Meeting Denzel was on my bucket list. And when my dad informed me that he read Denzel was coming to Broadway, I couldn't believe it! This was my chance! I quickly corralled my friend, Tarra, and headed straight to the box office to buy our tickets. I wasn't accustomed to paying the price these tickets cost me, but I happily laid out the money for the opportunity ahead.
Tarra and I had a wonderful time at the show! It was a truly spectacular performance by both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Phenomenal, actually. We were seated in the orchestra, and I'll never forget how excited I was when Denzel walked onto the stage for the first time. The excitement didn't last long as I settled into the plot and was loving every minute of the story that unfolded before me.
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| Got this shot at curtain call. Not sure if I was supposed to, but I did. |
There were other celebs in the house. We saw Steve Harvey on our way in. Tarra spotted Ben Stiller in the section next to us in the orchestra. At a later performance, I happened to be passing by the theater and saw Oprah making a beeline from her car to the theater doors. No one compared to Denzel though.
The night we saw the show, Tarra was totally on board to help me make this bucket list dream of meeting Denzel come true. We weren't sure how packed it would be outside by the stage door, but we took our chances. We were about two rows back, but when the man of the hour made his very quick appearance she was able to push me a little closer. I was speechless and lost most of my ability to function (seriously, I was shaking!), but I did manage to yell out something to the effect of "You're beautiful!" Odd, right? Regardless, I was willing to count this encounter as "meeting" Denzel for the bucket list purposes because I *think* he looked me in the eye right before he got in the black Sedan and the driver sped away. However, I knew I could do better...
So, I did. I went back to the stage door a couple weeks later. I wanted an autograph or photo proof or something. I didn't have much of a plan the first time. Yes, I went back twice. The first time I discovered he doesn't sign autographs and he won't pose for pictures. Total bummers. I wasn't really prepared, but we did "meet" and I said something about the show and how wonderful he performed. Lame. On my third try, I had a plan...and we had a conversation. An official meeting, if you will. Back in my NFL Europa days, I had met, and obviously, befriended his son, John David. He was allocated from the Rams, and we became fast friends. Initially, I did acknowledge his father (and my insane love for his films, etc.), but I promised I wouldn't bring it up again...and I didn't. JD was a nice guy and we had several talks about life over those couple months in Florida. This, my friends, would prove to be my conversation starter. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner?? I mean how could Denzel NOT want to talk about his own son. So...out the stage door Denzel comes and I was prepared. We had our roughly 30 second conversation. I was pleased. Denzel was nice and even told me that JD would be at the show the next night. I contemplated coming back, but decided that was too stalkerish. Instead, I walked home and very proudly marked an item off my bucket list!
Tonight, I will be seeing my friend Denzel on stage again. This time in a story that I know well - A Raisin in the Sun. I am very much looking forward to the performance, but in a much different way. This one cost a VERY pretty penny (nearly double what it cost four years ago!) so I'm going alone. I am in the orchestra again...and I'm sure I'll be quite excited when he walks out onto the stage. But this time, he's no stranger to me!
Andrea :)
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