Catherine Reid
After seeing Jersey Boys this evening for the second time, I feel totally ready to write this wrap-up piece. No matter how many times I listen to the soundtrack or see the show, I always cry when the saxophone plays during “You’re Just Too Good to Be True.” I turned to my mom with tears in my eyes and said, “It’s what Frankie always wanted.” It cuts right to my core. Unfortunately, the man behind me was bouncing his leg repeatedly into my seat, so I had to lean forward against the mezzanine rail for the whole show. When he began to sing, it took all of my willpower not to remind him that it was a musical, not a concert.
But anyway, back to the topic of wrapping up the semester. This year has been as much of an emotional rollercoaster as seeing Jersey Boys. Coming to Northwestern as a journalism major instead of a theater major was really hard for me. I was so used to being in the center of theater life at home, and suddenly I was out of the loop. To make matters worse, I was placed in the engineering dorm, where people yell at you if you sing. I’ve been belting in the laundry room at night.
Luckily, I had a breakthrough this semester. One of the most influential experiences of my life was the workshop I did with Betty Buckley. She taught me a lot about finding myself and confidence that is not dependent on other people’s opinions of me. More than that, she taught me how to perform for an audience and how to reach out to people and change lives through theater.
After studying with Buckley, I was able to go into my Northwestern auditions with more confidence. I did a wonderful short play festival last month, and I am currently in The Wedding Singer (come see it at Northwestern June 1st and 2nd). Words can’t describe how wonderful it feels to be singing and dancing on a regular basis again. It feels like I’m me again.
Another one of the things that helped me rediscover myself this semester was writing for TheaterMania’s TMU program. It has been so wonderful to be able to sit down and write about my greatest passion in life every week. I really hope that my passion shone through in these posts.
Most of all, I hope that all of you enjoyed reading these columns. I am humbled and shocked by the number of people who have tuned in to The Student’s Survival Guide to Broadway. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much your support means.
So I guess this is the end….BUT IT’S NOT! I will be writing for TheaterMania this summer as well! I’ll be taking a short break, but bring your iPad to the beach this summer and you will be able to check out some more top five lists from yours truly. This summer I will also be embarking on a new adventure as Serena in Legally Blonde in my hometown. For once I will be the brassy, promiscuous cheerleader instead of the doe-eyed ingénue. It may take some work.
For now, I am going to split my time between singing and dancing at rehearsal and studying for finals. So long, farewell, and see you soon!
