Broadway Memories Part One

In the early sixties, I was part of a group of girls who would head off to NYC every Saturday to see Broadway shows. It’s hard to believe now, but back then you could purchase a standing room ticket for $3.50.

After the show you would find us at the stage door waiting for the stars to emerge. We were all excited after seeing “How To Succeed In Business Without Even Trying” to see the star of the show Robert Morse, exit with an older man with glasses. I got Robert Morse’s autograph and then asked the bespectacled older man if I could have his autograph. I gushed (what can I say, I’m a gusher) that he was wonderful in the play. He immediately looked over at Robert Morse and together they laughed. It seemed odd because I hadn’t said anything funny, but I was so thrilled to have captured two autographs that I didn't give it another thought. 

That is, until we were comfortably seated on the bus heading back home to Elizabeth, NJ. As I gazed through the Playbill (the show program) I couldn’t find a photo of the older man. Then I saw it. He wasn’t IN the show, but he was a star. He was the writer of the play, Abe Burrows, and had won a Pulitzer Prize for the book.

I have experienced many embarrassing moments in my life, but this is the only one that still makes me chuckle. I made both Robert Morse and Abe Burrows laugh. Out loud. I was a comedian, not just a naive girl from Jersey!