"Give My Regards to Broadway"

There’s an old joke about a tourist asking for directions in Times Square: “How do I get to Broadway?” she asked a native. “Luck,” replied the out-of-work actor. “Hard work,” chimed in his working buddy.

This fall, my wife and I took our daughter Eleanor to New York City for a long weekend. Small-town boy that I am, I was a little scared of the Big Apple, but excited too. My cousin offered her apartment in Manhattan, in the same neighborhood where Seinfeld “lived” and just blocks away from Central Park. She also helped us get tickets to “FROZEN: The Musical.”

Fortunately, my cousin got only two tickets, as I had little interest in seeing “Frozen” but was excited to see a Broadway show. The revival “Chicago” seemed fun. The reviews were great, and John O’Hurley (“Mr. Peterman” from Seinfeld; I know him!) was playing a lead role.

Tickets were $65 for the matinee, and a bit more for the evening show. It turns out they do eight shows a week, sometimes more, in a theater that holds about 1,100 people.

I did a little research afterwards. Actors are paid a minimum salary under union rules. A regular union actor earns $105,000 a year, plus a little extra if they dance, understudy, or offer to sweep up afterwards. Some actors make more, of course, depending on their star quality, but most Broadway actors don’t.

I then did some math. A one-bedroom apartment near my cousin’s place rents for $3,200 per month (I’m not sure if that includes utilities). You’ve seen Jerry’s apartment on TV; it’s OK but not luxurious. Add in $18 for a hearty breakfast, and $6 for a gallon of milk, and suddenly $105,000 doesn’t seem like all that much.

The show was great. But I have to admit that the excitement of being on Broadway, and in NYC, and on vacation, helped.

It dawned on me that Broadway wasn’t all that much better than local theater. I’ve seen shows at UMD that rivaled “Chicago” on Broadway, and I didn’t need a hotel or airfare to see it. When the County Seat Theater was in that old church in Atkinson, the seats were about as comfortable as the Ambassador Theatre in New York and I paid only $12 for that show. (Note: the seats at the County Seat Theater are more comfortable now.)

There’s a lot of entertainment in Carlton County. Just follow Keith or Gail Hamre around and you’ll eventually end up at something good.

The historic Scott House hosts performances in rural Carlton, and so does the Oldenburg House in the city of Carlton. There are bars that feature live bands, often made up of local musicians. The high schools put on several productions during the school year, with surprisingly high quality. Church groups get into the act — have you ever seen a “New Wine” production? They’re great.

We have a local radio station that plays “olde tyme” radio shows Sundays nights (WKLK AM), and has a goofy but entertaining morning show — “The A-Squad” — weekdays on WKLK FM. And the good folks at the Black Bear Casino are always planning shows at their event center.

Plus, if you really feel the need to “get away,” you can travel down the road to Duluth and see performances at the Depot, UMD, the new NorShor Theater and many others, and get back home before bedtime.

Now, I won’t take away the thrill of spending a weekend in Manhattan from anyone — it was an amazing trip. But I will point out that recognizing our local talent is gratifying, too … and much more affordable.

Pete Radosevich is the publisher of the Pine Knot News community newspaper and an attorney in Esko who hosts the talk show Harry’s Gang on CAT-7. Reach him at [email protected].