🎭🔥Joel Grey...

First, for those of you who may not know who the legendary actor Joel Grey is, he with Liza Minelli starred in the Academy Award winning 1972 film "Cabaret," has been a Broadway star for decades, and yes, is even the beloved father of the "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey.  He is also somebody who has meant a great deal to me too.

                                Joel Grey in Cabaret

For you see Mr. Grey not only shares the SAME birthday as mine but...BUT...he is only 5' TALL!  NOT much taller than myself so he has been a hero to me as well as being one hell of a talented man, and someone I have looked up to for many years.  In fact it was Mr. Grey in part, who helped fan into flames🔥the heart of a very young Adelaide's already burning🔥desire of becoming a Theatre Scene Designer despite the Scene Designer Profession being dominated by men and the daunting height challenges to be faced. 

 

Even wrote Mr. Grey a letter telling him all this too.  He  was so kind to respond by telling me how whenever 

we theatre people have that burning fire🔥of ambition 

in our heart, no matter how height lacking we may be nothing...NOTHING will keep us from reaching our dream and making it our reality.

Though I certainly had the boldness, determination, 

and fire🔥in my heart with ambition to plunge forth to reaching my dream, Mr. Grey's words ignited me even more.🔥 

As you know by now reading this blog I successfully attained the ambition in my heart, even with height challenges.  For you see anyone crazy enough to gallop across fields upon the barebacks of all her horses at speeds nearly exceeding Secretariat's, is crazy enough to follow her heart into a challenging profession and not only do it thirty-six years in between many surgeries but do it well. 

Now should you be wondering if Mr. Grey and I ever met since I have a tendency to run into some very famous people along the way as shared here, do please keep reading.🤔

First though, more about some of Joel Grey's other well known roles.  In 1968 Mr. Grey originated the role of George M. Cohan in the musical "George M."  He later was in "Normal Heart" about Aids, "Wicked," the very long running "Chicago," and the very successful revival of "Anything Goes." 

Joel Grey and Sutton Foster, "Anything Goes" Rehearsal 

Though he would still currently be performing at the young age of eighty-eight, the virus has closed theatres.

Yet Mr. Grey keeps busy with photography and art.

Now then...did we ever meet?!!

Remember in my two blogs describing the summer Theatre Scene Designer Workshop I was honoured to participate in when through an amazing set of circumstances I had a horse to ride in Central Park during those four months?  And literally running right smack into Leonard Bernstein as we both rounded a corner in a backstage hallway at Lincoln Center one day?

Another day while near the Minkoff Theatre where a revival of "Cabaret" was running, I was rushing to go meet my friends at the stable where our horses were for a ride in Central Park that afternoon.  As often happens busy people tend not to expect a Little Person to be way down here.  Even a dear hooman who may be a bit height deficient as Joel Grey.🤣

As I was very preoccupied with dodging people on the crowded sidewalk unaware a hooman was down below here, one plowed right into me.  A short one.

In my typical Adelaide very dignified fashion after seeing WHO had plowed into me I blurted out, "Awww hell, it's YOU!"

Whereupon Mr. Grey responded, "AWWW HELL, IT'S YOUUUUU!"😂

By the way, at this point he had NO IDEA who the hell I was except for the very rare fact he nearly ran over an adult hooman who was actually shorter than he was!

As I extended my hand out to Mr. Grey I warmly said to him, "Oh how wonderful it is to meet you and did you know how much you inspired me with the letter you wrote and we both have the same birthday too?!!"

You see I have this tendency to cram LOTS into one sentence whenever meeting somebody famous in person I adore on a very busy NYC sidewalk who just plowed into me whose letter inspired me.🤩

For the whole eternity it took after he warmly grasped my hand, Mr. Grey finally responded, "Is it YOU?  Are YOU that person?!!"

"YES!"

We then had to move over by a tree because crowds of hoomans taller than us were having difficulties getting around us once discovering we were both down here.

"How incredible!  I do vaguely remember your sweet letter!  You told me of your🔥burning desire to follow your heart into Scene Design despite any height challenges.  There was something special about your letter that touched me.  Did you become a Scene Designer?"

"I did!  I AM!  You were...ARE...someone special I look up to and yes I know I look up to everyone.  But you cared enough to take the time to encourage me.  Your letter made a difference."

"Your name...does it not begin with an "A?"  

"Yes, Mr. Grey...Adelaide."

"Adelaide, do you live here?"

"No Mr. Grey, I ha..."

"Please...call me Joel."

"Aww, thank you, Joel!  I have been here since May for a four month Set Design Workshop wrapping up in two weeks."

"Have you had a good stay here?"

"Oh yes!  It wasn't possible for me to bring my horse with me, but my frien..."

"You have a horse?!!"

"Yes, I'm one of these craz..."

"How DO you ever get ON it?!!"

"At home I usually climb on the hood of my car then launch myself through the air and most of the time I land on their backs.  Here I use a mounting block next to a stall door, then balance myself standing precariously on the stall door and from there land on Mugwamp's back and yes, that's his name and no, I did not name him that."😂

Suddenly, probably because we're Aries...at the same moment we both remembered we had been rushing to get some place before Mr. Grey plowed into me.

"Oh crap, Joel, I'm supposed to meet my friend for a ride on our horses to Central Park!"

"And I need to be at the theatre!  My dear Adelaide, it's not everyday I get to plow into somebody here I like who is a delight to speak with!"

"I know!  Of all the thousands to plow into me I am so thrilled it was you!  Thank you, for this gift!"

"No, thank YOU Adelaide for making my day a gift!"

At that we hugged then each disappeared into the mass of humanity carrying the treasure of one very special bright encounter with us.

My one lasting regret?  This was in the days before cellphones and selfies!🙃