New York, Saturday, 11am. Still with one leg in bed and with a double show in prospect today, I look forward to a nice warm bath, to wake up quietly before you can go back to the Gerswhin Theater. I walk to the bathroom and turn on the light, with my head still half asleep I think that all that black I see is still a 'sleep blur'. I blink a few more times and run a finger across the sink. My entire bathroom, but also the entire bathroom, covered in sand! Sand!
How ... what ... where ... what? This morning they cleaned the air vents in the building and a little sand could possibly get into your house. It's 11AM, I have to put on my face paint in an hour. And I really really want to take a bath! So I'm scrubbing my bathroom for Saturday Matinee ... Welcome to Broadway!
I had to chuckle when I was cleaning, I thought, in an hour and a half the green witch in Wicked on Broadway, but first on my knees with a bucket and a sponge playing Cinderella.
What a great time I have here. New York is overwhelming, so much to do, so much to see. Everyone on the street has a goal, has to be somewhere, is in a hurry. If you live and work here, you don't have time for 'chitchatting', you need to be somewhere! I think it is fantastic, what passion prevails here. It's so interesting what this does to you. On the one hand, every now and then during a scene I get to literally say to myself: 'You're on Broadway !!'. On the other hand, you are just working really hard! Because that's what it is, working really hard. Monday off only, eight shows a week, and all eight give 200 percent of yourself. Show in the evening, rest during the day. Want to explore New York? I would love to, but maybe next week?
The role of Elphaba is like a rollercoaster, it demands a lot emotionally, physically and technically speaking. You can't say, I'm just saving myself a bit more today, because that doesn't work. At least, I have never succeeded. She has so much willpower and energy, you have to get on it every time. And that's exactly what I think is so cool about the role. Because you get just as much, maybe even more energy back from the audience. And then I also get it from the American audience, the critical audience that knows the show and the story word for word and has already seen so much great talent pass by. They also give it to me and that feeling is really indescribable.
I often hear that people think I am too modest, I can sometimes say that I think something is good about myself. Well okay then, come on, the bathroom has become really nice and clean!
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
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