Starstruck somewhere close to Philadelphia

Philadelphia is one of my favorite cities to visit. Every place I travel has energy–Alaska is majestic–Oregon is wild–the Philippines are generous–and Philadelphia is vibrant. It is a city of history and art. People talk fast and loud and offer up opinions unsolicited. Maybe it seems brusque and busy, maybe a little dangerous and dirty, but Philadelphia makes me feel alive and awake.

Musical theater took me to Philadelphia on this trip. First off, I am not a musical theater freak, but I have a healthy appreciation born from my experiences in high school. I never performed, but I spent a lot of time backstage painting sets and helping with the design elements. In fact, I used to dream that one day I’d move to Broadway and paint sets. So when a friend of mine from high school co-wrote the musical “Starstruck,” there was no question about flying out for the world premiere in New Hope, PA.

My friend, Mary Ann Stratton wrote “Starstruck” with a Tony award winning actress, Beth Malone. One of the Indigo Girls, Emily Saliers wrote the music. While the musical has only been on stage for about two weeks, it has already made a huge splash in the New York Times. All of this is impressive, but I am not surprised. I have known Mary Ann since I was four years old, and she has big energy and I have always believed that she could make anything happen.

When we were in high school, she’d pull up in my driveway in her ghetto fabulous Pinto and we’d set off for a movie or fries at McDonald’s and a whole adventure would unfold that was always unexpected and usually hilarious and unbelievable at the same time. Mary Ann carried drama with her the same way others bring snacks or sunglasses. Through all those adventures, we formed a bond that years and miles never erased. Seeing her name up on the building marquee made me feel so proud. I know how long this road has been for her and it is an honor to see her dazzle in the light.

Even more exciting than the musical to me was just being able to hang out in my favorite city with my friend. In a typical Mary Ann and Michelle fashion, it got off to a weird start. She put in the address to pick me up without a city and Google Maps took her to New Jersey, then back over the bridge and through the heart of the city out to the suburbs before we connected. While I was waiting, I left my wallet in a flowerpot and had to backtrack to get it. We just laughed because this is exactly how we roll when we are together. We saw the Liberty Bell and the Love sign, checked out all the fun booths and food at Reading Terminal Station and marveled at the murals decorating the skyline. We talked the whole time, but never finished a conversation because we kept interrupting ourselves to ogle over what was right in front of us.

Hours after she dropped me off at the airport, it occurred to me that we might have been in a big city, celebrating big accomplishments, but we are the same two small town girls just spending time doing what we always have done–wandering around, talking over each other, laughing at our own chaos, and soaking up whatever happens to be in front of us.

Maybe that’s why Philadelphia feels so right to me. It’s a city that doesn’t try to smooth out its edges. It’s loud and messy and full of history, but also full of people chasing big, improbable dreams. Standing there looking at my friend’s name on a theater marquee, I realized that the distance between a small-town driveway and a city stage isn’t as impossible as it once seemed. Sometimes it’s just a long string of strange adventures, wrong turns, and good stories with the right people.