THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars with VIETGONE's Paco Tolson

Want to know what hooked your favorite Broadway stars to a career in the theater? Dying to know more about their dream roles? Their Broadway crushes? Every Friday afternoon, BroadwayWorld is bringing you THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with the best of Broadway and beyond.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Paco Tolson, who is currently in previews for Vietgone- playing at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I .

What is the first Off-Broadway (or Broadway) show you ever saw?

When I was a junior in high school my aunt took me with her on a trip to New York. They had tickets to Les Mis and they knew I had been blown away by the PBS concert version I'd seen on TV with my parents. It was incredibly generous of them. I slept over at their house, we left at the break of dawn from Northampton, Massachusetts, and drove for hours. The experience of walking in and experiencing the grandeur of that theater, hearing those incredible voices, it's something I'll never forget. My interests have changed a lot since then, but as a first taste of the highest levels of this industry, there was nothing better. It still brings tears to my eyes.

What is your most unique pre-show ritual?

The Vietgone men's dressing room is like Studio 54 without the drugs. Everybody comes to visit. We like to play music and dance around, jam on air guitars and get pumped up on training montage songs from soundtracks to films like Rocky and Creed, hits from bands like Journey and The Who... If it gets the blood going, we'll play it. "Change for the Better" might be our favorite, but Jon Hoche (who plays Nhan) has a couple of killer playlists that give us energy but also flavor the room with the '70s.

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

I was in a Shakespeare where my "father" didn't show up for a scene. We were supposed to enter together and interrupt another actor, Stephen, who was at the end of a big monologue. I kept looking at the cue light and looking behind me to see if he was coming. Stephen was out there winding down, setting up our big entrance. The seconds felt like hours. My mind started racing; what would I say, how could I make this work? All of my lines were in answer to my father's prompts...The cue light went out and he wasn't there, and Stephen said his final line--there was no choice but to go on solo and wing it. I just hoped to God he was going to clock was happening immediately and see where I was going with it. I blazed onstage with my eyes as wide as saucers trying to communicate "follow my lead" and we somehow made it out alive. It was pretty thrilling, one of those moments where you're totally flying high on adrenaline and everything's in very sharp focus. When we came offstage everyone was like, "What just happened, that was insane!" My father had been in the Green Room watching the monitor--in full costume for the following scene--thinking we'd already done it! By the time he'd realized he missed it, the moment was over and he was forced to let us play it out. He apologized like crazy, we all had some laughs, it was a great run, and I got a great story out of it.

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

I've done a lot of character comedy but I've always been drawn to the great young lover roles: Romeo, definitely; I think there's something hilarious about him amidst all the tragedy. The Burton Hamlet I used to listen to on an audiobook at my day job and I became obsessed doing that, too. In an alternate universe I'd want to play each of the roles in Vietgone. There's so much meat on the bone for everyone, I want to know what it's like to be on the other side and experience that strange richness.

Who is your Broadway or Off-Broadway crush?

If you're working on Broadway or Off-Broadway, my hat is off to you and my heart is warmed by your achievements. I don't have one person in mind for a question like this. The experience of sitting in the house and watching a great show, I just have stars in my eyes no matter who you are.

Where can people follow you online?

You can see into my soul here:

Twitter: @michaelpaco

Instagram: @pacotolson

Webpage: www.pacotolson.weebly.com