Lulu the Broadway Mouse

by Jenna Gavigan

  The stage is clear of props and scenery; it’s all been neatly put back in its assigned spots by our hardworking crew. The house lights are dim, and the only light onstage is the ghost light, its lone bulb burning bright. I’ve never actually been up here at this time of the night. It’s so peaceful and quiet, though the air still seems to hum with hints of music, laughter, and applause.

  I stand center stage and breathe deep. I close my eyes and take a moment to process what just happened. To give thanks for what just happened. It was a Tuesday like any other, and then it wasn’t. Faster than you can say “And the Tony goes to Hamilton,” my life changed forever.

  Thanks to my determination and preparedness, the love and support of my family and my theatre family, and a little bit of luck (courtesy of food poisoning and stage fright), we found a way to make something happen that had never happened before. I am officially the first mouse ever to perform on Broadway.

  My moment.

  My magic.

  My miracle.

  I may be the first, but let me be far from the last.

  The End

  I, Lulu the Mouse, hereby recommend:

  IF YOU CAN VISIT NEW YORK…

  • See a Broadway show. (Obviously.)

  • When you go to a Broadway show, make sure to look up at the ceiling. Broadway theatre ceilings are magical. (If you spot a star, make a wish. It worked for me!)

  • Mind your manners while you’re at the theatre:

  1. Don’t put your feet up on the seats or on the stage.

  2. Don’t talk during the performance. (FYI, whispering counts as talking.)

  3. Don’t play with or read your Playbill during the performance—the actors can actually see when you do, because the Playbills are bright white on the inside! Plus, the paper makes noise.

  4. Don’t bring food or drink, other than water, into the theatre (unless you want a visit from the Hooligans).

  5. If you must eat because you have blood sugar issues or something, please unwrap your candy or cough drop before the overture starts.

  6. Dress nicer than you would to go to the grocery store, please. Church clothes, school-picture clothes, Grandma’s-birthday-party clothes—those outfits should be perfect.

  7. Turn off all electronic devices! All the way off! That way not a sound, light, or camera flash* will distract the actors and other theatregoers. You’ve come to the theatre for a reason. Leave your life, troubles, and worries behind for a couple of hours and escape into the world of the show.

  • Visit Radio City Music Hall. Specifically, see the Rockettes perform.

  • Get food at:

  1. Amy’s Bread on Ninth Avenue between Forty-Sixth and Forty-Seventh Streets for delicious treats, including but not limited to: orange butter cookies, yellow cake with pink frosting, red velvet cake with whipped cream frosting, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and hot chocolate.

  2. Don Giovanni’s on Forty-Fourth and Ninth for pizza.

  3. Café Un Deux Trois for dinner. (They provide crayons and let you draw on the placemats!)

  4. Westway Diner for matzo ball soup.

  5. Burger Heaven (the one by Saks Fifth Avenue is the best) for a tuna sandwich on a toasted roll with lettuce and tomato, onion rings, and a black-and-white shake. (Note: this recommendation is courtesy of my BFF, Jayne.)

  • Don’t forget to visit Central Park! I’ve never been, but I hear it’s something to see.

  • If it’s your thing, see a Mets or Yankees game. If you see a Yankees game, just don’t tell my dad or Dan and Artie, unless you want to get into a whole conversation about why the Mets are better than the Yankees. The same applies to the Giants and the Jets. Though I really find football painfully boring to watch. All they do is run around for fifteen seconds, then fight, and argue, and grunt… Okay. I’m done.

  • And if you forget toothpaste? Visit a Duane Reade! Need a ginger ale? Visit a Duane Reade! Need pretty much anything? Duane Reade!

  • Don’t forget, New Yorkers might seem a little mean or harsh, but we’re really nice! Feel free to ask for directions; just make sure you don’t block traffic or a subway door while you do it.

  • And finally, do not freak out if you see a mouse (or a rat). We’re more afraid of you than you are of us, promise.

  If you can’t make it to New York just yet…

  • See any theatre, anywhere: school plays, community theatre, national touring companies… it’s all live theatre and it’s all fabulous!

  • Perform any theatre, anywhere: at your school, at your local community center, in your parents’ basement. If you love theatre, you’ll love performing it, no matter what the venue.

  • Play dress-up and make believe. (News flash: that’s being an actor!)

  • Listen to any Bernadette Peters recordings.

  • Get to know the work of Elaine Stritch (when you’re old enough).

  • Listen to anything composed by Stephen Sondheim.

  • Watch The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid, Hocus Pocus, The Sound of Music, Annie, and Mary Poppins.

  • Try yoga. It’s relaxing and good for your mind. And, on the off chance you (like me!) are working toward a full split, yoga will help you get there.

  • Learn French, even if it’s just a few words. It’s such a pretty language, and it makes me feel fancy.

  • Be a good friend. Be loyal. Be honest. Be kind.

  • Be thankful for what you have and work for what you want.

  • Stand up for what’s right and what you believe in.

  • Be yourself. It’s the only thing that makes you different from everyone else.

  • Eat cheese. The stinkier, the better.

  Until next time, dear reader! With love, gratitude, and hope for us all,

  Lucy Louise

  aka Lulu the Broadway Mouse

  * Do not, under any circumstances, photograph or take videos of the performance.

  Acknowledgments

  FIRST, THANK YOU TO MY AGENT, FRIEND, AND fairy god-Yente, Linda Epstein, for your support, hard work, and chutzpah. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: you’re the best agent ever. To Julie Matysik, Adrienne Szpyrka, and the team at Running Press Kids, I am so thrilled to be making my authorial debut with you. Thank you for taking a chance on me. For hearting all over my manuscript, for appreciating and understanding the story I wanted to tell, and for finding ways to make it even stronger.

  Thank you to my parents, who gave me life and made it a great one. For introducing me, at a very early age, to the wonders of musical theatre. Thank you for the childhood serenades, dances, and handmade costumes, the voice and acting lessons, the endless drives to the city and waits in audition rooms, for drying my tears when I didn’t get the job, and for cheering me on when I finally did.

  Like Lulu, I am the first in my family to perform on Broadway. I am the first in my family to do a lot of things, and I say this with great humility and endless gratitude to those who came before me and paved the way. The choices I’ve made were simply not options for them. I have been able to choose “make believe” as my profession, and I love my job with all my heart.

  Thank you to my Gypsy family for making my Broadway debut an absolute dream. (Reader: I’m not exaggerating. It was an absolute dream.) As much as I treasure those sixteen months working together, I treasure the friendships that remain strong and true. This book is a tribute to my show biz beginnings and, in turn, a tribute to you.

  A special shout-out to Heather Lee, who has, from New York to Los Angeles and back again, cared for me like I’m her own. And to Tim Federle, thank you for answering my endless questions and for being supportive of the fact that your lil’ sis wants to be just like you when she grows up.

  To the company of Straight, thank you for bringing me back home again.

  To my husband, Kevin, who’s just so nice to me, and who knows the answers to questions like, “Is it ‘further’ or ‘farther’?” I love you. And I’m thankfu
l for you every day.

  Other notable mentions include but are not limited to: Lucy Gagliardi, Louise Pucciarelli, Liz Kossnar, Michael Walek, Julie Halston, Cady Huffman, Sophie Flack, Ali Peyser, Matt Smith McCormick, Kim Yau, Susan Lubner, Jessica Rinker, Rocco Staino, Frank Pugliese, Priscilla Becker, Peter Catalanotto, and the creative writing department at Columbia University.

  If you had asked me twenty years ago, as a kid just entering show business, what I would be doing at this very moment, I would never have said, “Writing the acknowledgments for my first book!” The (sometimes bumpy and traffic-riddled) yellow brick road of my life has led me here, to this very unexpected and welcome debut, and that’s just dandy for this Dorothy.

  Finally, to you, dear reader. I’ve a sneaking suspicion we share similar dreams, you and I. So, to you, I say this: “If I can do it, you can do it.”

  About the Author

  JENNA GAVIGAN GREW UP DREAMING OF BROADWAY. As a teenager, she made her Broadway debut in Gypsy opposite Bernadette Peters. Since then, she’s appeared in a handful of films, on a gaggle of television shows, and on stages east and west. A fourth generation New Yorker, Jenna graduated with a BA in creative writing from Columbia University, where she focused on fiction, television, and screenwriting. She lives in a teeny tiny Manhattan apartment with her husband, Kevin. Like Lulu, Jenna loves cheese, regularly quotes musicals, and continues to dream of Broadway. This is her first novel. Visit her online at iamjennagavigan.com and on Twitter and Instagram @Jenna_Gavigan.