Bravo, for the return of Broadway! After an 18-month suspension because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lights hailed the reopening on Sept. 14.
The reopening of the Great White Way reminds me of the first time I saw a show on Broadway.
My husband and I were married on July 1, 1979, at St. James Catholic Church in Seaford. As a gift, Bob and I received center-row tickets to the hit Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” from Bob’s best man, his brother.
The tickets were for July 3, so Bob and I left day after our wedding for a whirlwind honeymoon in Manhattan, not far from our first home in Floral Park.
I remember the Sheraton Hotel, where Bob had booked us a suite. Bob carried me into our room and, because I was young and in love, I thought the room to be probably more glamorous than it was.
I had packed in our luggage the complimentary bottle of Champagne from Theresa’s, the catering hall in Massapequa where we hosted our wonderful wedding reception. Unfortunately, the bottle spilled some of its contents onto the suit my husband had planned to wear to the theater. Fortunately, the hotel cleaner did a rush job so that Bob was able to wear the suit to the show that night.
We dressed for the theater and were picked up by an iconic yellow Checker cab outside the hotel. The Shubert Theatre, on West 44th Street, looked glitzy to us, a couple of young theater novices. I was thrilled to glance up at the radiant lights on the Broadway marquees that lit up the evening sky.
“A Chorus Line,” it turned out, was our own Broadway debut. We walked through the red-carpeted lobby hung with swanky crystal chandeliers. When the usher showed us to our seats, we were impressed to be so near the stage, up-close and personal!
As the lights dimmed and the cast lined up onstage, the young women dancers in leotards captivated my husband’s attention from the start of the show. I was fascinated as I listened to songs, the musical numbers — and seeing such talented performances in person. It was an exciting night for both of us.
Our honeymoon in New York City was a “Broadway hit” — starting us off on our married life together. You know what they say about New York: “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere!”
That certainly was true for Bob and me: We were a 1979 smash hit that has carried over to a lifetime of happily-ever-after.
Susan Davniero,
Lindenhurst
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