T-shirts help identify fellow theater-lovers

I don't see them very often.

I'm talking about T-shirts of Broadway musicals.

Oh, the more popular counterparts — T-shirts of any other variety — are so common I don't even take notice.

But the Broadway T-shirt is different.

How fun to be at the gym on the treadmill and see a man walk by wearing an "Aida" shirt. Without thinking, I find myself staring at him wondering, "Did buy that for himself?" "Does he love the show?" "Why is he working out in it?"

I've decided I'm going to strike up a conversation with folks I see in Broadway T-shirts. We clearly have something in common, and who knows what I could learn from my fellow theater-lovers.

It's neat to find out if they saw the show in New York City, if that's their favorite show, maybe they collect them, perhaps it was a gift.

For instance, I recently saw a man wearing a "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" T-shirt — at Famous Dave's of all places. "Hedwig" is very edgy and a little obscure. Certainly that warrants wiping the BBQ sauce off my fingers long enough to say "Hey, you like Hedwig?"

I encourage you to do the same.

On to Broadway:

• "Wicked" — For all you "Wicked" fans, composer Stephen Schwartz didn't win the Tony for the hit musical, but on Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m., Schwartz will be honored with the 2,359th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The cast of "Wicked" will be on hand to sing a song. Schwartz, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards and won three, also penned "Pippin," "Godspell" and Disney's "Pocahontas."

• "Legally Blonde" — A couple of things are going on with the peppy musical adaptation of the hit movie. The national tour dates have been announced. So far, the closest it'll be to Salt Lake City is Costa Mesa, Calif., but more cities will be announced. MTV is teaming up with the musical again, this time to find the next Elle Woods. Yes, another reality show. I'm torn. Back in October, MTV aired "Legally Blonde" in its entirety and it reached 12.5 million viewers. Impressive indeed. But reality shows to cast our Broadway leads? Ugh!

• Road Trip! — I've got two great reasons for your next weekend getaway.

The first is a mere six or so hours away (depending on the weight of your foot). Las Vegas just opened a production of the Tony Award-winning "Jersey Boys." This is a great show and worth the drive.