The impetus for my recent sojourn to New York was to support and celebrate the debut of my friends’ adaptation of “Hansel & Gretel.” Chad and Carly Howard, the married duo behind this production, wrote the book (Chad), composed the music (Carly), directed (Chad), starred in (Carly) and all around rocked this experience. They’ve poured themselves into this production over the past several months, and finally, last Thursday, it premiered.

The idea had been to see the first-ever, debut performance. However Mother Nature thwarted me, so I ended up lounging about the outer room of the rented theatre space instead that night.

The next night however, the lovely house manager, Liz, was so kind as to reserve me a seat front and center.

And let me tell you, I was floored.

We all have aspirations and dreams that we nurture and cherish throughout the course of our lives. But how often can we say we actually see them through? How often do we make the sacrifices and put in the effort to cultivate them to fruition? In so many ways, the Howards did exactly that. They had an idea, they embraced and shared it with one another, and then they ran with it.

I was so proud and humbled to witness the outcome.

To Carly and Chad: Thanks again for letting me crash with you this weekend. You guys are a continuous source of inspiration and many laughs. You’re terrific. Truly.

To Liz, house manager extraordinaire: You made the act of managing a house into an art form this weekend. Thanks for reserving me a seat (no hard feelings about the man who stole it the next night!) and making me an honorary member of your clan!

To Garrison: Well, what can I say? You know. Also, stay away from all electrical outlets and superfluous unplugging of cords.

Due to that man taking my seat (as mentioned briefly above), I wasn’t able to photograph much of the show. Following are a few shots I could get. Sorry it isn’t a complete set!

The Cast:

Gretel – Carly Howard

Hansel – Dustin Cross

Mother, Witch – Alicia Fitzgerald

Woodcutter – Michael Castillejos

Groundskeeper – Ken Quiricone

Choreographer – Jennifer Oman

Beasts of the forest – Jennifer Oman, Melissa Ryan, Alison Beth Swenson, K.C. Leiber, Halley Cianfarini

If you’re in New York this upcoming weekend, they extended the run through Sunday, Sept. 26, to accommodate the massive response. Which means there may just be a seat with your name on it. I can’t encourage you enough to go take part in this multimedia production. Really. You won’t regret it.  Click here for tickets!