My Daughter's 16th

First published in May 2003 Travelsmart:

As I sat in the Nederlander Theatre waiting for the musical Rent to begin, I knew my 16-year old daughter Marley was excited about seeing *NSync’s Joey Fatone live on stage. She and I had, just a year earlier, camped out overnight at Rockefeller Plaza so she could see her favorite group perform for The Today Show.

Fatone has matured from boy-band to movies and Broadway stage. So has Marley. It wasn’t the presence of her pop idol that was memorable to her. It was the storyline and the music of Rent, a long-running show with undercurrents of homosexuality, Aids and other subjects that Dads don’t always like to talk about with their 16-year old daughters.

This day and this musical were special to me, more special than Cats or Grease or Blue Man Group. This day marked the transformation from childhood to adulthood. Not for Joey Fatone. Nor for Marley. For me.

Broadway has a way of doing that. A stimulating show. A late dinner, then a stroll through the crowds, past the sidewalk vendors, all the while talking about what we’ve just experienced. No doubt it was a memorable time for Marley. For me, an epiphany. I’m not the father of a kid anymore.

We’ve seen Urinetown, the Musical too. A surprise winner of multiple Tony Awards, it surprised me also. First, no bathroom jokes. Second, Marley understood the show’s allegory and appreciated its subtle humor.

There’s something on Broadway for everyone. Musicals, plays, dramas, comedies, dance … and each one will challenge your emotions and change your life in some way.