From JuJu with Love

As long as I can remember, I’ve loved the theater.

I can still picture it so clearly — getting dressed up to go see Annie at the Fisher Theater in Detroit. I couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11, but I remember feeling so fancy. So grown up. So special.

My mom took us to see The Nutcracker around Christmas too. It became our thing. Getting dressed up, going downtown, sitting in those seats and waiting for the curtain to rise. There was just something about it — the music, the lights, the feeling that you were part of something bigger than yourself.

When I turned 16, my parents gave me the ultimate birthday gift — a trip to New York City.

My mom had just gone into a wheelchair and couldn’t take me, so they sent me to stay with her cousin Dorene and her three boys. And they sent me with Broadway tickets.

We saw three shows that week.

And something about it stuck.

Because here I am, all these years later… still going.

But somewhere along the way, it stopped being just something I went to… and became part of who I am.

I remember being on a high school trip to Europe the summer I turned 15 and seeing Evita in London.

I came home singing “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” nonstop.

We had a balcony in our foyer, and I used it as my stage — performing for anyone who would listen… or anyone trying to escape me.

I’m pretty sure I drove my family crazy for weeks.

Over time, I’ve seen dozens and dozens of shows. Some I remember for the story, some for the music, and some just for the way they made me feel sitting there in the dark. And some I remember for the people I shared them with.

Wicked is still one of my favorites.

Seeing Hamilton was one of those moments where you just sit there thinking, “Wow.”

And watching Richard Thomas in To Kill a Mockingbird — seeing a story I’ve known my whole life come to life on stage — that stayed with me too.

When I lived in Washington, D.C., I was in charge of programming for the UM alumni association, and I reserved a block of tickets for us to see Miss Saigon.

I will never, ever forget the helicopter scene. It was one of those moments where you just sit there thinking, How are they even doing this?

That moment — sitting there in the theater, completely pulled into it — is exactly why I’ve always loved going.

I recently saw The Outsiders and thought it was spectacular.

Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway this past April — I loved it.

And next month, I’m going with friends to see & Juliet and Suffs.

We just got the schedule for the Broadway in Detroit series for 2026 and 2027, and I can’t wait to buy tickets.

Some things just stay with you.

I don’t know exactly when it stopped being something I loved… and just became part of who I am.

But it did.

And these days, it’s become part of my life in a different way too.

I have a group of girlfriends, and we usually pick a Saturday or Sunday matinee, head to downtown Detroit, try a new restaurant, and then go to the show.

It’s not just about the theater anymore.

It’s the whole day — the catching up, the laughter, the shared experience of sitting there together when the lights go down.

And every time the lights go down, I still feel a little bit like that 10-year-old girl — dressed up, sitting in her seat, waiting for something magical to begin.

What started as trips to the theater with my mom… somehow turned into this — sharing those same moments with the people I love now.

From Juju with love 💙