Lifetime Moms

There's something about seeing a Broadway play that is transformational.  You get to escape your monster to-do list, shut yourself off from technology and escape with characters who can make you laugh out loud in one moment, then move you to tears, the next.  I recently attended a preview for "The Miracle Worker" on Broadway starring Allison Pill, Abigail Breslin, Matthew Modine and Jennifer Morrison, and to say I was transformed, was an understatement.

Based on the real life story of Helen Keller, the show is performed at the Circle in the Square theater in New York City and it is truly one of the most intimate and unique theatrical productions you will ever experience.  Over 800 attendees fill the theater and surround the stage which magically suspends many of its props from the ceiling.  That means, when it is time to change scenes, the dining room table will literally be lowered to the ground as the actors take their places for an emotional dinner exchange and then, once they move to another part of the stage, the table will miraculously disappear.

What sets "The Miracle Worker" apart from many of the current non-musical productions on Broadway is that it is ideal for parents of tweens and teens. Based on the true story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, "The Miracle Worker" takes you inside the lives of the Keller family - where you first discover how Helen lost her sight and hearing and watching as her family continually refused to send her to an asylum despite the fact they couldn't control her dangerous outbursts.  

At 13 years old, Abigail Breslin is brilliant in her role as Helen.   Watching her in action, you truly believe she is blind and deaf and is desperately trying to connect with those around her.  And Allison Pill is awe inspiring in her role as Annie Sullivan, exhuding the perfect blend of tenacity, humor and empathy that eventually leads Helen to a major breakthrough with her family.  Plus, feature film star Matthew Modine makes his Broadway debut in "The Miracle Worker" and is phenomenal as Helen's father, Captain Keller.  And mothers will instantly connect with Jennifer Morrison, who portrays Helen's devoted mom Kate Keller, who never gave up on her daughter, despite the painful effects Helen's condition had on her family.  

I recently spoke with one of the show's producers, Lynn Shaw, who joined me for a lively chat on Blog Talk Radio where she shared the inside story of how the current stage version of "The Miracle Worker" came to fruition.  Plus, Lynn reveals some amazing behind the scenes stories from the show's rehearsals and tells us how she got her start as a theatrical producer. 

If you're interested in taking your family to see The Miracle Worker on Broadway, visit the show's website today for show times and tickets.  Plus, if you happen to attend a Tuesday show, you'll get the chance to participate in "Talk Back Tuesdays" where the cast answers questions from audience members. I'm also told that Abigail Breslin poses for photos and signs autographs for all fans who would like to meet her after the show.  Hope you get to see it and enjoy the show as much as I did!

About two months ago, I had the great fortune of interviewing make-up artist extraordinaire Bobbi Brown and her father Joe who had recently published a children's book.  What struck me about our interview was how it hit so close to home.  You see, Bobbi shared the story of how her dad used to tell her family a story that was passed on from generation to generation.  On her dad's 70th birthday, Bobbi gave him the ultimate surprise.  She took him into a Scholastic book store and presented him with a copy of his own book.  

After Bobbi shared that anecdote with me, it completely struck a chord because my dad loves to write children's stories as well and a few years back, he shared them with me in the hopes I'd find a way to get them published.  But the road to becoming a published children's author is not that easy - especially if you can't illustrate your own stories.  And so, I let the stories sit on my laptop until Bobbi and her father shared their story with me.  Since my own dad was going to be celebrating his 70th birthday this year, I took our conversation as a sign that it was time to get moving.  And so, I reached out to Ann Pilicer, an incredibly talented illustrator who I had met after reconnecting with her husband on Facebook who attended junior high school with me more than two decades ago.  

After sending Ann my dad's stories along with tons of photos of my father, mom and kids, she got to work.  Every day, Ann would send me another incredible image that she had created and within a matter of two weeks, all the photos were completed.  Next, I reached out to the publisher of my book, Julie Trelstad at Plain White Press who received the images from Ann and positioned them graphically within the story.  Next, since I was publishing my father's story on my own, I created a Role Mommy imprint and assigned the book two ISBN codes so that it could available at libraries and book stores! 

Within a matter of one week, we managed to publish two hard cover copies of the book which Julie sent to my parents via Fed-ex and we instructed my dad not to open the package under any circumstances.  Once we arrived in Florida, my mom invited our relatives and friends over for a mini birthday celebration and we were all thrilled to see dad's reaction when we presented him with his very own copy of Grandpa Fix-It.  Take a look and see for yourself!  

All in all, I have to say, thanks to Bobbi Brown and her dad, I was able to create a birthday gift for my father that he and our family will cherish for decades to come!