Road to “Chicago” – Lost and Found

My road to Chicago is at an end, and it has been a fabulous ride! I have gotten more out of this than I can possibly explain in words, but I will do my best. This road actually started 10 years ago. The day I became a Mother was of course the best day of my life. But there was a massive change in my actual being. As an actor, we are by nature selfish, we have to be. We ARE the product we are selling, which is why we bore you to death with our resume or how fabulous we were in our last job. It’s the equivalent of you talking Insurance, Computers or what ever vocation you have chosen. But once you bring a child into this world, life ceases being about you. Everything, from a burp to a smile becomes about your baby, and rightfully so. It was a change I was happy to make. Because the whole time I’m thinking in the back of my head that of course I’ll go back to performing. I just have to wait till the baby is a little older. And then they’re 3 and a second one comes along and again, I’m happy to wait. The shift happens gradually. You exchange your 3’ heels for flip flops. You go from ‘full beat’ makeup, to being happy if you put on chapstick. You go from dressing to the Nines, to….. well, just dressing. You exchange late nights and ‘show folks’ for suburbia and really nice ‘normal’ people. Juliet Fischer was slowly packed away, and Juliet Schulein aka, Jackson and Cole’s mom became my identity. And I like her, I do! But it was like trying to fit in to a world of Penguins when your really a Peacock. I did my best to tone down and keep my feathers hidden. I didn’t always succeed, but I did pretty good. And then one day you look up and 10 years has gone by. The ‘comeback’ didn’t come.

Enter crazy, good friends here. Peacocks in hiding like me, who found me by taking my dance class! We supported and encouraged each other, and the next thing I know, I’m at an audition for Chicago! Unfortunately the story doesn’t end here, because I tank at the audition. Let’s be honest, it’s been a few years, so I’m not sure what I was thinking was going to happen. What did happen was I couldn’t sing it. I tried so hard, but I cracked every time I went to hit the high note. It was at that moment that I saw how much I had given up and how far I had fallen. While my family is the best thing that has ever happened to me, I had let my other love go. I cried for days. It was like I was grieving the death of the old me. But slowly, I realized she wasn’t gone, just packed away somewhere. So I pulled her out, dusted her off and got to singing. Everyday. For Months. I closed up all the windows in the house so the neighbors wouldn’t kill me, and sang my face off. Then, 2 months later, I saw another audition for Chicago. Same director and choreographer. (Ron Kellum and Randy Slovacek) All I had to do was sing for the Artistic Director. (!) Well I’m happy to tell you, I marched in and sang the shit out of that song! I have never been more happy about an audition in my life. It was the resurrection of Juliet! I didn’t even care if I got the job at that point. (but I did!) Doing the show again has been one of the highlights of my career. For so many reasons: the cast and crew were amazing, and my costume rocked and I actually looked good in it! And I got to be with “My People” again!! A room full of fabulous Peacocks! One more beautiful than the next!! But mostly, because I never thought I’d be here again. So thank you for following me on this awesome, awesome journey. Juliet Fischer is alive and well. But from now on, my ‘stage’ name will be Juliet Fischer-Schulein because we both deserve the recognition.