Dan On Broadway: August 2026

Monday, August 24, 2026

A Moment Unlike Any Other, Anywhere . . .

There's nothing quite like the moment just before the curtain goes up on a Broadway show -- a real Broadway show, on Broadway.

I usually arrive early and get to my seat so that I can savor it all.

As I sit there (typically in the second or third row of the mezzanine) I like to simply absorb the whole atmosphere of a legendary Broadway house -- gazing above and around, taking in the audience, the architecture and the grandeur of it all.

And as I'm doing this, I'm also thinking of the times I've been in that theater before, the shows I've seen there and the luminaries who have have captivated audiences in this storied house. And as it all starts to come back to me, I'm so grateful that I get to do this once again -- that I'm alive and experiencing something I truly love.

So, remembrance and anticipation merge -- like "parallel lines that meet" as Sondheim wrote. And then, the curtain rises!

Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog and Dan On Broadway, is one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field and a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals.

He's also indulged a lifelong passion for New York, Broadway, the theatre and the musical stage.

Over a period of more than five decades he's seen more than 240 Broadway shows and has witnessed some of the greatest performances by Broadway's legendary stars including Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Bernadette Peters, Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, Angela Lansbury, Raoul Julia, Kelli O'Hara, Lena Horne, Julie Andrews, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Julie Harris, Carol Channing, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Patti Lupone, James Earl Jones, Tommy Tune, Elaine Stritch, Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Bette Midler and many, many others.

For many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates. Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.

A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He currently serves as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington.

He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2003. He received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. The Award is the Section's highest honor. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.

Cirucci's other passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, movies, dining and travel.