Local Theater Fan Will Be Rubbing Elbows With The Stars At The Tony's
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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - The Tony Awards, which honor the best of the best on Broadway, will be given out Sunday night.
While most of us will watch the show when it airs on CBS, one Ft. Lauderdale theater lover will be in the audience.
Jessica Rodriguez, 34, won a national sweepstake for fans of "The Great White Way" and this weekend is on the dream trip of her life.
"I remember the first show I went to, I was probably eight or nine years old. My mom took me to see Annie and to this day, I sing those songs," Rodriguez told CBS4's Lisa Petrillo shortly before she left on her trip to the Big Apple.
Since then, Rodriguez has been a regular at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts as a member of a young professional group that supports the arts.
One week before giving birth last year to her baby girl, Rodriguez and her mother went to see Carol King's "Beautiful". Two months later, during a 2 a.m. feeding, she read about a Tony Award sweepstakes contest sponsored by Broadway Across America.
"It said enter for your chance to win a trip to the 2017 Tony Awards in New York City. It was everything that a new mom would like to do, so I went ahead and entered it and two months later I got the call that I had won this nationwide contest," said Rodriguez.
In addition to attending the awards show, Rodriquez and her husband will also get to see three Broadway shows including this year's big nominee "Come From Away" and the Tony Award-winning "Hamilton."
"It will be three days that I will soak it all up. Broadway Across America is rolling out the red carpet for this trip," she said. "I'm so excited, I still can't believe I won, when I tell people I'm going the to the Tony Awards, I still can't believe I won."
Her first step will be to get red carpet ready.
"I am trying Rent the Runway. They have a flagship store in New York City and I made a styling appointment. Hopefully, I will get styled in some beautiful designer couture dress that everyone watching CBS will be able to spot me in," said Rodriguez.
She added that she is excited to see all the stars of the shows, with a special nod to this year's host.
"Of course Kevin Spacey will be hosting so it will great to see him from afar. I don't think I'll be shaking hands with these people but you never know, you never know," she said with a laugh. "To see all the dresses, the celebrities and everything about it, not to mention the performances, the Tony Awards are going to be an experience of a lifetime."