Review of BC/EFA Flea Market 2015
By Sami DeSocio
AH! The Broadway flea market! To the theatre geeks, it’s Christmas day, as we go from table to table and see what treasures we can find and take home. Every year is different, but each year has the same element of surprise.
For me, it’s a ritual. I go for my birthday with money I receive, knowing there will be no questions asked such as ‘how much did you spend?’, or ‘how much did you come home with?’. And this year was no exception!
I brought my two friends this year who had heard me talk about it over the past year, and had seen my treasures from the past including my vast Playbill collection. I laid down the ground rules and letting them know it’d be a long day we headed into the city.
We went to the 11:00 table because I was on a mission to meet Christopher Sieber. I had tried to meet him for the past three years, and each time would miss him by a few seconds. This year, I was determined and so I got on the line as early as possible to ensure I would finally make my goal. When I got to meet him, I couldn’t stop smiling. He is a wonderful person with a great sense of humor and it was wonderful to be able to finally shake his hand.
My friends wanted to do the 1:00 table where Chita Rivera would be one of the featured guests. Being huge fans of hers, I ushered them onto the line a good two hours before her time slot, knowing that by the time we got up there it would be time to pay for our turn. I kept reminding them to remember their names (I went with someone one year who forgot her name when she met Bernadette Peters). When we got up there though, Chita had been pulled for the photo booth. When my friends freaked out, I assured them they would still meet her, and as they freaked out, I overheard one of the staff telling people that they could wait for Chita if that’s who they were waiting for. I asked for confirmation then turned to my friends with a smile, I told them I would take care of it!
Meeting Chita was a thrill. She is one of the kindest, wittiest people I have met thus far at the flea market. She laughed with the three of us, and even busted my friend a bit for her tongue ring!
One of my thrills though was meeting Judy Kuhn. I have loved her since I discovered Les Miserables when I was a kid, so to be standing in front of her was a dream come true. She was so nice and down to earth, but told me she didn’t think she could hit her own note in ‘A heart full of love’ anymore! I also had the pleasure of meeting Laura Michelle Kelly of Finding Neverland, who thought that my Peter Pan stuffed doll was the best thing she’d ever seen-and she signed him right on his tush! She was also impressed when I told her about my own show I had written based on Peter Pan. SO genuine and down to earth, it was a real pleasure to meet her and I look forward to seeing her in the show very soon.
After the tables were over, it was time to shop! Of course, I picked up my usual pleasure – all the Playbills I could get my little hands on! As well as the opening night gift from November, as well as some awesome prints of some of my favorite performers. We even stopped by the Matilda table, and although we didn’t purchase anything at that one, we had a great time speaking to the kids in the cast who were manning the table with their wonderful parents!
Overall, this flea market was a great success, bringing in $756,655 this year! And my friends can’t wait to go back!
What did you find at the flea market?