Random People
Matt Cammelle - The Phantom of the Opera, London, 14 February 2000
Yes, I am one of those fangirls he got from the TAC. In 1995, he was extremely gorgeous and extremely talented. I judged all ensemble boys against the example he and David Bardsley set. He’s no longer so pretty, which is sad, but it was a real treat to see him as Raoul on my first trip to London. And he was very good. But really, looking back at this feels like looking back on my youth.
Jose Llana - The Ballad of Little Jo, 29 September 2000
I was a huge fan of Jose Llana ever since I saw him as Guillaume in Martin Guerre, and I had been lucky enough to interview him for the campus arts magazine prior to seeing The Ballad of Little Jo, which immediately became one of my favourite musicals. Jose is tremendously sweet, very intelligent, and I will always love him dearly.
Alan Rickman - Private Lives, London, 12 November 2001
Just getting the ticket was very exciting. Front row to see Alan Rickman. To the end of my days, I will think of the man as Eamon de Valera because it was as Dev that I realised what a wonderful actor he was. He’s a gentleman, too. He seems quiet by nature, but he is willing to do these things for his fans.
Judi Dench - The Royal Family, London, 15 February 2002
I’m taller than M! I have been a huge fan of Judi Dench for years, so just seeing her on stage was an honour, and actually meeting her, I was as tongue-tied as I was with Alan Rickman. She really is as brilliant as she seems, and truly wonderful to her fans.
John Owen Jones - The Phantom of the Opera, London, 25 January 2002
John was my first Valjean in London, back in 2000. Interesting Phantom. I wanted a pic because I hadn’t got one when I saw him as Valjean. Ivan Rutherford reminded me of him a great deal.
Robert Petkoff - Sunday in the Park with George, Chicago, 31 January 2003
I’m in love with Robert Petkoff. I’d actually seen him before in The Royal Family (the theatre world turns tiny as hell when you least expect it to), and I had loved him there. But I didn’t know until I got my playbill for Sunday that he could sing. I was in tears through most of the show, thanks to Robert. I love George.
Chris Fennessy and Ramin Karimloo - Les Misérables, London, 26 March 2003
I had to get a pic with Ramin to prove he exists *g*. I missed him as Marius and am quite upset over that, but he is a terrific Feuilly. And I had to pull Chris into the picture because he looks like a doofus in the last one *g*.
Tim Martin Gleason - The Phantom of the Opera, Music Box Tour, Baltimore, 22 August 2004
Raoul doesn’t get enough love in Phandom, I have decided, and Tim Martin Gleason was so utterly adorkable that I had to get a picture with him. Wish I could have seen him as the Phantom - gorgeous voice. But wonderfully sweet Raoul, and I’m always glad to get those.
Sir Derek Jacobi - A Voyage Around My Father, London, 20 November 2006
The dangers of unsolicited cake! (sorry, quotation from the extremely amusing play.) Sir Derek seemed so confused that young people knew who he was and wanted a picture with him. He was very nice about the whole thing, and he looked so very dapper and English, but I’m sure he was wondering how on earth Shelley and I knew who he was.
Douglas Henshall - The Cryptogram, London, 24 November 2006
I have been a huge fan of Dougie Henshall since I saw him as Michael Bakunin in the first preview of Tom Stoppard’s Voyage, so finally getting to see him again and meet him was a huge honour. He was absolutely as sweet as one could wish.
Jimmi Simpson - The Farnsworth Invention, New York, 26 January 2008
I knew I was going to like the play - Aaron Sorkin practically taught me what writing was - but I didn’t expect to be quite so enamoured with the title character. Jimmi as Philo T. Farnsworth was quite simply amazing. I only got to see it twice (I know, *only*, but the IATSE strike screwed with the timing on everything in the autumn of 2007), but I was absolutely, wholly in love with the script. And with Jimmi as Phil. And he was so sweet when being fangirled. I want to see lots more of him on stage.
Hunter Foster - Kiss of the Spider Woman, Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA, 13 April 2008
I adored this production so much, and Hunter was a huge part of that with his emotionally perfect Molina. Took my breath away how perfect he was in the role, and broke my heart just as he should. One of the best things I saw on stage all year.
Chris Peluso - Les Misérables, Marriott Lincolnshire, 18 April 2008
Chris was the Courier in Ford’s Theatre’s production of 1776 back in 2003 - the incredibly adorable Courier who was still in college. He was a big reason a group of us went to Chicago in order to see Lincolnshire’s production of Les Mis, and his Marius was utterly adorable and very sweet with Leah Horowitz’s Cosette. If only he could have been in a better production. (Very odd text cuts and some enthusiastic ensemble people made the production entertaining but not in all the right ways. Which was too bad because Chris was not the only excellent cast member.)
Jeffrey Carlson - Golden Age, Washington, DC, 3 April 2010
Emo!Hamlet! I am an idiot for having missed Lorenzaccio at Shakespeare Theatre, but Michael Kahn was able to get Jeffrey Carlson and Robert Cuccioli back for his production of Hamlet in 2007. Jeffrey was amazing (and really very emo, counting out his pills during "To be or not to be"). I think it very lucky to have caught up with him again in Golden Age, the newest play by Terrance McNally, in which he originated the role of Vincenzo Bellini in this work about the premiere of I Puritani. Jeffrey was very sweet, and I love him dearly as an actor.
Emma Hunton - Next to Normal, Washington, DC, 7 July 2011
I first knew Emma back in 2000, when she joined the Les Mis tour as Little Cosette. (I was on better terms with her mother, for obvious reasons.) She’s grown up to be just as talented as ever and a really fantastic Natalie. Probably the best part of the national tour, and that isn’ damning with faint praise.
Mel Sagrado Maghuyop - Miss Saigon, Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, 9 July 2011
Mel is the best Engineer ever. So glad Bobby Martinez had to drop out, as it meant we got Mel in the role. Younger than usual, but that actually made it more visceral and immediate for me, and fantastic direction added real depth to the character I’ve never seen before. Absolutely amazing.