September 14, 2019

Geva Theatre Center recently opened its new season with a production of "La Cages Aux Folles" featuring Artistic Director Mark Cuddy on stage as an actor.  At the same time, his production of "Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End" opened at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, featuring … well, me.

When we ended the second run of the show at Geva, I thought I would hang up Erma’s wig and retire from the stage again. I learned an enormous amount returning to my first passion after a long hiatus. And no, it wasn’t just learning how to iron a shirt while remembering my lines at the same time.  The lessons learned in that rehearsal hall and during the run continue to serve me in my business and in my life. 

But the success of the first run, and the huge response to audiences for Erma’s story this past March, made the opportunity to take the show on the road very tempting. First stop: The Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

After two weeks in the Mile High City, I can report that Erma Bombeck’s story is timeless and relevant to audiences everywhere. Her story resonates for anyone who is managing mundane issues in life while cultivating dreams they may be afraid to, as Erma says, “reveal to others.”

And as we navigate a new world order of equity for all people, Erma’s advocacy to pass the Equal Rights Amendment while writing from a typewriter perched on top of an ironing board (my favorite use for it) is incredibly timely.

The show is quickly selling out in Denver and one restaurant, the Range, has even created an Erma cocktail — the Bowl of Cherries. (Search "Pam Sherman Range" on YouTube to see my shaky attempt at making it behind the bar.) 

The added benefit of moving to Denver for a few weeks has been the chance to experience a new city. A good friend once told me that if you are traveling for business, make sure you get out and explore where you are. We’ve taken her advice one step further this past year when the husband and I decided to kick off our empty nest life by living and working in places as diverse as Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Our kids tease us because every place we go, we compare to home. But what I’ve learned is that each place we “live” for a period of time has made us appreciate all that we have back home even more.

Like Rochester, Denver (a “big, small city”) has great cultural institutions that are accessible and walkable. Although, with 300 days of sunshine, people tend to smile more — or maybe that’s because “a certain kind of grass,” as Erma calls it, has been legal here for many years.

Like any city, Denver also has its problems. You can’t help but notice that the streets downtown are lined with legions of homeless people sleeping on backpacks, while only a few miles away people are hiking with much more expensive backpacks.

But as I live for a brief moment in this place where culture, great food, and the outdoors converge, I realize the potential for my own hometown. Like Denver, Rochester (a “small, big city”) has miles of hiking trails within a short driving distance of its center and cultural institutions within walking distance of each other.  And yes, we have challenges caused by the disparity of wealth.

But traveling here has given me the opportunity to be an ambassador for one of our best resources — the talent at Geva. And that’s a story I want to keep telling from the mountains to the prairies and every place in between.

Don't take our cultural gems for granted just because they're so close by. Sometimes you have to leave for a little while to fully appreciate what we've got. Take it from me from afar: We have a lot.

As first published in the Democrat + Chronicle and on the USA Today Network