In a world that can often feel cold and dehumanizing, I felt very refreshed this weekend by some lovely chats with friendly strangers.
In this day and age, we stare at screens. It’s just what we do. We see the world through camera lenses and filters, and we color it with digital magic. We communicate via text and Twitter. We don’t allow ourselves to be bored or idle. We become closed off, and we become skeptics. This is especially true in this day and age, where harsh realities have taken the stage and make the world feel cold and uninviting. We don’t speak to people on the street. We instead turn to the all-important world inside the screen, because the one beyond is not to be trusted.This past weekend, my mom surprised me with an early-birthday getaway to New York City to grant my ultimate wish to see Aladdin on Broadway before Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) and James Monroe Iglehart (Genie) left the cast (thanks, Mom <3). And while the show was absolutely incredible, I was also struck by the how much kindness and quality of conversations I experienced with absolute strangers.
Right when we arrived at the hotel at 10:30am Saturday morning (we flew in to the city), the bell captain, Al, could not have been nicer as he asked us about why we’d come and showed us to our room. When we told him we were seeing Aladdin, he exclaimed, “Aladdin, that’s me!” with a smile. I had rarely encountered such a warm greeting from hotel staff, and it got our day started off on a rosy note that lingered as we took a stroll around Central Park in the snow.
Flash forward to dinnertime, when we were about to enjoy some pre-show organic burgers. Mine, of course, was not a regular burger but a gluten-free/vegan burger wrapped in collard greens, perfect for anyone on an anti-inflammatory diet, like I am. The restaurant was rather packed, without a whole lot of room between tables, and after the waitress brought out our food, the man at the table next to me said, “Sorry, but I couldn’t help but overhear that you’re gluten-free?” Turns out he was too, as was the woman sitting behind my mom, and before we knew it we were in the middle of a three-table conversation about tapioca buns, soy sauce, and the power of nutrition. Funny how easy it is to bond over dietary restrictions, plus it’s really nice to get insight from people with similar experiences.
After dinner, we went to the show, which was AMAZING. When the final curtain dropped, we hightailed it to the stage door to wait for the actors to come out and sign my poster. It took a while, of course, with all the costumes and makeup. While we waited, my mom and I started chatting with the woman next to us. Initially, she just asked if she could borrow our Sharpie, since she’d forgotten hers. She had been to the show before, but had lucked out on some cheap tickets and was able to come again, and she hadn’t quote gotten signatures from everybody. When we told her we’d come all the way from Ohio, she got a kick out of it, and the conversation started flowing from there. Her name was Sally, and she was a fellow Disney/Broadway enthusiast who was about to go to school for art therapy. Jasmine was her favorite princess, so she had been as excited as I was when Aladdin came out on Broadway.While we conversed, the leading cast members came out one by one. First was Courtney Reed (Jasmine), then several minutes later James Moye (Jafar), and later Adam Jacobs (Aladdin) and James Monroe Iglehart (Genie). I was pleasantly surprised by how genuinely nice they all were, making eye contact with everyone and taking the time to sign every autograph and pose for every picture. Meeting people you admire is always a little nerve-wracking, lest they be disappointingly dismissive, especially given how many fans they’ve met over the years. But my illusions here were not shattered at all. I told them how glad I was that I got to see them before it was too late, and felt a genuine appreciation. And yes, I snapped the customary selfies.
Weekend getaways are always fun, especially when experiencing something exciting and new. I was expecting excitement, but I didn’t expect to find friends in complete strangers (Sally is now in my contacts as “Sally from New York”—she insisted I call her whenever I’m back in the city), especially somewhere as big and loud as New York City (quite the contrast from my tiny, rural liberal arts campus). I guess that just goes to show that good people are everywhere, and you never know who you’ll meet if you put yourself out there.Image Credit: Pexel, YouTube, Emily Wirt