Read my lipstick: I'm a New York Fashion Week model.
"Glee" actress Ali Stroker,
who is 28 and uses a wheelchair, sent that message at designer Rachel
Antonoff's presentation on Thursday night at the Grace Building.
Stroker, who wore a blouse with multicolor lipstick patterns and mauve corduroys in the show, told the Daily News it was "a great opportunity and a special experience."
It was also a musical reunion for the two high-achieving women who grew up as neighbors in New Jersey.
A 12-year-old Antonoff turned a 7-year-old Stroker onto musicals by
casting her in the lead role in a backyard production of "Annie."
"She introduced me to musical theater," said Stroker, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash as a 2-year-old.
Stroker has recalled that "after that summer my life opened up. I looked for opportunities to perform."
The Fashion Week gig came looking for her. Antonoff invited her pal to lead her show.
Antonoff's NYFW presentation, which also featured young dancers, was
built around the "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying" song
"A Secretary is not a Toy."
"Really fun. Not a runway show," said Stroker, "but like being on stage."
And that's a place the appealing young actress isn't just at home but a
ground-breaker. She recently wrapped a Broadway revival of "Spring
Awakening" that featured hearing and deaf actors. She's the first actor
who uses a wheelchair to appear on the Great White Way.
Stroker told the Daily News
that she is "really proud" to be part of a Broadway season marked by
diverse and inclusive casts in shows like "Hamilton" and "Allegiance"
and the upcoming "Shuffle Along."
Up next for Stroker is a TED Talk on March 8 in New Jersey. If Stroker needs something to wear, she's got connections.
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