered an affirmation. “I think I bought the original.” “Yes, you did. Thank you.” We had a quick conversation before he went off to fight call. My heart exploded a little. And as I crossed the stage to exit the theater, Robin stopped what he was doing. He gave me a thumbs up and exclaimed “Good job, boss.” I’ve been riding on that affirmation for years now.
Jesus Christ Superstar, Nice Work if You Can Get It 2012
This one will get a little personal, but I think it’s important. A dear friend named Johnny passed away in March of 2012. He took his own life. The day that news made it to NYC, I had already made plans to get together with my friend Lisa (of aforementioned Arcadia anecdote) and mutual pal Sully for St. Patrick’s Day. Before the meet-up, I was scheduled to attend the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. I had seen Johnny in two productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, once as Jesus and another time as Judas. Honestly, this show was the last thing I wanted to see at this moment. I was having a rough evening, but I opened myself to the experience. You can see my illustration here. I walked down 8th Avenue after and was given the message that Sully was hanging at the Imperial Theatre where he and his fellow Nice Work If You Can Get It family had just started tech rehearsals, and he invited us up. Still heavy-hearted, I wandered up the backstage stairs at the Imperial, shortly thereafter joined by equally sad Lisa. We sat there for a substantial amount of time as flies on the wall as a few of the funniest people on Broadway decompressed after a long rehearsal day. Tales of early tech mishaps. Impressions of the drunk bridge and tunnel St. Paddy’s revelers along 46th Street. We laughed. Hard. Through occasional tears. It was thoroughly unexpected and totally cathartic. It was exactly what we needed at the moment. I don’t think they knew what they had done for us. Lisa and I then went to Joe Allen and ate and drank Irish stuff with Sully. And the pain of the day was cushioned by the love of friends and the collaborative embrace of our artistic community. I’m endlessly grateful. All this to say that we’re not on this journey alone. If you’re feeling adrift, shoot up a flare. We’re here.
Soul Doctor 2013
One of the joys of living in NYC is seeing dear long-time friends finding success in this wacky city. My pally E is one amazing example. He’s got a number of Broadway shows under his belt at this point, but this was the first time I was able to witness an old pal open as a lead in a Broadway show, alongside the amazing Amber Iman. On opening night, I sat between Eric’s mom Leslie and his publicist Lisa. I cried happy tears. Needless to say, I put a lot of pressure on myself to capture the moment as I was assigned in my official duties. I think this met the mark in many ways. So proud of my friend.
Fun Home 2013, 2015
This is another example of watching a friend anchor a new show in NYC. I was first assigned to cover Fun Home in its run at the Public Theater. I was blown away when I saw it and was tickled to see my friend Beth’s hand covered with new lyrics that had just been put in that day. Flash forward to covering the show on Broadway at the Circle in the Square and the chance to join Beth and her wife Shelley at their Tony Award night party. Oh boy.
The Last Ship, Beautiful 2014
The Last Ship is another show that my pally E opened on Broadway. The timing worked out so that when Mom, Aunt Sandi, and my grandma were in town seeing me flail about in Can-Can at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Mom was able to be my plus-one on my press tickets at The Last Ship. Thanks to E, backstage, Mom found herself feet from Sting. He had just returned from a vacation so he was entrenched in a conversation with the musical director and unavailable, but Mom said she was happy just breathing the same air as him. So I think we all won. Also, the family attended Beautiful: The Carole King Musical that Mom and Aunt Sandi connected with significantly because of their love for Carole King’s music. My grandma whose musical tastes might have crested with the Glenn Miller and Harry James Orchestras, after seeing the show, proclaimed that the songs in Beautiful “would do really well on the radio!”
The Father 2016
I feel that one’s education in their field continues forever. Most of my education in illustration over the years has been through my own research and just keeping my eyes open to the great work of others. But I did take advantage of the continuing studies program at NYC’s School of Visual Arts for a couple of classes because it afforded me the chance to learn from Steve Brodner, political and pop culture caricaturist and visual storyteller that I had long admired. I must admit that my own illustration workload kept me from completing all of my class assignments, but Steve asked if we could use one of my work assignments as a class assignment. Wow! This was great! The timing worked out to tackle The Father, starring Frank Langella (a role which later earned him a Tony). Although I had a relatively quick turnaround on the deadline, I bounced everything off of Steve, and he helped me shape it. One of the big lessons I’ve learned from him is to sketch way more than I think I need. Throw a lot of ideas out there. Along the way, a visual problem will likely be solved in a better way than if I had just settled on the first decent idea I’d come up with. Side note: I’m also happy to say that Steve continues in his wonderful encouragement of me and my work, accepting me as a colleague and even on occasion asking me in to talk to his classes. Grateful!
Shuffle Along, Or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed 2016
Sometimes, the logistics of getting in to see a show and then accurately depict it on schedule is tricky. For this epic show, press tickets were hard to come by and the show was in flux a bit. My team bought me a ticket to attend so we could cover it well, but as the wonderful Audra McDonald was out the performance I attended, I saw her wonderful understudy Darlesia Cearcy. I checked in with the press team because a stipulation of my assignment was to feature Audra, and I wanted to represent her well. But they let me know that Audra’s and Darlesia’s costumes were a bit different and there wasn’t yet visual reference available for Audra’s. I adjusted, and I gave a bit of an abstract angle to some costuming. We made it work.
Oslo 2017
Every year, April brings quite the whirlwind of Broadway shows opening. Typically the deadline to be considered for that year’s Tony Award consideration comes the final week of the month. I’m often totally swamped with scheduling tickets, attending the shows, sketching, inking, coloring, etc. The privilege of seeing every Broadway show is a benefit that I’m endlessly grateful, so it seems ungrateful to say that, considering my immense workload and crazy April schedule, I’m not always enthused about schlepping into the Theatre District and sitting in a theater for another few hours. Just typing that feels icky. But it’s just true sometimes. In this case, I found myself in the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. I had honestly not learned a whole lot about Oslo, so I got the theater a little early to be sure I was able to read the Playbill. It was going to be over three hours? Oh heavens. It was about the Israel/Palestinian peace accord negotiations? Ah geeeez! I just had to hunker down. BUT! The play started, and as has happily been the case with many a show over my tenure, I was swept away. The storytelling was just SO good! The cast was stellar! The time flew by. It was just a kick in my pants to be open and actively grateful for the blessing of getting to experience the work of so many wonderful artists and to have the chance of celebrating it.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2017
Here’s another example of the gift of escaping into the theatre. Tensions were high at the beginning of the Trump presidency. (Well, they still are, but the feeling was somewhat new in 2017.) The Public Theater had presented Julius Caesar earlier in the summer in which Caesar was a Trump lookalike (as other productions had featured other presidents over the years) and security was heightened because of protest threats. I was so anxious when attending that one. But they followed it up with this sparkly gem of a production of Midsummer, directed by Lear de Bessonet and featuring such lovely folks as Phylicia Rashad, Kristine Nielsen, Danny Burstein, Annaleigh Ashford, Kyle Beltran, Jeff Hiller, and so many more. The fairies were all played by adorable folks of advanced age who were choreographed in whimsical dances by Chase Brock. It was the antidote to the earlier angsty experience and i think my joy in seeing it made its way to my sketch. In artsy composition speak, I separated the mortal world and the supernatural by playing with positive and negative space and by using varied color palettes.
Prince of Broadway 2017
I am never late for curtain. Well, that’s not true. When I moved to NYC, I spent good money on a ticket to see Book of Mormon and noted the start time incorrectly. It was a 7pm show on a Thursday evening. Right around then I was finishing up work at the desk, a 45 minute commute away. That was a painful lesson. Since then, I double and triple check start times. Almost all of the time. So, as I frequently attend the theatre on press comps, I’m epically aware that for many reasons, I can’t be late for a show’s curtain. But. On the night I was seeing Prince of Broadway on assignment, my friend Lisa and I were grabbing sushi at Kodama a couple blocks away from the theater. About five after 7pm, I casually revisited the ticket confirmation email. My heart dropped into my shoes. We were late. Lisa was great and settled up, got my food to go, and would join me at intermission. I raced over to the theater and watched the first half on the lobby monitors. Thankfully Prince of Broadway was a very episodic revue of sorts and I needed to pick just one character each actor portrayed to include in the sketch and I had plenty to choose from. (I did, however, buy a ticket to return so I could hear Jason Robert Brown’s overture and see the first part of the show.) Another lesson learned.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2018
To be totally honest, I was allowed the benefit of seeing this epic show in advance of my official press tickets to see it. From the time I saw the show and drew it to the moment I was released to draw it for my Broadway.com assignment, I had to make adjustments. In the grand effort to #keepthesecrets, I was informed that I could only feature certain characters in my sketch. I had jumped the gun. Thankfully I often work in layers, so I was able to easily adjust my illustration before press time and replace various characters with house banners and magical swirls. But one of these days I’ll be able to show off my original piece. Side note: When I was assigned to draw the American replacement cast, I was given a new, broader list of characters I was allowed to feature.
Tributes to Elaine Stritch and Marin Mazzie 2014, 2018
There are a few traditions in the Broadway theater realm that honor the passing of legends. Dimming of theater marquee lights, etc. When Elaine Stritch died, Broadway.com asked me to draw a tribute to her. I was thrilled to tip my hat to her using various theaters she had played. An honor. The day Marin passed, I got an email asking me to pay tribute. I don’t want to seem dramatic, but since Marin is a friend, I was in the midst of my own small grieving process, so I used the assignment as part of it all. This was the result. We will always think of Marin when we see sunflowers.
My calling is to celebrate the creations and the creators in this collaborative art form. This calling comes with all the strings attached that life itself has. And I feel grateful to be here. More to come. Thank you for seeing me and what I celebrate.