THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars- Aaron Lazar!

Welcome to THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As With Your Favorite Broadway Stars. Want to know what hooked them to a career in the theater? Their dream roles? Their Broadway crushes? Read on!

In this next edition, we caught up with Aaron Lazar, who is starring as 'Sam Carmichael' in MAMMA MIA!- currently playing at the Winter Garden Theatre!

What is the first Broadway show you ever saw?

I honestly don't remember. I asked my Mom and she says The Secret Garden. I do remember the tour of Cats in Philadelphia. I was 12 and had a stomach bug. We had to leave at intermission and I barf'd in the car on the way home. The show that changed my life was Sweeny Todd on VHS in high school. To this day I'm still blown away by it, particularly George and Angela's work. It inspired me to dream of working on Broadway. And I'm blessed to have been able to tell Angela and George that in person.

What is your most unique pre-show ritual?

On the PBS recording of The Light in the Piazza backstage you get to see me doing some sweet lunges down the hallway of the Vivian Beaumont. I had some knee issues in that show early on so I created a physical warm up to take care of myself that I ended up sticking to religiously just to work up the energy to get through the show 8x week. That show wrecked me physically, emotionally, ...and I loved every minute of it.

What is your most memorable "the show must go on" moment?

My first bway show was the national tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I covered the Pimpernel and went on only once--no pressure :) There's a big guillotine illusion at the end where the Pimpernel is beheaded but manages to somehow escape and appear in a spotlight in the house. I only got a chance to try the device at 7.20, 10 min before the house opened, and I nearly broke my neck. And of course stage management didn't have any time for me to try it again so on I went terrified the entire show that I was going to die in a fake guillotine. Finally I got to the end and yay! I survived. BUT, I forgot to escape through the black escape curtain upstage of the device and so, in front of 3,000 people, I scampered offstage in full view. My dresser was upstage of the curtain with my props for the final scene and had no idea where I went off to. So much for the heroic surprise. But at least I lived to tell the tale!

What is the one role you want to play before you die?

So many...on Broadway Sweeny Todd, Billy Bigelow, Cervantes/Don Quixote, any Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill play.

Who is your Broadway crush?

It's a tie. I'd love to work with Audra [McDonald] someday. Man her talent is other worldly. Also, I was a huge fan of Laura Benanti and just did a reading with her and became an even bigger fan. She's as good as gets.

Where can people stalk you on the web?

On twitter @AaronLazar, on Facebook, and my website www.aaronlazar.com.