Page 165 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Chapter Twenty-Eight

the attention. Nothing serious ever happened between us but
neither of us could deny the attraction. It was a wonderful
four months.
After my stint with Summer Stock theatre, I had a big
decision to make. Should I take a position in the comedic
cast of the Second City Improvisational group or a 4-month
contract to perform in a six person show at Toronto’s “Imperial
Room” at the Royal York Hotel. I was torn. I excelled at the
Second City workshops and was flattered to be asked to join
their cast. After all, that’s where so many successful funny
folks got their start. John Candy, Gilda Radner, Catherine
O’Hara and Martin Short, to name a few. I adored comedy
improv, but my heart was longing to sing. The Imperial Room
was the most prestigious show room in the country. Big stars
like Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Tina Turner, Joan Rivers
and even Duke Ellington had graced the stage.
In the end, I chose the musical route. The original show
(called “We Got Love”) wasn’t exactly a hit but it paid well,
and I got four months of steady work in a beautiful venue.
Plus, I got to perform for Princess Margaret of the Royal
Family.
My next gig, in “Godspell”, led to another crush with
another cast member. Again, nothing serious developed but
I was really starting to question myself. Why was I attracted
to other men when I was married? I knew being in a close-
knit cast didn’t help; it was difficult on anybody’s partner who
didn’t understand the camaraderie we shared. Naturally this
caused more jealousies for Hudson. And with that jealousy
came many more hours of verbal assault. No wonder I was
looking for positive attention from the opposite sex!
But life went on and, after a few years in the business I
began to experience the very real frustration of the actor’s

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