Once A Year Day

My favourite event on the Broadway calendar unfortunately fell on a two-show day so I was up with the sparrows to get to Times Square by 9 a.m. I was committed to scribble for an hour at the "Celebrity Autograph Booth" (giggle snicker) from 10.30 a.m. and I wanted to grab a few bargains beforehand. In my haste to spend my hard earned moolah I bolted from the apartment without my camera so I've pilfered these pics from the "Dancers Over 40" website. They ended up with most of my cash so it only seems fair...

The "Priscilla" table did a roaring trade in posters, Playbills, production shots and pots of lip glitter

and naturally our super-fan Hollis snared the three drag bears

our PRISCILLA spruiker at the TKTS booth was ever present

and by 10 a.m. the market was in full swing. I picked up a couple of books and dvds of this year's "Broadway Backwards" and "Broadway Bares" shows

 and a gorgeous set design from the 1983 revival of MAME which appeared to be from Jane Connell's private collection. She was Agnes Gooch on Broadway and in the movie, and there were also a few flyers on sale from when she starred in the West Coast company of ANNIE. And who else's name did I spy in the cast? Miss Toni Lamond, I believe...?

Moneybags Sheldon arrives at the Dancers Over 40 table

I finally got the chance to talk with one of my longtime faves, the beloved Mr. Harvey Evans, whose career I've followed since he was a teenager on Broadway dancing in NEW GIRL IN TOWN with Gwen Verdon. He's still working more than 54 years later. Anyone familiar with FOLLIES knows him as the original "Young Buddy" (2nd from right)

and he's gone on to play "old" Buddy in five other productions

I was so excited that I parted with almost $300 at this table alone. It's all for a good cause and I didn't dare look at any other merchandise on my walk to the Autograph Booth. I mean, the Celebrity Autograph Booth (titter smirk)

Was able to tell the delicious Jonathan Groff how much I enjoyed his work in THE SUBMISSION last Wednesday night. He looked genuinely surprised and said "Why did you come to see my play?" I said, "Because you're in it." People are always surprised that I see other shows on my night off. Can I thus assume that no-one in other Broadway shows comes to see PRISCILLA on their night off?

I was seated between Patina Miller from SISTER ACT (about to adopt our killer schedule and do their first five show weekend...she's petrified)

and Ilene Kristen from tv's ONE LIFE TO LIVE.

Joel Grey, Sutton Foster, Bobby Cannavale (soon to be Nick Arnstein in FUNNY GIRL), the MORMON boys Andrew Rannells and Rory O'Malley, FOLLIES star Terri White and the genetically disadvantaged Nick Adams were further down the table but I didn't see them.

Someone paid $50 to have a Polaroid taken with me!!! Another performer effusively congratulated me on the show and then asked if I played Shirley in the Broken Hill bar scene. When I recovered my tongue I said I played the role of Bernadette. He didn't seem to recollect that character but assured me that he and his mother had loved the show. Then all at once it was midday and I sped to the theatre, light of heart and pocket, for the fastest male-to-female transformation on record. Heigh-Ho, the glamorous life!!!!