May 6, 2025 • 10 mins
To step away from my desk, from writing, usually takes intention—an obligation, an appointment, an event.But this weekend, instead of rushing back to my hotel room to work, I took a walk in the city that never sleeps.New York City is magic. The lights and screens can mesmerize for hours. The hustlers are everywhere, each chasing their own dream with a specific kind of determination. I melted into the crowd—a sea of people, heads tilted down, grimaces in place, walking like they’re late to a very important date.And yet, as I shuffled forward, I walked with purpose. Certain of my own hustle. Certain that, like the waves of moving feet around me, I’m going somewhere important.Even though these times feel tense and nerve-wracking, this too shall fade. The question is: Who will you be when revival comes?I suggest you should be out walking. Walking to your own tune. Strolling between memory lane and adventure street.We can’t let depression and deadlines keep us trapped on a treadmill to nowhere. We need to be out, moving, seeing the sights, meeting the moment head-on.Downtown New York. Times Square—it’s still vibrant, still electric with people, places, and possibility. One of the places I wandered off to was Broadway. I scraped up pennies and last minute tickets to take in a Broadway Show. My daughter and I caught Gypsy.Gypsy—the revival—is based on the memoirs of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. Originally adapted by Arthur Laurents, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the show first hit Broadway in 1959.Gypsy follows the struggles of a showbiz mother, Rose, and her two daughters: the sweet, spotlighted June and the awkward Louise. Rose devotes her life to making them stars in a vaudeville world that’s fading fast.Rose is the ultimate dreamer—the pushiest of mothers, hell-bent on creating success in a season that’s disappearing as quickly as a stripper’s costume.Gypsy—the cast, the costumes—and especially Audra McDonald—blew us away.Six-time Tony Award winner, now the most-nominated performer in theater history, Audra stepped into the iconic shoes of Momma Rose—a role made legendary by Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone. And she did it with poise, passion, and a voice that reached the heavens.For the first time, Rose and her daughters are being played by Black women.And it feels right.After all, I grew up with a Mama Rose of my own—down South, with big dreams and high expectations. She had color, attitude, ambition, and love. All of that minus the Gypsy Rose stripping.And in the legendary Majestic Theatre, we, my daughter and I, took in the chandeliers, the molding, the velvet drapery. The lights dimmed. The orchestra began. And we were swept away—into songs we half-remembered, dances we instinctively tapped to, that wonder that fills you when you let the noise fall away and become part of the show.This was my daughter first show and she loved every moment.And sadly, if one doesn’t count off-Broadway shows and church basement productions, this viewing was my first too. I loved it but it’s bittersweet to think of the moments I missed because I chose a different, probably work related path.And yet I refuse to beat myself up on the Shoulda, would’ve could’ves that befall us. I went with my daughter now. That’s what matters. And as we left we hummed:Together, Wherever We GoWherever we go, whatever we do,We’re gonna go through it together.We may not go far, but sure as a star,Wherever we are, we’re stronger together.I tweak the lyrics. What can I say, but I’m a writer.Everything’s Coming Up RosesI had a dream, a wonderful dream about you.It’s gonna come true.They think that we’re through, but…Nothing’s gonna stop us ‘til we’re through!Everything’s coming up roses for me and for you!And now, as I sit on this plane, writing to you, my weekly essay, I hope I’ve passed on something else too.That it’s okay to take a walk.That it’s okay to step away from duty, from deadlines, from stress—even just for a few minutes.That rest and joy are worth chasing just as hard as success.That it’s okay to fail, as long as we keep dreaming.My hope is that we all learn to capture that feeling—that joy of being lost in the moment. Of humming. Of strumming our fingers to the rhythm of wonder. Of letting the songs in our soul rise again—when we take care of ourselves.Even if it’s just with a little walk.Books that can help you disconnect in meaningful ways are:Fosse by Sam WassonA sweeping biography of Bob Fosse that explores the grind, passion, and price of perfection in the performing arts.The Women Who Raised Me by Victoria RowellMemoir of a actress raised by foster mothers—explores nontraditional maternal love, ambition, and support..css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to the Rite of Passage with Vanessa Riley, the
podcast where storytelling meets passion in every page turns into
a new adventure. I'm your host, Vanessa Riley, and together
we'll dive deep into untold histories, reflect on current events
through a historical lands, share behind the scenes writing insights,
(00:29):
and explore the ups and downs of the author's journey
from rich historical novels to unforgettable characters to pop culture's
intrusion on the written word. Hey, we're going to explore
it all. So grab your pen, your notebook, and let's
begin our journey through the written word. Let's start your
(00:54):
Right of passage. It's hard to disconnect being in the moment.
To step away from my desk from writing usually takes intention,
an obligation, and appointment and event. But this weekend, instead
(01:18):
of rushing back to my hotel room to work, I
took a walk in the city that never sleeps. New
York City is magic. The lights and screens can mesmerize
for hours. The hustlers are everywhere, each chasing their own
dream with a specific kind of determination. I melted into
(01:44):
the crowd, a sea of people, heads tilted down, grimaces
in place, walking like they're late to a very important date.
And yet as I shuffled forward, I walked with purpose,
certain of my own hustle, certain that, like the waves
of moving feet around me, I'm going somewhere important. Even
(02:10):
though these times feel tense and nerve wracking, this too
shall fade. The question is who will you be when
revival comes? I suggest you should be out walking, walking
(02:30):
to your own tune, strolling between Memory Lane and Adventure Street.
We can't let depression and deadlines keep us trapped on
a treadmill to nowhere. We need to be out moving,
seeing the sights, meeting the moment. Head on downtown New
(02:51):
York Times Square. It's still vibrant, still electric with people,
places and possibilities. One of the places I wandered off
to was Broadway. A scraped up pennies and last minute
dikets to take in a Broadway show, my daughter and
(03:12):
I caught Gypsy. Gypsy is the Revival Is. It's based
on the memoirs of a burless star named Gypsy rose Lee.
Originally adapted by author Lawrence, with music by Jules Stein
and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show first hit Broadway
(03:36):
in nineteen fifty nine. Gypsy follows the struggles of a
showbiz mother named Rose and her two daughters, the sweet,
spotlighted June and the awkward Louise. Rose devotes her life
to making them stars in a vaudeville world that's fading fast.
(03:59):
Rose is the ultimate dreamer, the pushiest of mother's hell,
bent on creating success in a season that's disappearing as
quickly as a stripper's costume. Gypsy, the cast, the costumes,
and especially Adre MacDonald blew us away six time Tony
(04:24):
Award winner, now the most nominated performer in theater history.
Odre stepped into the iconic shoes of Mama Rose, a
role made legendary by ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury Patty Lappone,
and she did it with poise, passion, and a voice
(04:44):
that reached the heavens. For the first time, Rose and
Our Daughters are being played by black women, and it
feels right, After all, I grew up with a Mama
Rose of my own South, with big dreams and high expectations.
She had color, attitude, ambition, and love. All of that,
(05:09):
just minus the Gypsy Rose stripping thing. And in the
legendary majestic theater. We took in my daughter and I.
We took in the chandeliers, the molding, the velvet, jerypery.
The lights dimmed, the orchestra began, and we were swept
(05:33):
away into songs. We half remembered dances, We extinctively tapped
to that wonder that fills you when you let the
noise fall away and just become part of the show.
This was my daughter's first show, and she loved every
(05:54):
minute of it, and sadly, if one doesn't count off
Broadway shows and church basement productions, this viewing was my
first too. I loved it, but it's bittersweet to think
of the moments I missed because I chose a different,
probably work related path, and yet I refuse to beat
(06:19):
myself up on the shoota woodacudahs that befall us in life.
I went with my daughter, now that's what matters. And
as we left, we hum together. Wherever we go, wherever
(06:40):
we go, whatever we do, We're gonna go through it together.
We may not go far, but sure as a star,
wherever we are, we're stronger together. I tweaked the lyrics.
What can I say but I'm a writer. Everything's coming
(07:02):
up roses. I had a dream, a wonderful dream about you,
and it's going to come true. They think that we're through,
but nothing's going to stop us Till we're through. Everything's
coming up roses for me and for you. And now,
(07:24):
as I sit on this plane writing to you my
weekly essay, I hope I've passed on something else too.
That it's ok to take a walk, That it's ok
to step away from duty, from deadlines, from stress, even
just for a few minutes. That rest and joy are
(07:48):
worth chasing just as hard as success. That it's okay
to fail as long as we keep dreaming. My hope
is that we all learn to capture that feeling, that
joy of being lost in the moment of humming, of
strumming our fingers to the rhythm of wonder, of letting
(08:13):
the songs in our soul rise again when we take
care of ourselves, even it's just a little walk. Books
that can help you disconnect and meaningful ways are Foss
by Sam Watson. It's a sweeping biography of Bob Voss
(08:40):
that explores the grind, passion, and price of perfection in
the performing arts. The women Who Raise Me by Victoria
Raoul is a memoir of an actress raised by foster mothers.
It explores non traditional matter love, ambition, and support. The
(09:04):
next two are books that I have recommended in the past,
but I don't think I could ever recommend them enough.
All About Love by Belle Hooks. This book is about love,
love for yourselves, for your children, for your lives. This
book is an emotional underpinning to a loving journey. Rest
(09:27):
Is Resistance a manifesto by Tricia Hersey. This talks about
rest as a form of liberation, especially for black women.
And lastly, I encourage you to listen to the album
Sing Happy by Audre McDonald and the New York Philharmonic.
(09:51):
Show notes include a list of books mentioned in this broadcast.
This week, I'm highlighting Bookmarks North Carolina, their website, and
of course bookshop dot org. You can find my notes
on substack or on my website Vanessailly dot com under
the podcast link in the about tab. Let's keep resting
(10:16):
and rising together. Please like this podcast, subscribe to stay
connected to write a passage thank you for listening. Hopefully
you'll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
Welcome to the Rite of Passage with Vanessa Riley, the
podcast where storytelling meets passion in every page turns into
a new adventure. I'm your host, Vanessa Riley, and together
we'll dive deep into untold histories, reflect on current events
through a historical lands, share behind the scenes writing insights,
(00:29):
and explore the ups and downs of the author's journey
from rich historical novels to unforgettable characters to pop culture's
intrusion on the written word. Hey, we're going to explore
it all. So grab your pen, your notebook, and let's
begin our journey through the written word. Let's start your
(00:54):
Right of passage. It's hard to disconnect being in the moment.
To step away from my desk from writing usually takes intention,
an obligation, and appointment and event. But this weekend, instead
(01:18):
of rushing back to my hotel room to work, I
took a walk in the city that never sleeps. New
York City is magic. The lights and screens can mesmerize
for hours. The hustlers are everywhere, each chasing their own
dream with a specific kind of determination. I melted into
(01:44):
the crowd, a sea of people, heads tilted down, grimaces
in place, walking like they're late to a very important date.
And yet as I shuffled forward, I walked with purpose,
certain of my own hustle, certain that, like the waves
of moving feet around me, I'm going somewhere important. Even
(02:10):
though these times feel tense and nerve wracking, this too
shall fade. The question is who will you be when
revival comes? I suggest you should be out walking, walking
(02:30):
to your own tune, strolling between Memory Lane and Adventure Street.
We can't let depression and deadlines keep us trapped on
a treadmill to nowhere. We need to be out moving,
seeing the sights, meeting the moment. Head on downtown New
(02:51):
York Times Square. It's still vibrant, still electric with people,
places and possibilities. One of the places I wandered off
to was Broadway. A scraped up pennies and last minute
dikets to take in a Broadway show, my daughter and
(03:12):
I caught Gypsy. Gypsy is the Revival Is. It's based
on the memoirs of a burless star named Gypsy rose Lee.
Originally adapted by author Lawrence, with music by Jules Stein
and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The show first hit Broadway
(03:36):
in nineteen fifty nine. Gypsy follows the struggles of a
showbiz mother named Rose and her two daughters, the sweet,
spotlighted June and the awkward Louise. Rose devotes her life
to making them stars in a vaudeville world that's fading fast.
(03:59):
Rose is the ultimate dreamer, the pushiest of mother's hell,
bent on creating success in a season that's disappearing as
quickly as a stripper's costume. Gypsy, the cast, the costumes,
and especially Adre MacDonald blew us away six time Tony
(04:24):
Award winner, now the most nominated performer in theater history.
Odre stepped into the iconic shoes of Mama Rose, a
role made legendary by ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury Patty Lappone,
and she did it with poise, passion, and a voice
(04:44):
that reached the heavens. For the first time, Rose and
Our Daughters are being played by black women, and it
feels right, After all, I grew up with a Mama
Rose of my own South, with big dreams and high expectations.
She had color, attitude, ambition, and love. All of that,
(05:09):
just minus the Gypsy Rose stripping thing. And in the
legendary majestic theater. We took in my daughter and I.
We took in the chandeliers, the molding, the velvet, jerypery.
The lights dimmed, the orchestra began, and we were swept
(05:33):
away into songs. We half remembered dances, We extinctively tapped
to that wonder that fills you when you let the
noise fall away and just become part of the show.
This was my daughter's first show, and she loved every
(05:54):
minute of it, and sadly, if one doesn't count off
Broadway shows and church basement productions, this viewing was my
first too. I loved it, but it's bittersweet to think
of the moments I missed because I chose a different,
probably work related path, and yet I refuse to beat
(06:19):
myself up on the shoota woodacudahs that befall us in life.
I went with my daughter, now that's what matters. And
as we left, we hum together. Wherever we go, wherever
(06:40):
we go, whatever we do, We're gonna go through it together.
We may not go far, but sure as a star,
wherever we are, we're stronger together. I tweaked the lyrics.
What can I say but I'm a writer. Everything's coming
(07:02):
up roses. I had a dream, a wonderful dream about you,
and it's going to come true. They think that we're through,
but nothing's going to stop us Till we're through. Everything's
coming up roses for me and for you. And now,
(07:24):
as I sit on this plane writing to you my
weekly essay, I hope I've passed on something else too.
That it's ok to take a walk, That it's ok
to step away from duty, from deadlines, from stress, even
just for a few minutes. That rest and joy are
(07:48):
worth chasing just as hard as success. That it's okay
to fail as long as we keep dreaming. My hope
is that we all learn to capture that feeling, that
joy of being lost in the moment of humming, of
strumming our fingers to the rhythm of wonder, of letting
(08:13):
the songs in our soul rise again when we take
care of ourselves, even it's just a little walk. Books
that can help you disconnect and meaningful ways are Foss
by Sam Watson. It's a sweeping biography of Bob Voss
(08:40):
that explores the grind, passion, and price of perfection in
the performing arts. The women Who Raise Me by Victoria
Raoul is a memoir of an actress raised by foster mothers.
It explores non traditional matter love, ambition, and support. The
(09:04):
next two are books that I have recommended in the past,
but I don't think I could ever recommend them enough.
All About Love by Belle Hooks. This book is about love,
love for yourselves, for your children, for your lives. This
book is an emotional underpinning to a loving journey. Rest
(09:27):
Is Resistance a manifesto by Tricia Hersey. This talks about
rest as a form of liberation, especially for black women.
And lastly, I encourage you to listen to the album
Sing Happy by Audre McDonald and the New York Philharmonic.
(09:51):
Show notes include a list of books mentioned in this broadcast.
This week, I'm highlighting Bookmarks North Carolina, their website, and
of course bookshop dot org. You can find my notes
on substack or on my website Vanessailly dot com under
the podcast link in the about tab. Let's keep resting
(10:16):
and rising together. Please like this podcast, subscribe to stay
connected to write a passage thank you for listening. Hopefully
you'll come again. This is Vanessa Riley
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