Broadway is all about telling a story.

Tonight Melissa went to see the musical Mary Poppins at a theater in the area that is what I can only assume California’s answer to Broadway.

While I’m sure seeing the touring productions of Broadway shows are an experience in themselves, I’ve always enjoyed (and only known) the Broadway version of, well, Broadway musicals. And I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve ever been to.

Being a native New Yorker, I’ve been fortunate enough to see many Broadway productions from The Lion King to Wicked,  from Ragtime to Phantom of the Opera, and from Les Miserables to RENT.

And while I usually have seen shows with friends, my family, or on a school class trip, I always wanted to keep seeing more.

Because while some people seemingly don’t “get” the whole Broadway thing, live theater draws me in because its all about telling a story. And the creative forces behind Broadway have found literally thousands of ways to tell a story.

A scene from the Broadway production of RENT.

Its similar to the way I am captivated by movies. I don’t just go for the popcorn, you know. (In fact, I recently gave up movie theater popcorn altogether, but that’s a story for another time.)

Its all about the story — finding about a certain character’s motivations, gleaming a lesson or two from character’s struggles to apply to my own life, watching how different colors or designs can move a story along.

Some people are content to get all of this out of books, but let’s face it, these days its all about the visual.

And there is nothing but colors and motivations and lessons on Broadway these days.

Anyway, I’m just happy to have found someone to go with me now who enjoys the storytelling as much as I do. Broadway, here we come!