Everyone has one, a past, that is, and this is mine.
It’s been a very long time since I was singing, dancing and acting on the stage, but politics (due to my big brother’s political career, but also seeing John F. Kennedy through my brother and sister’s eyes), radio, and political theater (including a one-woman show on JFK, and me, produced in Los Angeles) is right in line with where I started. So, in no particular order, enjoy these pictures and a blast from my past.
Okay, this one is pretty obvious. The Miss America Pageant and the parade down the Atlantic City boardwalk. One very vivid memory I have was walking outside the Chalfonte-Hadden Hotel, now long gone, and seeing N.O.W. outside, picketing us beauty pageant babes. One gal came up to me, in front of a throng of press (who called me “Mizzou”), and asked me how I could humiliate myself by parading on stage in a bathing suit. A 19-year old chickadee, with more attitude than pageant law allowed, I simply said, “You want to pay for my college tuition?” Then off I went in my limo.
This shot exposes my heart, soul and my escape as a kid. I was Broadway bound from the beginning. Dreaming about the Great White Way as soon as I was able to put on a tu-tu. I’m one of the very lucky ones. I actually made it.
Cheerleading was a lot of fun, but when I got into high school I eventually gave it up for pom-poms. It was reeking havoc on my singing voice, something that mattered to me very much back then.
I guess this is also as good a place as any to talk about when I started writing. Putting my musings down on the printed page started in what is any young girl’s favorite friend, her daily diary. I also grew up in a conservative household, which left me curious for the one thing nobody ever talked about: men, women, relationships and sexuality. Growing up during the most political time in American history was the backdrop. All hell was breaking loose between the sexes. Politics became personal for most women of my generation. These pictures are me acting and modeling in Missouri and New York City. What a hoot. Who did I think I was, anyway, the fifth Charlie’s Angel?
As for where the pageants came in, well, I simply couldn’t have gone to college without scholarships. It all started with the Miss Teenage America Pageant (you had to take a test to qualify), where I was actually voted “Miss Friendship.” It took me two tries to win Miss Gateway, which was the path to Miss Missouri.
The shots below are from several shows I was in, though there are many more. The first is me portraying “Chrissy” in “Hair,” one of the first productions of this show outside of New York. The next is a picture of the Morosco Theatre, which is no longer standing; a brick from this theater is on my office fireplace mantel. I was blessed to be a cast member of the last show, the Cole Porter estate’s “Happy New Year,” to be produced in this magical space, which was directed by the legendary Burt Shevelove. It was another serendipitous experience where I ended up landing the understudy for one of the leads, because Shevelove was taken with me during an audition where everything went my way; along with a small role as the Irish maid. Learning that accent, even for a few lines, was a kick. This would be my last big show, as out of the blue I developed paralyzing stage fright. Horrible experience that rocked my world and changed my life, but that’s another story. The nun picture is me in my very first Broadway show, which I landed after my first audition. Talk about lucky break! Thank you, Jerry Herman. The last picture is the show that landed me on the east coast, performing in a baggy pants review, and gave me the shot at my Broadway dream.
The pictures below are from rehearsals at the Miss Missouri Pageant, as well as me performing on talent night at the Miss America Pageant. I did a song and dance to “If They Could See Me Now,” from “Sweet Charity.” By the way, I was one of a handful of girls that showed up with short hair at the pageant. Back then, big hair was king. I bucked that trend and many others.
Entertainment, politics, and activism are threaded throughout my life. Today, it’s politics, opinion, but also the branching out to cover serious issues starting with foreign policy, the topic I study most regularly today. You never know where life can lead. I’m exhibit a for that cliche.
Pictures Property of Taylor Marsh
All Rights Reserved
