The Magical Mice of Broadway

Description

In March of 2020, Covid-19 reared its ugly head and shut down Broadway for more than a year. Overwhelmed and depressed by seeing my favorite pastime (as well as my livelihood) grind to a halt, I spent months in a daze. Imagining all of those empty theatres and the myriad talented people sidelined by this pandemic, the absence of Broadway in our world landed me in a funk. During this time, I happened upon an online article about how New York City theatres, in the wake of the stilled human traffic, were experiencing an uptick of mice in many of the venues. (When the people are away, the mice will play, so to speak). This article prompted me to imagine a Broadway that was never forced to shutter, but was instead overtaken by a band of magical thespian mice who kept theatre alive while the people were indeed away. The result was The Magical Mice of Broadway, my catharsis for getting through Broadway's pandemic hiatus. I partnered with my old high school friend and artist Sandra K. Simpson who set to bringing my story to life with visual splendor and quirky humor. We both hope that this book will speak to the child in us all and serve as an inspiration for always keeping theatre's flame burning.

MARK A. ROBINSON (Author) is the author of the two-volume reference series The World of Musicals; Sitcommentary: Television Comedies that Changed America; The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs; The Disney Song Encyclopedia; and Musical Misfires: Three Decades of Broadway Musical Heartbreak (the last two with Thomas S. Hischak). He is a graduate of the State University of New York in Cortland with a degree in speech/theatre. He has taught high school theatre and writing and regularly directs youth and professional theatre productions. A long-time resident of upstate New York, he has been honored by the New York State Legislature for his work bringing arts education to underprivileged youth in economically depressed areas. A featured writer for several theatre websites, including BroadwayDirect.com, ShowTickets.com, and playbill.com, as well as writing pieces for The Library of Congress, Lincoln Center, Sorbet Magazine, and Broadway Records, he has spent the last twenty years researching and writing about theatre, film, and television. Robinson is also a travel and tourism writer for a variety of e-commerce platforms. Blog: markrobinsonwrites.com.SANDRA (BROWN) SIMPSON (Illustrator) was born and raised in Central New York. She received her art degree in Commercial Illustration and became a Freeland Artist. Not only has she spent the last two decades teaching others to paint and craft, Sandra has also been commissioned to design and create murals, logos, personalized glasses/gifts and private tattoo designs. In her free time Sandra enjoys face painting at children's parties and events locally. Sandra's husband, Ian, and daughter, Alexis, are very supportive of her artistic career. Sandra and her family enjoy doing crafts, listening to music and dancing in their living room, especially while they were in quarantine. Sandra and her daughter enjoy hunting and creating Kindness Rocks.