---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a few years, there were three shows…"
description: "\"For a few years, there were three shows running on Broadway that I had all opened: 'Chicago,' 'Wicked' and 'Anything Goes.'\" — Joel Grey"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg"
---

#  For a few years, there were three shows running on…

![“For a few years, there were three shows running on Broadway that I had all opened: 'Chicago,' 'Wicked' and 'Anything Goes.'” quote by Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg)

> “For a few years, there were three shows running on Broadway that I had all opened: 'Chicago,' 'Wicked' and 'Anything Goes.'”

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Balancing multiple leading roles on Broadway requires stamina and adaptability.

**In simple terms:** Managing several shows demands energy and flexibility.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize rest and time management when juggling projects.

Themes

theatre career multitasking

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice experience

When to use this quote

- Broadway schedule
- touring
- rehearsal planning
- career development

Key Concepts

Performance stamina role preparation

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies keep you energized across shows?
- How do you maintain character consistency?

A Different Perspective

Overcommitting can lead to burnout and reduced performance quality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Broadway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broadway/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/)

## Related quotes

> [“In January 2006, Phantom of The Opera broke the record for the longest-running show in Broadway history, overtaking Cats and reminding us what real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-brockes/in-january-2006-phantom-of-the-opera-broke-the-record-for-the-longest/)

[Emma Brockes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-brockes/)

> [Like when that man was running down Broadway stark naked and we all had to eat in the cafeteria while the police tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-stead/like-when-that-man-was-running-down-broadway-stark-naked-and-we-all/)

[Rebecca Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-stead/)

> [Usually in my own shows I'm running around like crazy, climbing on things, jumping on people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peaches/usually-in-my-own-shows-i-m-running-around-like-crazy-climbing-on/)

[Peaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peaches/)

> [Earlier, we had shows like 'Hasratein' and 'Shanti,' which had great storylines and mature content. Now, with a hundred shows running five to seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himani-shivpuri/earlier-we-had-shows-like-hasratein-and-shanti-which-had-great/)

[Himani Shivpuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himani-shivpuri/)

> [Frankly, many Fox shows are running away from the news rather than reporting on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stelter/frankly-many-fox-shows-are-running-away-from-the-news-rather-than/)

[Brian Stelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stelter/)

> [I never thought my life's path would take me to Broadway, but when I heard they were creating a musical based on one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-never-thought-my-life-s-path-would-take-me-to-broadway-but-when-i/)

[Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/)

> [When I was little, I saw the play 'Les Miserables' on Broadway, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/when-i-was-little-i-saw-the-play-les-miserables-on-broadway-i-thought/)

[Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/)

> [All of a sudden, I was a young kid in my early 20s, and I had a couple of Broadway shows to my credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tenney/all-of-a-sudden-i-was-a-young-kid-in-my-early-20s-and-i-had-a-couple/)

[Jon Tenney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tenney/)

> [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/)

[David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/)

> [That's why I had to leave Hair on Broadway, because I did it for about a year, and one night I was doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcguire/that-s-why-i-had-to-leave-hair-on-broadway-because-i-did-it-for-about/)

[Barry McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcguire/)

> [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [I would love to go back to Broadway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-finneran/i-would-love-to-go-back-to-broadway/)

[Katie Finneran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-finneran/)

> [A lot of Broadway has that immigrant narrative of America as a place where you can become something else against all odds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-kass/a-lot-of-broadway-has-that-immigrant-narrative-of-america-as-a-place/)

[Deborah Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-kass/)

> [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

## More by Joel Grey

> [I'm crazy about surprises. I love chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-m-crazy-about-surprises-i-love-chance/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [I saw Lee J. Cobb in 'Death of a Salesman' when I was about 15, and I couldn't get up from my seat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-saw-lee-j-cobb-in-death-of-a-salesman-when-i-was-about-15-and-i/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [The fundamental job of the actor is to tell about the human condition, to be a voice for the truest ideas and deepest emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/the-fundamental-job-of-the-actor-is-to-tell-about-the-human-condition/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [My daughter, Jennifer Grey, was in 'Dirty Dancing,' which was shot in the Catskill Mountains, where the great old Jewish entertainers used to appear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-daughter-jennifer-grey-was-in-dirty-dancing-which-was-shot-in-the/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [I loved being in the theater. It was a place of enormous excitement and happiness and safety and respect and dignity. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-loved-being-in-the-theater-it-was-a-place-of-enormous-excitement/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [I'm very slow. I'm a slow learner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-m-very-slow-i-m-a-slow-learner/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [That's what people forget about, is that when things are very, very powerful in a sad way, they have that possibility of also being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/that-s-what-people-forget-about-is-that-when-things-are-very-very/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> ['Cabaret' was the most commercial success that I've been involved in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/cabaret-was-the-most-commercial-success-that-i-ve-been-involved-in/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [I don't want to do material that I don't like. I've always stuck to that policy. If that means being out of work for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-don-t-want-to-do-material-that-i-don-t-like-i-ve-always-stuck-to/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [My dad would take me downtown, and I'd stand backstage and watch him in the vaudeville pit band. I was 6 or 7. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-dad-would-take-me-downtown-and-i-d-stand-backstage-and-watch-him/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [If you don't tell the whole truth about yourself, life is a ridiculous exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/if-you-don-t-tell-the-whole-truth-about-yourself-life-is-a-ridiculous/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [Often, entertainment goes deeper, in terms of ideas, than the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/often-entertainment-goes-deeper-in-terms-of-ideas-than-the-newspapers/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [Larry Hagman and I are very old friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/larry-hagman-and-i-are-very-old-friends/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [My father was a musician and wanted me to study piano. I had no interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/my-father-was-a-musician-and-wanted-me-to-study-piano-i-had-no/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

> [You are either visual or you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/you-are-either-visual-or-you-re-not/)

[Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

[Explore all 90 Joel Grey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/)

## More Actor quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/)

[Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/)

[Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/)

[Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/)

[Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

[Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For a few years, there were three shows running on Broadway that I had all opened: 'Chicago,' 'Wicked' and 'Anything Goes.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joel Grey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-running-on-broadway-that-i-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Actor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-running-on-broadway-that-i-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/joel-grey-7578_actor_for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-r_3109115.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For a few years, there were three shows running on Broadway that I had all opened: 'Chicago,' 'Wicked' and…” — Joel Grey",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joel Grey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For a few years, there were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-running-on-broadway-that-i-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/for-a-few-years-there-were-three-shows-running-on-broadway-that-i-had/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
