#deh understudy

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Yes!! I did meet him!! He’s just….incredible. Like… Okay, here are the details. LONG BUT FULFILLING STORY TIME!!!

SO! I first met him when I saw the show in January. It was his first performance in the show on Broadway and he was filling in for Will Roland as Jared Kleinman (and he was RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING). After the show, I stagedoored. There were only about twenty other people–I mean it was literally a single row deep around those little fences–who waited out for the cast (again, I’ll remind y’all that this was in January. Before the cast album. Before the Tonys. Before any major press, really) so it was pretty barren and the entire cast–except for Rachel Bay Jones, who had to leave early to help her daughter with something, we were told–came out and actually had the time and space to have in-depth conversations and take pictures with everyone out there. I’M STILL FKING YELLING ABOUT THIS YALL AND IM NEVER GONNA STOP but I’m trying to keep it together deep breaths. 

So! Michael Lee Brown came out and we all applauded for him (he had also gotten a special round of applause after the show ended because he deserved it) and he was just so sweet and humble. I got a picture with him (which I printed out and is currently hanging up in my room because it’s SO COOL KEEP IT TOGETHER) and talked a little bit. Mainly I just rambled on and on about how much I loved the musical while trying not to cry again and he thanked me about four hundred times (!!!!!!!!). BUT THEN! but then.

I went back home and completely fell in love with the show, back when there was only one fic for it one AO3, which I wrote, and the DEH tag on Tumblr was comprised of 3 posts. And I wrote him a letter, which said thank you about four hundred times as well, and sent him a little picture that I drew. 

Then, I was incredibly lucky enough to see the show again in April (how???? that’s a whole different story and I don’t think I have the time or space here I’m still). And during intermission, I don’t know if they do this anymore, but Michael and Colton Ryan were hanging out in the audience; I think they were watching the show too. And I saw them and freaked the fck out and was just like That’s Them That’s Them That’s Them, because at this point I was beyond into this show and it was all so much more intimidating.

And I wasn’t going to bother them, because I was really really nervous about being annoying, like maybe they didn’t want to talk to anyone or whatever. Honestly, they blended in completely with the audience and no one else seemed to notice them. BUT THEN! This one girl, wearing a DEH t-shirt, came up to Colton and very very politely asked for his autograph. He smiled and agreed and signed her Playbill and started to talk to her, like, oh, have you seen the show before, what do you think etc. etc. etc.

So, I figured, that if she could do it, so could I, anxiety be damned!!!! ANXIETY BE DAMNED!!! So, I thought, I’ll just do the exact same thing she did and not be annoying because if I didn’t I would regret it forever and ever and ever and ever. SO! I went up to him and was like, “Hey, how are you?” And he looked at me for about 10 seconds and then said, “Were you here in January?” and I swear my heart stopped. Like??? He recognized me??? I’M STILL YELLING I AM BEYOND BLESS HIS HEART AND SOUL And I replied that, yes, I did go to that show, and that he was completely amazing as Jared in every single way. And he thanked me and asked what my name was. I gave it to him, and then he said, “Did you send me a letter?”

AND I DID! AND HE TALKED ABOUT THE LITTLE DRAWING TOO!!! HE SAID!!! “That was the first fan letter I’ve ever gotten, thank you!” And HUGGED ME??? he hugged me. I’ve been hugged by the one and only MLB and I’m still yelling! ?! I swear to God, Michael Lee Brown is such a good and incredible person, he is so kind and talented and wonderful in every way, and I still feel so beyond blessed. Like? AH