Mr. Connick

By Young performer Madison Kitchen who plays Molly in the North Pole cast of Harry Connick, Jr.'s THE HAPPY ELF

On Saturday, December 13, there was a lot of talk regarding the 3:30pm performance at the Todd Wehr Theater. To many audience members, they were going to see Harry Connick, Jr.'s THE HAPPY ELF. For a lucky few, they knew they would see Harry Connick, Jr. at THE HAPPY ELF.

Although my cast was excited to see the other cast perform with Harry Connick, Jr. watching, we had a hard time concentrating on the show. The excitement of knowing that we were meeting Mr. Connick after the show had us caught in a different world.

Thirty minutes after the second act had begun, several young performers exited the theater to be led down to where we'd meet Mr. Connick. We had to be shushed by adults standing by, but that just made us more antsy.

The green room was soon full of people and excitement. Suddenly, there was a parting in the mob, and Harry Connick, Jr. walked through and sat down surrounded by eager eyes.

We all had so much fun listening to his stories and theater tips. Although he stayed for a long time, he left too early. The stories that he told are still being retold by the cast.

Harry Connick, Jr. should be very proud of the music and the show he's created. I know we're proud to be a part of it.

(photo by Mark Frohna: Madison Kitchen with Harry Connick, Jr. in the green room)