As the United States grapples with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic there have been a number of cultural causalities. One of the biggest being the 2020 Broadway Theater Season.
Theater, especially the Broadway Theater is the stuff of dreams. Ask most any performer on the Great White Way and they will tell you stories of a kid somewhere in America who watched the Tony Awards on TV or Great Performances on PBS or in more recent years clips from shows on YouTube; and dreamed of being up there one day themselves.
It is almost a cliche' a kid being inspired by live theater and dreaming of being part of that world. So much so, the Tony Awards made it the centerpiece of the opening number for their 70th annual ceremony in 2016.
As universal as this idea as become in the Theater world, there are very few actual stories that show us that journey, Of a young child being introduced to the magic of Broadway in a way that would forever change their life.
Thankfully, New York writer/composer Daniel Tobias has stepped up to fill this need.
His latest book entitled Backstage Benny & The Majestic Park Theatre has debuted as an Audio book . It takes you along on the action-packed, life-affirming backstage misadventures of 9-year-old Benny Beaumont, as his Uncle takes him backstage at Broadway's Majestic Park Theatre, where he is acting in a show.
The story is told largely from the perspective of 9 year old Benny, which gives the narrative a wonderful child's eye view. If you are looking for a break from the daily onslaught of bad news in this time of lock down and quarantine, take a tour backstage at the Majestic Park Theatre with its cast of delightful characters (some quite recognizable) and join young Benny on the start of his Broadway journey
I hope this will be the first of many "Backstage Benny: stories from Daniel Tobias. While the actual Great White Way stays dark, it is nice to be able to virtually visit it through a child's eyes.
