Did you watch Grease: Live last week and fall in love with Danny Zuko? Well, I fell in love with him a long time ago. What follows is the story of the time I met Aaron, and some of my friends finally understood why I’ve been fawning over him for years.
I will preface this tale by explaining that I am a fangirl, which Urban Dictionary has defined three ways:
- A female who has overstepped the line between healthy fandom and indecent obsession
- A rabid breed of human female who is obsessed with either a fictional character or an actor
- A female fan, obsessed with something (or someone) to a frightening or sickening degree
I would say this ‘disorder’ began at the end of high school and got worse in college when I met other fangirls, (shoutout to Kait Mullen). The most passionate obsession I’ve had throughout my life has been with Broadway and everything that encompasses it: the stars, the shows, the songs, the city. Anyway, without telling you my life story, I will simplify by saying that I am a huge fangirl, and my favorite Broadway star has for a long time been Aaron Tveit.
(That time I made a collage of all my Aaron collages)
Quick bio: Aaron is an actor who went to school in Ithaca, New York, where I am from. He has starred in countless shows including Catch Me if You Can, Next to Normal, Rent, Hairspray and Wicked. Last January, I attended a trip to London through my college’s theater department and convinced my professor to get us tickets for Assassins, a Sondheim musical about the assassinations of American presidents, and Aaron was playing lead John Wilkes Booth.
From the day she announced that we would be seeing the show, I talked the ears off of my friend Courtney, telling her all about Aaron. She later explained: “Before seeing Assassins in London, I had absolutely no idea of who Aaron Tveit was. That quickly changed after talking with Steph about our trip. Her infatuation with this Broadway star could almost be classified as stalking. I learned he attended Ithaca College, played Roger in Rent on Broadway, and starred in Gossip Girl—oh and he’s pretty dreamy.”
So, let's skip to the trip. I have spent all eighteen days in London telling my classmates how amazing and talented Aaron Tveit is and how I cannot wait to see him. The day before the show, I literally cannot shut up, to the point where everyone needs a break from me. Tickets were hard to get so we had to split up the group and see the show on two different nights. I chose the second night, knowing it will be a great way to end the trip.
That night, my roommate on the trip (Courtney) and I are getting ready to go out for milkshakes when half of our group returns from the show. They see us in the lobby, run up to me, and begin to show me pictures on their phones of them with Aaron. Upon hearing this, I (literally) fall to my knees, crying. No joke, I begin sobbing on Courtney’s lap over the thought of my friends meeting Aaron. I remember this moment clearly because our professor responded by saying, “This whole trip I thought Stephanie was the reserved one of the group, but now I see her for real.” I then run to my room and call my mom to tell her that my friends all met Aaron, and she has the nerve to say, “What if he’s not there tomorrow?”
So, it is now the day of the show. It is our last day in London. I am dying. But I am also trying to remain calm because we are meeting up with a Wells alumna at the show and I need to be professional. I make sure that we are early, of course, and we sit in the theater and wait. I purchase a rather pricey program and make the girls look at all the pictures of Aaron with me. Dana is already sick of hearing me talk before the show begins. And then it does. The show is in the smallest theater I have ever been in, with circular seating around a stage in the middle of the floor. Aaron walks out of the fog and I jump and grab Dana’s leg, who then yells at me. Courtney later said, “The night of Assassins I thought Steph would have a panic attack just from being in the same room as him, but she contained herself and didn’t attack the love of her life.”
Anyways, Aaron is amazing. His voice is like honey, his gait is smooth and his eyes stare into your soul. The actors walk throughout the aisles during the show, and I miss a lot of the musical because I am too busy watching Aaron walk around, which Dana also yells at me for, especially when I start jumping as he walks near us.
Show ends; I am crying because it was amazing, but also because the room was super foggy and it hurt my eyes. We wait in the small parlor to try and meet the actors.
Okay, this is where it all happens. I know it’s coming - they will be out any second. Catherine Tate emerges and the fans flood her. I grab the girls because I am losing my mind. I begin to hyperventilate - for real. I am breathing so hard and heavy because I am nervous as hell. Then, Aaron walks through the door and towards us. What do I do? I hide behind my friends.
I am so nervous that I don’t know what to do but hide. The girls laugh until they realize that I am for real. Aaron asks if he can do anything for us, and my friends part like the red sea, so he and I are face to face. I am the definition of a deer in the headlights. I stare at him, and nothing comes out of my mouth. Nothing. Finally, I thrust the program towards him, but still can’t get out the words. He takes it and signs it.
He’s signing it, and inside I am yelling at myself to speak. Knowing that this would happen (because in 2011 I met Scotty McCreery and also couldn’t speak and regretted it ever since), I had made myself practice things to say to Aaron. So, while he is signing, I blurt out something along the lines of “OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU,” followed by “I’m such a huge fan and I have always wanted to see you live and also I’m from Ithaca.” At least, that’s what I think I said. Although I must say, it was all such a blur that I don’t really remember.
(Aaron while I am telling him how much I love him)
So then he finishes and, again, I can’t speak, so before he walks away, Courtney asks him for pictures (thank God for that girl. I would never have made it through the night without her).
So I get an individual picture with Aaron, which remained my profile picture for months, and is my #throwbackthursday every couple of weeks. I am shaking the whole time. Like, Parkinson’s-level shaking. We get the individual picture and then decide to also take a group picture. Courtney and Dana stand next to Aaron and I stand next to Courtney when suddenly I realize that this may be the only ever time I meet him, so I shove Courtney over so that I can stand next to him (which I later realized was pretty rude, but I had no control over my actions at the time. I have since promised Courtney to do the same for her should we ever meet Miley).
Courtney’s account is pretty similar, explaining:
“Stephanie was so excited she couldn’t even speak to Aaron, so I asked for a photo and signature on her playbook which she thrust in front of her. They took a photo, then we were about to take a group photo Steph literally pushed me away from him so she could stand next to him in the photo. Aaron was extremely polite and respectful towards his fans, and he seemed genuinely happy we loved his performance.”
(Thank God that mustache didn't last too long).
I am still shaking as we take the group picture. Aaron gives us his beautiful smile and says goodbye. I pitifully whisper, “wait, don’t leave” as he walks away. I turn to the girls, still confused about what has just happened in the last couple minutes, and say “oh my goodness, I hope he couldn’t feel me shaking.” Dana, who wasn’t even standing next to me in the picture, says “well, I could feel you shaking, so he definitely could.”
I am mortified, but hey, I just met my favorite Broadway star, and I have a picture to prove it. So, how many people can say that?
Moral of the story- if you know you will be meeting someone that you idolize- prepare yourself. We can’t all be as blessed as my lovely friend Macy, who seems to meet celebs wherever she goes, however, it will happen someday. If you are anything like me, you will need to be ready. You should prepare some lines, bring your friends along for support, have a camera ready to document, and most of all, make the most of the moment. Hey, it kind of sounds like how you would prepare to be in a Broadway show, right?
No? Well, a girl can dream.
(Bonus photo of my BFFL Macy -- who is also an Odyssey writer -- and I rocking the Danny and Sandy look during Grease: Live.)
