A Role On Broadway

In the movie Shakespeare in Love, the producers are always threatening the hapless director, demanding to know when the show will be ready to open. The director consistently replies, "I don't know. It's the theater, it's a mystery." When Fanny Mandelberger ('83) started to practice massage, she landed an exciting role as a backstage therapist, though how it happened was as serendipitous as a Shakespearean production.

Fanny had a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from NYU when she enrolled in the Swedish Institute's Massage Therapy Program. "I was always interested in rehab," she said, "but I was eager to get as much hands-on experience as I could. I had a desire to help people physically, but also wanted to facilitate some awakening within them, and massage therapy just seemed like a way to do it." In her first job she provided massage at a hotel in the city. One of her clients was working in Cats. When MTV did a video of the show, the producers wanted an on-site therapist because of the intensive shooting schedule, and Fanny, recommended by her client, was called in. She ended up working with Cats for 18 years.

Becoming part of the Broadway contract

Soon after Cats began its marathon run, producers noticed that the cast was subject to more injuries than in the average musical. "The choreography was hard on the human body, because the actors were simulating felines," said Fanny. "Even though they wore knee pads, all of the crawling they did caused swelling, which led to strains and injuries. Massage was especially beneficial for them, because of how it increases circulation and keeps muscles balanced and energized. Massage also promotes physical and psychological well being, combats fatigue and increases stamina." Producers soon budgeted in three massage therapists, of which she was one, to whom the cast could go to whenever they had an ache. Fanny named her business Massage On Broadway, working individually with performers, as well as for production companies that included Starlight Express, Miss Saigon and Riverdance. 

Fanny was one of the first massage therapists to set up a contract for weekly sessions with a Broadway company. Fanny pointed out that, "Today, it's common for the principles of a show to factor therapeutic care into their contracts, with physical therapy and massage at the top of the list. But that wasn't always true. In the 1980's there was a core group of therapists who made production companies realize how valuable massage could be, not only in terms of injury prevention, but also cast longevity."

The next acts 

In 1996, Fanny relocated to Florida and renamed her practice Massage Off Broadway. Her practice included traveling performers who found her through a New York agent, as well as a few days a week at  Shin, a Miami wellness center. Fanny's work evolved along with her, as she incorporated what she was learning in different modalities such as yoga and Tibetan meditation. "Today my practice is eclectic," she says, "that's what's so wonderful about this work, it transforms as I transform.

"My transformation began at the Swedish Institute," she says. "I already knew about the body systems and how to manipulate muscles, but here I learned about the energetic component of the body, and how an individual plays a part in illness and wellness. When I started out, I was focused on the mechanical, but 25 years later, I feel that energy is the essence and the physical is only a manifestation of what's out of balance." Her personal and professional experience have helped her realize her mission of helping people awaken to their inherent wisdom. "Now, when I go into a session, I don't think about what I'm going to do, but help clients quiet down so they can listen to what their own body wants to communicate to them." 

Playing a part in wellness; a role that Fanny Mandelberger has taken for her life's work. She's in the process of moving to the Washington, D.C. area where she trusts her own sense of direction will lead her to the next mystery waiting to be revealed.

Fanny Mandelberger can be reached at massageoffbroadway@gmail.com  and 786.942.2260.

License Information >