Uncle of the Year by Andrew Rannells

Author:Andrew Rannells [Rannells, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crown
Published: 2023-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

2009: ON THE STAGE! (but Not as a Nominee)

A few years later, I was back on Broadway, this time as Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys. I loved playing that part, and I was grateful to be given that chance, and with an amazing cast. Jarrod Spector was Frankie, Matt Bogart was Nick, and my old pal from Pokémon Live! Dominic Nolfi was Tommy. (All roads seem to lead back to Pokémon Live!…) Even though Jersey Boys had been running for several years at this point, it was still wildly successful and sold out every night. That year marked the show’s fifth anniversary on Broadway, and the producers of the Tonys had asked the cast to perform the closing number, “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” as the finale of the telecast. I was going to be on that stage! I was going to be singing and dancing at the Tonys!

We had a matinee that day and then a long break before we had to be at the theater. An odd detail about performing on the Tonys: Because backstage space is limited, the shows get ready at their own theaters. Then a bus picks you up and takes you to Radio City, where you sit in the bus until it’s time for you to perform. It’s not as glamorous as I maybe imagined it would be, crammed in a bus with your cast on the street, but it did not dampen the excitement of performing on that stage on Broadway’s biggest night.

During our break in between shows, Matt Bogart asked me to go look at an apartment that he and his wife were thinking about buying. It seemed like an odd chore on Tony day, but I’d had a crush on Matt since I saw him in Miss Saigon in 1997, and at that point I would have gone to a dog fight if he had invited me. So we went to see the apartment. The Realtor mistook us for a gay couple and Matt was happy to play along, calling me “babe” for our tour. “Babe, did you see this closet?” “Babe, there’s a washer and dryer in here!” Even though it was pretend, I basked in the attention from Matt. (Google him. You’ll understand why.)

The time came to perform, and we were taken off our bus and whisked backstage at Radio City. We were standing in the wings as Alice Ripley accepted her Tony for Next to Normal. I could see her hold that trophy and give her speech. I was maybe fifteen feet away from her. And while it wasn’t my award, it was the closest I had ever been to seeing one. It looked like it did on TV, only up close it was even more emotional.

What must that feel like? What is she thinking right now? What would I be thinking right now? How do I get to where she is standing?

The performance was a success. The audience loved it, and we all had fun, but what sticks with me is being surprised by how huge the stage is at Radio City.

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