Some times The Culture Buddies feel like the 'proud mamas' of some of the young people we have seen on the stage. This is especially true if we have first seen these young folks in previews or in an Off Broadway show. Last season we felt like proud mamas to the wonderful young cast of Spring Awakening. We saw the show in early previews and just loved it. We stood outside after the show and fawned over the cast (this was before the institution of "acknowledge but don't fawn"). The kids were so gracious and kind to the fans. Now that the show has won the Tony for Best Musical and is a certified Broadway phenomenon, you might expect the cast to be a little less willing to spend a great deal of time after the show with the fans but this isn't true. No one is more well mannered and polite than Jonathan Groff. He signs autographs and stays to pose for pictures until the last fan leaves. We stay in a hotel right next door to the Spring Awakening theatre, so we often see him after the show. We always say, "Wasn't he well raised?" or, "Shouldn't his mom be proud?" This morning The Culture Buddies felt the 'mama pride' again with the lead story in the Friday's Arts Section of The New York Times about Lin-Manual Miranda - the star and brains behind In the Heights. We saw this show Off Broadway last year and were so happy when it made the transition to Broadway. We saw it in previews during our last trip and the magic is still there. It is such a wonderfully energetic show with great music.
