A Lucy Lawless
Musical Theatre Subsite - GREASE!
From: Paula T (Trellopa@aol.com)
I'm floating on air since returning from my Lucy "Grease" outing
in NYC this past weekend, Firday September 5th and 6th. My
friend Carol and I literally sat less than seven feet from the
stage. We sat directly behind the conductor, who was seated
submerged in the orchestra pit, his head was at seat level. The
orchestra was underneath the front of the stage in the pit.
Since all the actors had to watch the conductor for direction,
it was if they were looking at us. Lucy is smashing! Her beauty
is really mindbogling.
She doesn't seem quite as tall in person and she is very fair
skinned but oh those legs! My Goddess, she is stunning! She had
several costume changes as Rizzo, all of which were extremely
flattering to her slim, lean figure. I had my camera and took
pictures at the very end of the show.
I hope they took as I was shaking like a leaf when I snapped
away; we were so close throughout the entire musical. The sets
were simple and most of the action took place at the very front
of the stage. I was in heaven being so
close. As for Lucy's performance, it was great; she was a
wonderful singing voice and her timing was impeccable. After the
show, we went outside to wait at the stage door. Police wooden
horse barriers had been set up in a
semicircle around the door and Lucy's town car was part of the
barrier parked on the street. By the time we got out onto the
street, the area around the stage door was packed. I stepped
across the street to watch for awhile and to
gather my composure from the experience of being so close to her
while she was on stage. I took a few photos from across the
street and tried to get closer but I could'nt get her autograph.
I did return to the stage door on the following evening,
Saturday, and was closer but I still was unable to get her
autograph. Lucy was great with her fans; she came out and
immediately started to sign autographs starting on her right and
going completely to her left then working her way back towards
her town car.
People were hanging over the car and reaching for her over
the roof; she had the driver open the back door and she hopped
up to stand in the doorway and leaned on the roof of the car and
signed autographs for fans there. In the meantime, people kept
calling her name, "Lucy, Lucy" and she playfully called back,
exaggerating the pronunciatin of her name by saying "Loocee,
Loocee," when people heard this, they laughed and kept up the
banter. The genuine affection displayed between her fans and
Lucy was amazing. Several people had gifts and flowers for her,
which her driver took for her. After she signed autographs from
the car roof, she stepped down onto the sidewalk and went to her
right again and signed more autographs; there was a guy on that
side that kept trying to get her to do her Xena cry "YiiiYiiiYiiiYiii"
adn she accomodated him and us and did it. Everyone cheered and
clapped. We were all having a great time with her. She kept
signing autographs and made one more pass to her left and came
back to her town car; hopped up again to sign more pictures, got
down, waved, got into her car and left to ecstatic applause.
Although it was quite a crowd scene, everyone was a well behaved
theater crowd and we were so happy to be in her presence. She
had performed two shows on Saturday and yet she spent 20 to 30
minutes with her fans. I really felt she was getting
something from the positive energy being displayed; we sure were
picking up on her good vibes!
What an experience! The Eugene O'Neil Theater is an intimate
theater as it is not very large and I was sitting so close I
could have leaned forward and touched our Warrior Princess.
Finally--Other images that stayed with me--two seven and eight
year old girls standing with their mom across the street from
the theater stage door and sweetly singing "Xena, Xena" while
Lucy signed her name. A 40-something year old woman clutching an
autographed photo to her chest, saying, "I have her autograph"
and her teenage son saying " Yeah, Mom, just remember, I'm the
one who got it for you.
