My backstage door story (or how I forgot I was once a fangirl...)
In 1998, as a high school graduation present, my uncles took me to see Cabaret on Broadway starring Alan Cumming as the Emcee. I went knowing absolutely nothing about the show, and came home with the soundtrack and, let's face it, a bit of a crush. Thus began the obsession.
I was starting college, and my corner of the dorm room was covered with Cabaret and Alan Cumming pictures. I sometimes think that if I was in college now, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting Star Trek stuff all over the place. But apparently I was not so timid about my obsessions, as the walls around my bed were plastered wth pictures like this one:
I listened to the soundtrack nonstop. I may have periodically lapsed into the Emcee's German accent... Oh, and I dressed up as the Emcee for Halloween :-D
If you know me, it should not come as a surprise that I loved this show, which combines the best of all worlds (AKA musicals, sex, gays, angst...) Come to think of it, maybe this show actually played a role in actually making me the person I am now...
Here, watch (from the 1998 Tony's):
Do you feel good? YEAH I BET YOU DO!
The theater where Cabaret was playing had one of those volunteer usher things, where you could usher for a show (hand out programs, etc) and get to see it for free. I brought my mom, my friends, and saw it twice in one day, and then did that at least one other time...I honestly forget how many times I saw it. I also saw it twice after Alan Cumming had left, though I'm not sure who I saw as the Emcee and if it was one of the other "famous" ones like NPH or John Stamos. (I have to look for my old programs...I'm SURE i still have them somewhere!)
The funny thing is, when my Star Trek obsession began, I had kind of forgotten that whole period of my life. Or, I hadn't forgotten, I just hadn't realized how similar it really was.
I joined a Cabaret and an Alan Cumming mailing list on yahoo!! It was like the LJ of 1998! Not to mention (and this I actually had forgotten) - I WENT TO A MEET-UP after one of the shows, and met these other fangirls who, like, made Cabaret crafts and wrote song parodies and shit. I totally forgot about that! Oh, and we also had the youtube of 1998 - someone put together a VHS tape of all of Alan Cumming's talk show appearances and mailed it out to people - I still have mine. I was realllllly obsessed (with both the show and the actor...hmmm). Also, I was totally a reboot Cabaret fangirl! I still have never even SEEN the original movie with Joel Grey :-/
Anyway, after one of the shows, I waited at the backstage door with my friends. We got Jennifer Jason Leigh's autograph (she was the second actress to play Sally Bowles - I also saw it with the first, Natasha Richardson). Then Alan Cumming came out! I honestly don't remember very much - probably because I was busy FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. BUT - I got his autograph, and though I didn't get a picture WITH him, I did get a picture OF him. And I gave him something. Later, when I saw the picture, I realized that you can see that he is holding what I gave him, which was a picture of me dressed as the Emcee for Halloween (*cringe* god i was a dork). BUT OMG I HAVE A PICTURE OF ALAN CUMMING HOLDING A PICTURE OF ME DRESSED AS THE EMCEE, HA HA HA, WHEEEEEEE!
My scanner sucks, but here you go:
Just trust me, that's a picture of me he's holding :-)
So that is my backstage door story, and the reason I am holding out hope for meeting ZQ after Angels in America. I know it didn't work for people who saw Chris in Inishmore, but ZQ's's been good with fans so far. I just hope he doesn't burn out before I get to see him on Oct 10!
A couple more pics of Alan...
His cologne is called Cumming. And if you need any more reason to love him, his bath soap is called "Cumming in a Bar". (Seriously. I did not make that up.)
I was starting college, and my corner of the dorm room was covered with Cabaret and Alan Cumming pictures. I sometimes think that if I was in college now, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting Star Trek stuff all over the place. But apparently I was not so timid about my obsessions, as the walls around my bed were plastered wth pictures like this one:
I listened to the soundtrack nonstop. I may have periodically lapsed into the Emcee's German accent... Oh, and I dressed up as the Emcee for Halloween :-D
If you know me, it should not come as a surprise that I loved this show, which combines the best of all worlds (AKA musicals, sex, gays, angst...) Come to think of it, maybe this show actually played a role in actually making me the person I am now...
Here, watch (from the 1998 Tony's):
Click to viewDo you feel good? YEAH I BET YOU DO!
The theater where Cabaret was playing had one of those volunteer usher things, where you could usher for a show (hand out programs, etc) and get to see it for free. I brought my mom, my friends, and saw it twice in one day, and then did that at least one other time...I honestly forget how many times I saw it. I also saw it twice after Alan Cumming had left, though I'm not sure who I saw as the Emcee and if it was one of the other "famous" ones like NPH or John Stamos. (I have to look for my old programs...I'm SURE i still have them somewhere!)
The funny thing is, when my Star Trek obsession began, I had kind of forgotten that whole period of my life. Or, I hadn't forgotten, I just hadn't realized how similar it really was.
I joined a Cabaret and an Alan Cumming mailing list on yahoo!! It was like the LJ of 1998! Not to mention (and this I actually had forgotten) - I WENT TO A MEET-UP after one of the shows, and met these other fangirls who, like, made Cabaret crafts and wrote song parodies and shit. I totally forgot about that! Oh, and we also had the youtube of 1998 - someone put together a VHS tape of all of Alan Cumming's talk show appearances and mailed it out to people - I still have mine. I was realllllly obsessed (with both the show and the actor...hmmm). Also, I was totally a reboot Cabaret fangirl! I still have never even SEEN the original movie with Joel Grey :-/
Anyway, after one of the shows, I waited at the backstage door with my friends. We got Jennifer Jason Leigh's autograph (she was the second actress to play Sally Bowles - I also saw it with the first, Natasha Richardson). Then Alan Cumming came out! I honestly don't remember very much - probably because I was busy FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. BUT - I got his autograph, and though I didn't get a picture WITH him, I did get a picture OF him. And I gave him something. Later, when I saw the picture, I realized that you can see that he is holding what I gave him, which was a picture of me dressed as the Emcee for Halloween (*cringe* god i was a dork). BUT OMG I HAVE A PICTURE OF ALAN CUMMING HOLDING A PICTURE OF ME DRESSED AS THE EMCEE, HA HA HA, WHEEEEEEE!
My scanner sucks, but here you go:
Just trust me, that's a picture of me he's holding :-)
So that is my backstage door story, and the reason I am holding out hope for meeting ZQ after Angels in America. I know it didn't work for people who saw Chris in Inishmore, but ZQ's's been good with fans so far. I just hope he doesn't burn out before I get to see him on Oct 10!
A couple more pics of Alan...
His cologne is called Cumming. And if you need any more reason to love him, his bath soap is called "Cumming in a Bar". (Seriously. I did not make that up.)