Manna from "Wicked"

I hope they do something.

I hope I'm not being scammed.

Got the following e-mail from a reader in the Canadian Rockies about a week ago, and I spent the better part of the day trying to do something about it.

My name is James Holmes and live in the Canadian Rockies. I realize your
>probably not the exact person i should be contacting, But i thought you
>may know the right person to forward this too or i could email. I
>noticed your interview with Mr.Platt about the Production "Wicked".

>
>My girlfriends little sister (Kahlee) is a Dramatic arts student in
>Windsor, Ont canada. She attends Walkerville High. Kahlee is devoted to
>the dramatic arts and lives and breathes it. Kahlee also plays for a
>Boys baseball team. Last week while playing and running the bases, she
>took a ball to the temple. She has been in and out of the hospital since
>last week. She has formed a twitch on one side of her body, which they
>are saying is a form of (Epilepsy). The evening that it happened,
>she was released from the Hospital at 6am and was determined to attended a
>play she was going to be in that day. She did go and pulled it off.
>Myself i am a chef and em passionate about my art. So to see a girl at
>16 being that devoted is just amazing.
>
>The reason im trying to get a hold of the right person is that. Kahlee
>was supposed to travel from Windsor to Chicago to attended with her
>classmates. The Broadway show "Wicked". She has saved $600.00 of her own
>money and now can not attended, because she has to be at home for more
>testing etc etc.This deposit is none refundable and she will never see
>that money. She is devastated and is really upset that she can't go.
>She's very worried that this will effect the rest of her life as she has
>every right too. I am wondering if this email got to the right person.
>That maybe they could send her something as small as a poster to cheer
>her up.
>
>This is not a charity asking. Her family doesn't even know I'm doing this.
>There is no one benefiting from this except to cheer a girl up and take
>her mind off of what is going on in her life. I know if i was 16 and
>developed something like this, it would be driving me nuts. So I ’m hoping
>that maybe you could either get this email to the right person or let me
>know the right person to contact, that maybe would be able to get her a
>poster or something....

The author, one James Holmes, asked me to send his e-mail to someone who might be able to do something. I ended up contacting both "Wicked" composer Stephen Schwartz's assistant and the show's publicist, forwarding the e-mail twice. Both assured me that Kahlee would be getting something in the mail.

Schwartz was in L.A. last week, and could easily have signed a poster (or lobby card as they're sometimes called). at the Pantages to be shipped off to Kahlee. A poster would be a nice gesture. An even nicer gesture would be someone from the production assuring Kahlee that the next time she is in a city where "Wicked" is playing, that she would get an orchestra seat to make up for the time she didn't get to go with her class.

I told Mr Holmes to write me back when he or Kahlee heard of received anything. In my books, it's the mark of a mensch to reach out on behalf of a child like he did. I'm very much hoping his effort will be rewarded.