Thankful for National Tours

Jennifer Butler

OnStage Columnist

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I go through phases when I obsess over a musical.  It all began when I saw Les Miserable and Wicked. The Phantom of the Opera and Finding Neverland are more recent additions to my list. 

When I say obsess, I literally mean obsess.  I listen to the soundtrack over and over again until I know all of the words.

Although I can’t get to New York to see the shows, I live in a city where national touring productions come through each year and it is great to have Broadway a little closer to home.

The tickets to the national tours can be expensive so I do not get to see every tour that comes to town but at least when I do, I don’t have to pay for a hotel or spend much on transportation.

I am fortunate to have a family who supports my crazy theater habit and either buys me tickets for my birthday and Christmas, or gives me money to put towards tickets to a show. I got to see Wicked on my birthday.  I was able to see some of the shows only after scraping up the money to go. 

The fact is, I am willing to babysit every single weekend so that I can feed my hunger of seeing a new show once in a while. Lucky for me, I live in a place where national touring productions make that so much easier.