The Chronicles Of CapnHook's Love For Rosie O' Donnell - A History Of Appreciation @ BroadwayWorld.com

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 3:30pm

WARNING: This is going to be a long post.

Again, last night I watched the final three episodes of THE ROSIE O' DONNELL SHOW. Again, tears flowed from my eyes, poured down my cheeks, and disappeared as they fell off my chin.

Again, I proclaim my love for Rosie.

My life growing up was difficult. I wasn't a difficult person - living was difficult. I was just like any other kid. Why was I teased? But this is another story.

I had two friends. One, two. I could count them. The first is Brad - thank you for friendship. You were a semi-popular guy, yet you still were friends with me - a pure outcast, although I was just like any other kid.

My second friend is Rosie O' Donnell. She doesn't know me, but I don't need her to know me. I know her.

No friends, except for Rosie. Then later Brad.

Every day I would go home crying. I wouldn't do my homework. I wouldn't go to the kitchen for a snack. The very first thing I would do is run to my room and press rewind on the VCR.

My VCR was programmed to record two things: THE ROSIE O' DONNELL SHOW and THE PRICE IS RIGHT.

After I finished watching them, I would have no life. I'd eat dinner, do homework, play videogames alone, and watch TV. ROSIE gave me a purpose to live. Not just a single purpose, but several.

I had always enjoyed the Broadway performances, and it rooted an interest in theatre. One show in particular made me say "it's time I go see a show!" This was 42nd STREET. Rosie mentioned it on her program, and it became my very first Broadway show. My parents didn't take me, I took my parents.

They both fell asleep somewhere near the end of ACT I.

I always saw the clips of her at the TONYS, but I never watched them. The first telecast of the TONYS I watched was in 2002.

I wanted to see them all! THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLE, URINETOWN, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, MAMMA MIA! But the show I ended up taking my father to was the revival of INTO THE WOODS. I also took my family to see the National Tour of MAMMA MIA! when it came to a major city close to where we moved to.

We moved from PA to NC. I got into a School for the Arts. I am now a college student studying Theatre. The Theatre communities I have worked with helped me grow as a person, not just an actor. I now have friends. So many that I can’t count. But I don’t need to count. It doesn’t matter.

I have my life, and it is all thanks to Rosie. How can you give enough thanks? How can you appreciate this wonderful woman enough? I love her – and that is how. Not a romantic love. Not a motherly love. Not a “obsessed fan club stalker” love. But a unique love. A love that says “because of you, I am alive today. You saved me. You are my hero. You are my Barbra Streisand.”

It’s funny. I recall a moment on her television show, and it chronicles my life. So now, here is a chronicle of just SOME of the posts I made here at BroadwayWorld which touched on my appreciation:

April 8, 2004:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=148580&boardname=bway

June 21, 2004:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=off&thread=207475

September 4, 2004:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=356028&boardname=bway

January 14, 2005:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=711002&boardname=bway

And today, April 3, 2005, I have created this post. And in a few months, I shall create another.

Looking back at my posts, one of my favorite things to stare at is this list:

Here is full list of Broadway performances:

Season 1:
June 21, 1996: RENT
June 28, 1996: SEVEN GUITARS
July 8, 1996: BRING IN DA NOISE, BRING IN DA FUNK
July 19, 1996: STOMP
October 16, 1996: SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE
March 19, 1997: LES MISERABLES
April 9, 1997: ANNIE
May 12, 1997: TITANIC: THE MUSICAL
May 23, 1997: CHICAGO
May 26: 1997: "BEST OF BROADWAY SHOW" (of that Tony season)
May 27, 1997: TITANIC: THE MUSICAL
May 28, 1997: THE LIFE
May 29, 1997: STEEL PIER
May 30, 1997: THE LIFE
June 16, 1997: BRING IN DA NOISE, BRING IN DA FUNK

Season 2:
October 3, 1997: RIVERDANCE
October 21, 1997: RENT
November 7, 1997: THE LION KING
November 18, 1997: CATS
November 25, 1997: THE CAPE MAN
December 11, 1997: A STREETCORNER SYMPHONY
January 19, 1998: RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL
January 20, 1998: THE KING AND I
January 27, 1998: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
January 29, 1998: THE LION KING
March 9, 1998: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
April 16, 1998: TITANIC: THE MUSICAL
April 20, 1998: CABARET
May 21, 1998: CABARET
September 3, 1998: SIDE SHOW
May 28, 1998: RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL
June 1, 1998: THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
June 2, 1998: THE LION KING
June 4, 1998: THE SOUND OF MUSIC
June 5, 1998: "SALUTE TO THIS YEAR'S TONY AWARDS"

Season 3:
November 10, 1998: ON THE TOWN
November 24, 1998: PETER PAN
December 14, 1998: FOOTLOOSE
January 7, 1999: FOSSE
January 15, 1999: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
January 25, 1999: PARADE
February 5, 1999: YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN
March 12, 1999: FOSSE
April 2, 1999: CIVIL WAR
May 31, 1999: IT AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT THE BLUES
June 1, 1999: ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
June 2: 1999: FOSSE
June 3, 1999: YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN
June 4, 1999: CIVIL WAR

Season 4:
November 1, 1999: KISS ME, KATE
November 3, 1999: SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
November 8, 1999: PUTTING IT TOGETHER
January 28, 2000: RENT
February 1, 2000: SWING
March 9, 2000: AIDA
March 13, 2000: BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS
April 5, 2000: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
April 7, 2000: CONTACT
April 12, 2000: AIDA
April 20, 2000: THE MUSIC MAN
May 25, 2000: THE WILD PARTY
May 26, 2000: CONTACT
May 29, 2000: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
May 30, 2000: AIDA
May 31, 2000: KISS ME KATE
June 1, 2000: SWING
June 2, 2000: THE MUSIC MAN

Season 5:
September 8, 2000: CATS
October 13, 2000: THE FULL MONTY
November 1, 2000: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
November 16, 2000: JANE EYRE
November 17, 2000: SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
December 11, 2000: SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
March 14, 2001: SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
March 22, 2001: A CLASS ACT
April 17, 2001: FOLLIES
April 19, 2001: ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER
April 24, 2001: 42nd STREET

Season 6 (final season):
September 21, 2001: DREAMGIRLS
September 25, 2001: LES MISERABLES
October 2, 2001: CHICAGO
October 3, 2001: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
October 11, 2001: AIDA
November 2, 2001: MAMMA MIA!
March 5, 2002: ONE MO' TIME
March 19, 2002: SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
April 18, 2002: OKLAHOMA
April 25, 2002: THOROUGHLY MORDERN MILLIE
May 2, 2002: INTO THE WOODS
May 14, 2002: THE PRODUCERS
May 22, 2002: ROSIE'S LAST SHOW, featuring Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Vanessa Williams, and the casts from all current Broadway shows, including INTO THE WOODS, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, CHICAGO, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, MAMMA MIA!, OKLAHOMA, THE PRODUCERS, RENT, and more. Rosie opens the show appearing in Times Square, followed by performances in the streets from Broadway shows wishing Rosie a farewell.

There were over 100 Broadway performances, in addition to interviews and other musical performances not listed here, including Disney, Linda Eder, Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews, Patti LuPone, Betty Buckley, Nathan Lane, Elton John, Chita Rivera, and more.

I shake my head in disbelief. No words I can come up with will express my love, appreciation, and gratitude for her. And not just the six years she has appeared on TV, but her life, her views, her passion. She is an inspiration that is the drive of my life. What I want to be.

To conclude this post, I have a final plea:

As I have been requesting since I became a regular to the Online world, I am in search of full episodes of THE ROSIE O' DONNELL SHOW. Commercials are fine. I want from the intro to ending credits, each and every one of her shows. My life is documented in it.

PM me, or e-mail [e-mail] (those are zeros).

To Be Continued...

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 3:34pm

aaaaw, capn, I love when you make such beautiful posts.

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 3:56pm

Wow - since I only got to see her show occasionally, I had no idea she showcased so much theater. Someone should gather together the Broadway ones on DVD. What a great record that would be.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:17pm

Yes, it would. However, Warner Bros has the rights. Who knows if they're interested in putting the show on DVD. It hasn't been done before. No Regis & Kathy Lee, nor Regis & Kelly, Ellen, David Letterman, Jay Leno, etc.

[Chloe]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:35pm

Most of the material on talk shows is very ephemeral, not to mention that there is an awful lot of it when a show is on daily. But performances are something else. This is something of a forlorn hope, I know, since the Broadway audience is not huge.

I'm glad there was someone to help get you through those tough years, and that things are so much better now.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:44pm

cap'n, that was beautiful. i love rosie as much as you i fear. it's unhealthy. i hope to god that find me makes it with her and cyndi's music. and i hope it is amazing like the book was. i wish they put together a video of the broadway appearances on rosie's show. i understand not making dvd's of talk shows. most of it would be boring and very depending on the time. but theatre cuts across time.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:46pm

Wow, what a great post.

I was reading Rosie's blog this afternoon, and remembering just how much I admire her. I met her once, two years ago, and all I could get out of my mouth was "thank you". Her coming out (publicly) coincided with mine, and she gave me a lot of strength.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:57pm

Yea, really great. She's truly an amazing women, she's helped so many people in so many ways and I adore her.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 10:59pm

March 19. 1997....

If anyone has that one...

(sorry Cap, to intrude)

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 11:02pm

What a sweet post!

[decided to edit and PM the rest. :)] Updated On: 4/3/05 at 11:02 PM

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 4/3/05 at 11:50pm

I feel much the same as you do. At one point in my life, Rosie was pretty much my only friend.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 11:21am

Was a fan, too. Her show was remarkable after 9/11. When she came back on the air, in a shell-shocked city she helped a lot of New Yorkers (and likely people everywhere).

I believe you put one perfdormance in the wrong spot: in the fall of 97 -- sometime in October, Alice and Emily, in full Hilton drage (and "joined at the hip") did "Who Will Love Me As I Am?" from SIDE SHOW. I know, 'cause I have it on tape ... somewhere. Sideshow opened on b'way on 10/16/97, and was on Rosie near the LION KING performance. Same season.

Nice thread. Thank you.

Updated On: 4/4/05 at 11:21 AM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 8:44pm

Visited a website that listed all her shows and gave summaries. Perhaps I missed it, I will check and edit the list.

Thanks!!

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 8:48pm

Capn, I can't believe you weren't the popular intellectual kid in school! Honestly, I mean it, I think you;'re making this whole thing up. =P

[Kevo711]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 8:49pm

i miss the rosie show! i love her!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 4:37pm

"Capn, I can't believe you weren't the popular intellectual kid in school! Honestly, I mean it, I think you;'re making this whole thing up. =P"

All true.

Popular? I don't get it.

[hannahshule]

Posted: 4/6/05 at 4:49pm

Great post! Are there any pictures or anything of those performances?

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:06pm

Someone should show this thread to HD. He might die of a heart attack.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:08pm

HD?

Wow - how ironcid I chronicled my love for Rosie on BWW, and this very thread gets bumped years later to chronicle my life with BWW. I won't edit anything I said, as much as I'd like to. Am I Mr. Dramatic or what?

As for getting her show on DVD, there is an issue with the WB getting the rights to the Broadway performances. They are trying.

Updated On: 3/18/07 at 09:08 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:18pm

Why were you teased in school? You're straigh, so I was just intrigued. And I "triple" love her too!
I have been drawned to Rosie since an early age. Always one of my favorite stars among Brooke Shields, Liza Minnelli, Joan Collins, Jessica Simpson(I know you all hate her) and a few more.
The more I know about Rosie, the more I love her, she shares so many of my points of views. Wonderful person, and very nice at the stage doors too!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:26pm

I know exactly how you feel Capn. I feel the same way for 3 people: Rosie, Nathan Lane, and Ernie Sabella. They are all fantastic in their own way, and Rosie and her show is what got me into theatre aswell. I hope you find some good episodes!

[Allie]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:29pm

Straight people get teased, too, muscle23ftl.

Beautiful post, Capn, even two years later!

[PersonofInterest]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:33pm

Yeah. It really is a great post. I remember the very first day of Rosie's show an I knew then it was gonna be big for me. Then the impact she had on the Broadway community, and is having again now, was so magical that no matter how much she can drive me crazy from time to time, she has done an incredible service to the art I love more than any other.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:36pm

Well, I know that straight people get teased, but there is always some kind of reason why that happens, I got teased a lot for obvious reasons.
Anyways, Rosie reads this site eventually, so she might read these posts.
Also Capn, give a little credit to yourself too. Rosie is the sunshine of my life too, and some other artists as well, but also you have to give credit to the "you", you are. And the people that surround us. You are alive mostly because of "you"

xoxo

Updated On: 3/18/07 at 09:36 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 10:03pm

muscle - I see you've met her, too. I went to a taping on THE VIEW earlier this month and it was the first time I met her. Asked her about the DVDs during a commercial break.

If my mother weren't there (she doesn't know about my suicidal attempts/thoughts as a kid), I would have balled my eyes out. It took every ounce to contain my emotions during the show. My mom was very confused why I was choked up when I asked her my question.