Fishnet stockings, a bowler hat slightly askew, sparkles, the flash of a smile, and all that jazz. Delivering the opening monologue complete with a Fosse-esque roll of the wrist, NY/NJ Gotham FC's Midge Purce looked out to the audience at the Ambassador Theatre and for a brief but memorable moment, razzle dazzled 'em.
Right at that unlikely intersection of Broadway and women's soccer lies a magical zone akin to heaven. I call it Marjani's happy place.
Though soccer and musical theatre happen to be two of my greatest passions and pursuits, it's admittedly unusual to hear the two professions mentioned in the same sentence. But maybe it shouldn't be.
Midge Purce already possessed qualities necessary for Broadway
As soccer star Midge Purce would come to find out while making her Broadway debut in Chicago, excelling in her profession made tackling Broadway a little less daunting. After all, the two aren't quite as distant from one another as they may appear.
The ability to perform under pressure? Necessary for both. Proper breathing techniques, training long hours and then performing at peak ability over and over again, pushing your body past the point of it wanting to quit, an emphasis on hydration and a diet tailored towards maximizing performance, the ability to improvise in the moment, experiencing the highest of highs when all goes well, camraderie and the desire to lift up the people around you because after all, you're in it together...soccer and Broadway are remarkably alike.
Operation merge dedicated fan bases is in progress, and I have no notes on its execution (ok that's a lie, I'm an actor, so of course I have a few notes that will only be shared with my husband at our dinner table where I am very much not preparing to make a Broadway debut or play a professional soccer match).
But most importantly, a strong female athlete on the stage of an iconic Broadway musical? Yes to all of it. Brava. That's the crossover I always knew I needed, and the rest of the population just found out it's been tragically missing out on all these years.