What first made you fall in love theatre?

I had an aunt who decided I was to be the one in the family raised with a sense of culture, so she dragged me to opera and ballet and theatre — and among them was a touring production of DOLLY with Mary Martin. We were in the next to last row of the orchestra, and I still vividly remember the audience giving the train a standing ovation. I was maybe seven or eight at the time, but it was a life-turning moment.

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First theater-related memory: my folks explaining the lyrics "Gee, Officer Krupke, Krup You!" from the movie we'd just seen --and WEST SIDE STORY opened in 1962 when I would have been 6. They took us to FIDDLER on Broadway 5 years later.

For Hanukkah when I was 13, my folks surprised me with the 2-record album of MAN OF LA MANCHA, including a ticket for the touring show inside the jacket. The next summer I was designing sets for my camp production of WEST SIDE STORY and never looked back.

I was raised on the videos of Annie (1982 version) Mary Martin Peter Pan (1961) and Rodgers and Hammersteins Cindrella (both Lesley Anne Warren and Brandy) and then it took off from there.

Lovely image, Miss Dollypop-- seems you're younger than I'd have thought from the way posters have spoken of you...

I used to think it was The Producers that opened my eyes to musical theatre... me begging my parents to take me to New York and finally a year after graduating I cashed in on my graduation present and went to New York, of course I would of naturally chosen to see The Producers but I somehow decided to see Spamalot in it's first year on Broadway. And the rest was history. It wasn't until I took of retrospective of my music education that I pinpointed the exact moment and it was when I was 6, now I know this doesn't constitute as musical theatre but it was definitely the closest thing to it. I am talking about liking Grease the movie and Beauty and the Beast. I saw the latter in theaters the year it came out and I saw Grease around the same time and remember visiting some family friends in Spain and seeing it on TV. In elementary school the first song I ever learned was Do-Re-Mi from Sound of Music a mirror to the Von Trapps because we had to learn how to sing it.

Seeing the revival of "Kiss Me, Kate" in 2000. I had been raised on Disney and always liked theatre, but that was the show that made me fall in love.

My parents had a weird collection of cast recordings. Two by Two and The Rothschilds are the two I remember most distinctly. For whatever reason I loved listening to them. And acting them out...only using the liner notes and recordings as my basis.

I'd performed as an elementary student in several shows just as something to do. It wasn't until I was given a solo in 4th grade and got applause for "just me" that I was hooked.

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We didn't have theatre,was before TV,only radio serials and records.A 'mate' and I would dress up,I would get in the laundry basket wearing something 'eastern and a veil' and wriggle out of the basket as my friend pretended to be a snake charmer as we mimed to the record of 'In a Persian Market'.There was no looking back after that, especially when I was taken into the city to see Bye Bye Birdie.

Dreamgirls. Imperial Theater. 1981.

Honestly, I don't know. I just grew up around theatre, and I have a vivid memory of being 4 years old, talking about how I wanted to be a Broadway star... So, yeah.

I had done classes and been in shows at my local community theatre in Baytown, TX; however, I wasn't hooked on the art form. I was having fun and enjoying it, but not sold.

Then as a young lad in 2nd and 3rd grade, Houston's TUTS has a perfect trifecta of shows I got to see. These were their 1993 performances of HELLO, DOLLY! (starring Jo Anne Worley as Dolly), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and their World Premiere of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (with the complete OBC). After seeing those three shows, I was perfectly hooked for life!

Thanks a lot egghumor! Tell us your story.