Don't Rain on My Mom's Parade

Posted by Bruce Miller

My mother was a native New Yorker, reared on Staten Island, educated and employed in Manhattan. So every Thanksgiving we were all but required to join her in front of the TV to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

My Mom won't be reading this blog, so I guess I can finally confess that I never really cared for the hot air balloons and I was only mildly interested in the floats. But I always liked watching the production numbers from the Broadway shows that are performed on the street in Herald Square at the very beginning of the national broadcast.

You’ll have to turn on Channel 12 early to catch ‘em, but this year there will be performances by the casts of Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Young Frankenstein and Xanadu. The latter three shows are not affected by the stagehands strike, and so their performances will include full costumes and props. But poor Legally Blonde—their costumes and props are being held hostage by the stagehands union (don’t ask cause I don’t know how or why) and so they’ll be performing in "substitute sportswear." As if dancing on rainy pavement weren’t difficult enough in your regular shoes.

Also of note, the Virginia Tech Regimental Band will be marching in this year’s parade in tribute to their fallen classmates.

Let’s tune in to cheer them all on.

--Bruce Miller