THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars- NYMF Edition with Brian Charles Rooney

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 week's edition, we caught up with Brian Charles Rooney, who stars in the new musical LUDO'S BROKEN BRIDE, playing at NYMF August 2-6.

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater?

If I'm being totally honest, the first time, technically, would have been "Disney on Ice," at the Meadowlands Arena in NJ. As a child, growing up in northeastern NJ, I didn't see much NYC theater; the city wasn't always as safe as it is now. However, there was a good amount of theater for kids in NJ. While an ice show may not typically be thought of as "theater," this Disney show certainly was! It had music, an evil queen, theatrical lighting, a hero, a quest... A little bit of magic, and a whole lot of hope!

What is your favorite pre-show ritual?

Many of the roles I've played have required a lot of makeup, and applying all of that has always been a fun challenge. It had often been a means of sharpening my focus before a show. I also love checking in and visiting a bit with the other actors and the stage crew, as long as they aren't busy. I find that a great way to focus on what we are all about to create collaboratively.

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

There have been a few... and just recently, I was talking with a few friends about how much joy can be mined from living in the moment and "fixing" something that has gone wrong on stage. During a performance of the musical "Pop! Who Shot Andy Warhol," in which I played Candy Darling (who sort of functioned as the Ché to Andy Warhol's Evita... Sort of), something didn't function correctly with a technical part of the show. There was a delay in a scene transition, and since Candy functioned as a liaison between the audience and the show itself, I decided to cover the delay with an improvised story about how Candy had lived in the same building as Al Pacino. Pacino worked as the building super, but he would sleep in the foyer on occasion. Candy would come home, late as usual, and chastise Pacino for his bad behavior! The technical glitch was resolved, and the show went on... No one knew the difference!

What's your dream role?

The answer to this question has been somewhat fluid over the years; gender has never been a constant in my answer either! However, among the answers, there is one role that always remains: the title role in The Phantom of the Opera.

Who's your theatrical crush?

How many pages can I use? Doug Sills. Bernadette Peters. Kenita Miller.

Share something about yourself that would surprise people.

I am a father!