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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">What Were They
Thinking:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Broadway in the Rearview
Mirror<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Cleveland Jewish
News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: #303030; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“New York, New
York.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It’s a helluva town.”
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><EM><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND: white; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in">~
Lyrics from “On The Town”</SPAN></EM></SPAN></I><EM><SPAN
style="BORDER-BOTTOM: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-LEFT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BACKGROUND: white; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; BORDER-TOP: windowtext 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT: windowtext 1pt; PADDING-TOP: 0in; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></EM></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"
class=MsoNormal align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; COLOR: #303030; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The most popular
myth about Broadway is the one perpetuated by the 1933 musical “42<SUP>nd</SUP>
Street,” in which a chorus girl goes on in place of the leading lady and becomes
a star. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Few aspiring
actors would confess to being naïve enough to believe this fantasy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But none would deny that the prospect of
instantaneous success on the New York stage had crossed their minds while taking
endless voice lessons as a child, during auditions throughout high school, while
training at a performing arts conservatory, and at every professional production
that they do that is not taking place on Broadway.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sure, they’ve
seen the statistics.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Only
</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN"
lang=EN>38 percent of the 50,000 professional actors who make up the membership
of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) work at any given time.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>And they typically work an average of
only 17 weeks a year, earning $15,000 or less, and do so on stages far from
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">the
glamour of the New York City theater scene.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But they’ve also
heard the success stories.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Just last year,
Chagrin Falls’ Corey Cott and Orange’s Ben Fankhauser were the featured stars in
the Broadway hit “Newsies.” <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>This
month, Aurora native <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: white">Chris McCarrell steps into
the role of Marius in the Broadway revival of “Les Misérables.” <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Recent Baldwin Wallace University
graduate <EM><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Ciara
Renée </SPAN></EM>has gone from Berea to one lead role on Broadway (“Big Fish!”)
to another (“Pippin”) to another (</SPAN>“The Hunchback of Notre
Dame”).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">And, of course,
they’ve memorized the soundtrack to “42<SUP>nd</SUP> Street” and embraced the
improbable dream of success that it summons.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">But for many performers, the road to Broadway – the
theater district that <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: white">extends from West
40<SUP>th</SUP> to West 54<SUP>th</SUP> Streets, between 6<SUP>th</SUP> and
8<SUP>th</SUP> Avenues – is </SPAN>full of speed bumps, detours and unexpected
delays.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>What happens to the dream
then?</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Meet
Max Joseph from Solon, who you may have seen playing Tobias in “Sweeney Todd” at
Cain Park.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"
class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Meet Jesse Markowitz from Orange.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>You may have seen him performing in
“Hello Dolly” at Porthouse Theatre while a student in Kent State University’s
musical theater program.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">Meet Bonnie Black, who moved to NYC in the late-1970s but
recently appeared in the Cleveland Play House production of “Yentl.”<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; BACKGROUND: white"><FONT size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman">For more of this article, go to:<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT><A href=""><FONT
color=#0000ff size=3
face="Times New Roman">http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/features/article_33f50a70-b854-11e4-a88c-9b90bce4277f.html</FONT></A></P>
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