The journey of a Broadway career begins with a single step. Or rather, a single Playbill. To celebrate Playbill’s 140th anniversary, we asked some of Broadway’s best and brightest to reflect on the first time they appeared in a Playbill, and what that milestone meant to them.

And we've saved the most exciting name for last. Because for our birthday, former Secretary of State, and Suffs co-producer, Hillary Clinton, sent us a very special message. "Happy birthday Playbill!" she said. "Last season, I had the great privilege of making my Broadway debut not as a singer, but as a co-producer of the Tony Award–winning musical Suffs. I've seen my name in print a lot over the years. But I have to admit, it was still a thrill to see my name, in an absolutely extraordinary moment, in a Playbill for the first time." 

To view more of Clinton's remarks, as well as recollections from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Orfeh singing "Happy birthday" to us, click on the video above.

And for the entire month of October, don't forget to see a show at a Broadway theatre to pick up a special Legacy Playbill. Playbill has partnered with every production on Broadway (and Off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors) to create four special retro-inspired Playbill covers, which are being distributed to audiences free of charge. Click here to see all of the available Legacy covers. We hope the special four-part nature of these covers encourages you to go to the theatre to get one, strike up a conversation with a stranger to trade covers, and take the time to thank the ushers who hand them out. If you want to get all the designs of a particular show, visit PlaybillStore.com to purchase a poster of a show's collection, with proceeds going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.