Imagine being seconds away from walking onto a stage for a performance – a performance ON BROADWAY – and being told you’ll be out of work in a couple of hours.
Not exactly a comforting thought before starring in the longest running show in Broadway history.
Eryn LeCroy was ready to play the lead role of Christine Daaé in Phantom of the Opera on March 12, 2020, when a crew member turned to her after getting a phone notification. Broadway – the entire industry in NYC – was shutting down at 5 p.m.
“Our curtain went down at 4:30 that day,” Eryn said. “So, I was like the first person with this piece of information coming on stage.”
The performers had heard talks about something called “Covid” but never imagined the breadth of its impact.
“I had the realization of, ‘Oh my gosh, I think this is my last show,’” Eryn recalled. In the middle of her performance, emotions started surfacing. She did her best to focus and give the audience a great show. Afterwards, she received glowing compliments on social media from unknowing audience members saying, “We could tell that you were giving it your all!”
“Which is true,” Eryn said with a laugh. “I was.”
After the show, the entire cast was told to collect everything from their dressing rooms. The theatre was about to be locked down for at least a month. Everyone was stunned. Broadway? Shut down for a month? In hindsight, 30 days wouldn’t have been that bad. “We kind of closed out Broadway for a year and a half,” she said.
After the pandemic hit New York, Eryn left town to figure out her future. She eventually decided to “do something different.” She came back to Oklahoma City, where she had studied at OCU before chasing her dream in the Big Apple. Broadway’s loss was St. Luke’s gain.
“I really believe God called me here for a little while, so I was just following his calling,” she said.
Eryn began singing in the choir on Sunday mornings. She recorded beautiful performances for the “Sounds of Christmas” special. It was her idea to bring four friends, all current Broadway performers (Tamar Greene, Meghan Picerno, John Riddle, and Dan Micciche), to sing at the church for “A Night on Broadway” in June. And this past Sunday, her pandemic life came full circle. Eryn became Christine Daaé once again, singing songs from Phantom of the Opera to kick off St. Luke’s on Broadway.
We don’t believe God caused Covid, but God was working during our trials to bring so much good to our world.
“I’ve really been astounded at the gifts that have come along the way, and how He has provided in the midst of a lot of uncertainty while I’ve been here,” Eryn said. “It’s been an awesome time of community.”
What an astounding gift Eryn LeCroy has given St. Luke’s as well.
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
