Lemons into Lemonade
About the author:
Jennifer Simard is currently in previews for the off-Broadway musical, Dr. Sex, in which she plays Clara Kinsey. Simard says she is in the business of making people feel. Mostly she makes them feel like laughing. She is known for her performances in the musical comedies I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Thing About Men and Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit. You know the old saying about making lemonade when life hands you lemons? Well, here the New Hampshire native expands on that idea as she tells how a couple of kids brightened her day.
Based on my research, over 135 people have had the honor and task of writing a Broadway.com First Person piece. I wonder if they, like myself now, wondered what the H - E - double hockey sticks they would write about. I remember my good pal Leah Hocking agonizing over this when we did The Thing About Men. The trouble is, one wants to be truthful but not boring, entertaining but not annoying and one hopes people don't cringe when using language such as: "One wants to be careful when one writes about oneself."
So, about myself… "I was born in a ditch by a mother who left me there..." No, no of course not. This is Broadway.com and for those who don't know musical theater, this is your Google search lyric for the day. Actually, I was born in New Hampshire to the two greatest parents in the world. They took me to the theater at age five and the "bug" bit me. I always felt supported to pursue theater but never pushed. Man of La Mancha was one of the first shows I saw and "The Impossible Dream" my Dad's favorite theater song. We, as a family, often marvel that I now live in New York City pursuing this dream when I quite literally grew up on a dead-end street. Now--this street was in a rural, beautiful, quaint little farm town but the furthest thing from NYC nonetheless.
I am truly blessed to have parents who always had music, reading and culture in the house. I recently had the opportunity to tell Stephen Schwartz that we used to listen to Godspell on many a Sunday afternoon after church. We also often listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar l smell a religious theme here and Damn Yankees, just to give the devil his due.
Today I was thinking nostalgically about my childhood and childhood dreams more than usual. My husband and I were walking down beautiful Pinehurst Avenue in New York where we happened upon two small children selling lemonade at their homemade lemonade stand. A small cup was 50 cents and a large cup was a dollar. My mom reminded me today that when I would set up a lemonade stand--on my dead-end street--no cars would drive by and my mom would buy all the lemonade. Pause for pity. The point is these two beautiful children weren't just selling lemonade; the sign on their table said the proceeds were to help the relief efforts in New Orleans.
I love what we do. I love new works and I love making people FEEL SOMETHING. Right now I have the pleasure and pain of being in previews for Dr. Sex at The Peter Norton Space on 42nd Street. Some of my fellow First Person writers have clearly expressed what the exhaustive beast known as "previews" is like: Colleagues like Celia Keenan-Bolger "Previews of a new musical in New York can be both thrilling and exhausting.", Miriam Shor "...not to mention the emotional exhaustion of previews." or my good pal Leah Hocking "Previews: Six days a week, 13 hours a day.". I echo their sentiments. As a biological unit, trying to make magic happen and still be fresh as a daisy for reviewers takes a lot of vitamins and lemonade stands.
I thank those children today for filling my soul and this wonderful theater community for letting me call it home.
