Sharon Wheatley - Til The Fat Girl Sings: From an Overweight Nobody to a Broadway Somebody-A Memoir

'til the
fat girls
sings

From an
Overweight Nobody to
a Broadway Somebody
A Memoir

Sharon Wheatley

Adams Media
Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2006, Sharon Wheatley.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by
Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN: 1-59337-543-3

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wheatley, Sharon.
'Til the fat girl sings / Sharon Wheatley.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-59337-543-3
1. Wheatley, Sharon. 2. Overweight women-United States-Biography. 3.
Overweight childrenUnited StatesBiography. 4. Women singers-United
States-Biography. I. Title.

RC628.W45 2006
362.1'963980092
[B 2

2006005005

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

The following story is true. However, some names, places, and dates have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

Part opener photo www.istockphoto.com.

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contents

For Rob and Charlotte.
Your love is magical.

The opera ain't over till the fat lady sings.

Daniel John Cook

overweight

adj. Weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed.

underestimated

v. An estimate that is, or proves to be, too low.

acknowledgments

Oh my. Wow. This is so exciting! Please, everyone, take your seats. There are so many people who have supported me along the way, and I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge them.

I'd like to start by thanking my parents. You have been such great sports throughout this entire process and I really appreciate your love and support. I hope I made you proud, and I hope you know how much I love you both. Many thanks to my sister, Susan, who has been a fantastic aide as I wrote this book, and who has always seen my potential no matter what I weighed. Thanks to my partner in crime, my brother, Buzz, and all of my extended family, including Tony, Maryday, and all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

Thanks to everyone at Adams Media, especially my spectacular editors, Danielle Chiotti and Paula Munier. This book was totally Danielle's idea, and I'd like for her to stand up and take a quick bow. Paula gave the book the polish it needed; I am very grateful for your clear organizing principles. Thanks to Frank Rivera and Karen Cooper for the inspired cover design, and Laura Daly for overseeing the entire process.

Thanks to my agents June Clark and Peter Rubie, and especially Melody Rubie who discovered me in our Phantom of the Opera dressing room.

I'd like to acknowledge several of my teachers who made such a positive impact on my life, including Judith A. Brown, Carol Dettenwanger, Cathy Ogden, William Perry, Kathy Wade, Catherine Schellhous, Michelle Mascari, Cathy Creason, Kim Iscman, Don Stringfield, Shirley Speaks, Barbara Honn, Terry Labolt, and Aubrey Berg. Thanks for supporting me and thanks for passing me through school. Sorry I didn't study more, but I hope I made you laugh. I know I didn't always make your jobs easy. Thanks to my acting teacher Joan Rosenfels, who encouraged me to write down my stories.

Thanks to all my great friends along the way: Allen (Karpe) Kendall, Missy Trautmann, Meredith Potter, Mimi and Kip Pritchett, Carloyn Kraft, Lauren Russ, Nina Naberhaus, Peggy Merrick, Kim Altenau, Andy Thaman, Todd Gessner, Tony Perrazzo, Hylan Scott, Jon Carver, Matt Farnsworth, Eileen Tepper, Traci Lyn Thomas, Michael and Sarah Uriarte Berry, Lucy Vance, Liz McCartney, Chris and Catherine Peterson, Debbie Himmler, Kathryn Schwarz, Emma Atherton, Jacob Brent, Susan Owen, Linda Balgord, Jane Orans, Amy Rogers, James Hadley, Lisa Queen, and Amy and Vince Luce DeGeorge. My life has been better because of all of you. Thank you.

To my generous, kind, and loving mother- and father-in-law. Thank you for taking care of Charlotte and supporting me in ways I couldn't even imagine. I love being a member of your (big) family.

Thank you to every producer, director, and general manager who ever gave me a job. Special thanks to Cameron Mackintosh, who unknowingly paid every bill in my household for a ten-year stretch of employment. Also thanks to Kristen Blodgette, Robert Nolan, Richard Jay-Alexander, Peter Von Mayrhauser, Craig Jacobs, Richard Stafford, Vinnie Liff, Geoffrey Johnson, Andy Zerman, my agent Craig Holzberg, and my most recent family at Avenue Q including Jason Moore, Kevin McCullom, Evan Ensign, Jen Bender, David Benoit, Jeff Whitty, Bobby Lopez, Jeff Marx, and the entire cast and crew at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.

A big thank-you to Marg Hainer for your endless support and long hours. I hope you know how much you've helped me.

Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank my husband, Rob, and my daughter, Charlotte. You have suffered through months and months of me digging through every emotional skeleton in my closet, and it has been tough on all of us. Thank you for understanding why this is important, and thank you for giving me the space to succeed. Many years ago when I wished on a star to have a wonderful adult life, I could not have ever imagined being blessed with anything as wonderful as the two of you. I love you both so much. Thank you, everyone, for this fantastic honor. I'll meet you all at the party!

overture

I just couldn't write anything without hope in it.

Oscar Hammerstein II

Sharon, I have an audition for you.

My agent, Penny, talked at lightning speed, and I knew from past experience that she would not slow down or repeat the information. I looked around frantically and grabbed the nearest writing supplies: a purple crayon and a Cinderella coloring book.

Calls from Penny were few and far between after I got pregnant. That didn't surprise me then, but now, a year after I'd had Charlotte, I was still having trouble getting auditions. There are thousands of actors in New York City, and getting auditions is always toughbut I'd heard through the grapevine that most producers didn't believe I'd accept work, assuming that I'd prefer to stay home with the baby. I'd planned on being a working mom, and I hate it when people make assumptions, so I made a point of pride to go to every audition I was offered, no matter what it was.

What's it for? I asked, crayon poised.

The Broadway production of Cats. Jennyanydots, the Gumbie Cat.

Mmm-hmm. I wrote Cats Broadway Jennysomething next to Cinderella's pumpkin. I knew very little about Cats except that it was a dance show that had been running on Broadway forever. As primarily a singing actor, I never thought I'd get an audition for it, so I'd never paid it any mind. But any Broadway audition is a good thing, and I was desperate for a steady job.