No business I know, anyway.

Growing up with a couple of parents from New York, my family always had an affinity for stage-based entertainment. Not just plays and musicals, but stand-up and sketch shows like Saturday Night Live. I got most of my initial understanding of the entertainment industry from watching SNL with my family every weekend. Even when we went to visit relatives or on vacation, every Saturday we’d all cram together to watch that show on a tiny tube TV.

It genuinely warms my heart that the entertainment industry hasn’t forgotten about the stage. I may not have seen as many Broadway shows growing up as those who would consider themselves buffs, but of the few shows I have seen, each one was a truly magical experience. As much as I love planting my butt in front of the TV for weekly broadcasts, there’s a very particular kind of wonder you can only get from a live stage. Hearing the actors voices echo through the theater, getting swept up in the crowd’s laughter and applause, and putting your imagination to work to bring those props and backdrops to life.

Actors also seem to remain of a high caliber no matter how many years go by. Acting is one of those professions that seems really easy at a glance, but then you try to get up there and do it yourself, and you turn into a wind-up toy. I respect people who can expertly do things that I cannot, and actors of all varieties will always have my utmost admiration, though I give some special consideration to puppeteers and full-suit actors. It’s hard enough to act when people can see your face. Conveying emotions with nothing but subtle body language is a whole ‘nother ball game.

Yessir, there really is no business like show business. Times change, technology evolves, but the stage will always be there to whisk us away to another time and place.