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Austin, you wrote the book for FIRST DATE.
Now that you are married and have children,
has your perspective on the story changed, or
is it as raw and real as when you irst wrote it? dinner I got something that could best be
AUSTIN: Well, I think some of the scars are still described as heart palpitations. I excused
myself and went to the bathroom. I started
there. It is very easy, maybe too easy, for me to recall getting dizzy. Splashing water on my face. But I
the feelings of it. The nervousness, the anticipation, couldn’t breathe. I went back to the table and had
the awkwardness, the excitement, the occasional no choice but to tell her. We literally had to get up
horror. However, I have been with my wife for twelve in the middle of dinner. Then – since I was the one
years now. And I think when you have been in a who drove – I gave her the keys to my car. And
relationship for a long time, dating and that time in she drove while I hyperventilated in the passenger
your life can feel like a distant memory. I was such a seat. Now, here’s where things really get bad.
different person back then. I’d love to be able to go I didn’t know where to go. And I thought I was dying.
back and tell that guy to relax a little bit. So, for some reason I asked her to drive me to my
Alan & Michael, you credit your parents with parent’s house. This poor girl had never met my
nurturing your love for musicals since you were parents before. We get to their house, and there
is an ambulance waiting out front. The paramedic
tots. Pittsburgh CLO has been entertaining
generations of families with musicals for 70 brings me inside to examine me, while my date
years. Can you talk about the value of exposing is making small talk with my mom and dad. The
children to theater and how this has made you paramedic checks my vitals and quickly realizes
the person you are today? I’m not having a heart
MICHAEL: My parents took attack. The irst question he
asks – “Were you proposing
me to see a production of THE "We all had a plethora tonight?” He then gave me
MUSIC MAN when I was three some sort of anti-anxiety pill
years old and I was hooked. After of bad dating stories and the ambulance quickly
that, for my entire childhood, and figured there left. The night ended, I kid
we’d go to Saturday or Sunday you not, with my dad driving
matinees of practically every must be some way to
show that toured through LA. use our personal pain the girl home with me resting
in the backseat. Now, just to
And every year we’d take trips for other people's be clear – it’s not like I was
to NYC to see Broadway shows. sixteen when this happened.
Since we were in LA there were enjoyment." I was probably twenty-four
also frequent trips to Disneyland years old. Needless to say, it
and we have home videos of was not a love connection…
me conducting the Disneyland
band. There is a magic that live theater has that no What is your best advice for someone on a
other medium can provide. irst date?
MICHAEL: Relax. Have fun. Don’t try too hard. And
ALAN: Growing up in LA, I was raised on a
combination of classic movie musicals and
take notes… because it may provide great material
Broadway shows when we’d visit family back east. for a musical!
One of my formative experiences as a kid was ALAN: First of all, you could end up meeting the
seeing LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS with the original perfect person for you, but if you haven’t gotten your
cast, and by the time Audrey II’s vines dropped onto own emotional ducks in a row, you might not even
the audience during the inale, I knew this was realize it. So dig deep and igure out what it is that
something I had to be a part of. Between my parents you really want and need out of a partner so you’ll
who nurtured any musical or creative impulse I had be ready when he or she comes along. Second,
and my older brother who lent me cast albums it’s easy to build up the idea of who someone will
and educated me in contemporary musicals, I was be before you meet them and create unrealistic
pretty much hard-wired for Broadway – and that expectations. Sometimes a person who looks really
passion led me to a very fulilling life and career. good on paper (or I should probably say “on Tinder”)
Austin, Is it true that you once required medical won’t live up to who you hoped they might be. So
attention by paramedics after suffering a panic don’t try to force a connection. When it’s right,
attack on what sounds like a irst date from it’ll feel right. And don’t get sloshed if you want a
hell? Do tell. second date.
AUSTIN: The date was actually going great. She
was an unbelievably beautiful red head. I literally
could not look at her without getting nervous. This
was probably part of the problem. In the middle of
Now that you are married and have children,
has your perspective on the story changed, or
is it as raw and real as when you irst wrote it? dinner I got something that could best be
AUSTIN: Well, I think some of the scars are still described as heart palpitations. I excused
myself and went to the bathroom. I started
there. It is very easy, maybe too easy, for me to recall getting dizzy. Splashing water on my face. But I
the feelings of it. The nervousness, the anticipation, couldn’t breathe. I went back to the table and had
the awkwardness, the excitement, the occasional no choice but to tell her. We literally had to get up
horror. However, I have been with my wife for twelve in the middle of dinner. Then – since I was the one
years now. And I think when you have been in a who drove – I gave her the keys to my car. And
relationship for a long time, dating and that time in she drove while I hyperventilated in the passenger
your life can feel like a distant memory. I was such a seat. Now, here’s where things really get bad.
different person back then. I’d love to be able to go I didn’t know where to go. And I thought I was dying.
back and tell that guy to relax a little bit. So, for some reason I asked her to drive me to my
Alan & Michael, you credit your parents with parent’s house. This poor girl had never met my
nurturing your love for musicals since you were parents before. We get to their house, and there
is an ambulance waiting out front. The paramedic
tots. Pittsburgh CLO has been entertaining
generations of families with musicals for 70 brings me inside to examine me, while my date
years. Can you talk about the value of exposing is making small talk with my mom and dad. The
children to theater and how this has made you paramedic checks my vitals and quickly realizes
the person you are today? I’m not having a heart
MICHAEL: My parents took attack. The irst question he
asks – “Were you proposing
me to see a production of THE "We all had a plethora tonight?” He then gave me
MUSIC MAN when I was three some sort of anti-anxiety pill
years old and I was hooked. After of bad dating stories and the ambulance quickly
that, for my entire childhood, and figured there left. The night ended, I kid
we’d go to Saturday or Sunday you not, with my dad driving
matinees of practically every must be some way to
show that toured through LA. use our personal pain the girl home with me resting
in the backseat. Now, just to
And every year we’d take trips for other people's be clear – it’s not like I was
to NYC to see Broadway shows. sixteen when this happened.
Since we were in LA there were enjoyment." I was probably twenty-four
also frequent trips to Disneyland years old. Needless to say, it
and we have home videos of was not a love connection…
me conducting the Disneyland
band. There is a magic that live theater has that no What is your best advice for someone on a
other medium can provide. irst date?
MICHAEL: Relax. Have fun. Don’t try too hard. And
ALAN: Growing up in LA, I was raised on a
combination of classic movie musicals and
take notes… because it may provide great material
Broadway shows when we’d visit family back east. for a musical!
One of my formative experiences as a kid was ALAN: First of all, you could end up meeting the
seeing LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS with the original perfect person for you, but if you haven’t gotten your
cast, and by the time Audrey II’s vines dropped onto own emotional ducks in a row, you might not even
the audience during the inale, I knew this was realize it. So dig deep and igure out what it is that
something I had to be a part of. Between my parents you really want and need out of a partner so you’ll
who nurtured any musical or creative impulse I had be ready when he or she comes along. Second,
and my older brother who lent me cast albums it’s easy to build up the idea of who someone will
and educated me in contemporary musicals, I was be before you meet them and create unrealistic
pretty much hard-wired for Broadway – and that expectations. Sometimes a person who looks really
passion led me to a very fulilling life and career. good on paper (or I should probably say “on Tinder”)
Austin, Is it true that you once required medical won’t live up to who you hoped they might be. So
attention by paramedics after suffering a panic don’t try to force a connection. When it’s right,
attack on what sounds like a irst date from it’ll feel right. And don’t get sloshed if you want a
hell? Do tell. second date.
AUSTIN: The date was actually going great. She
was an unbelievably beautiful red head. I literally
could not look at her without getting nervous. This
was probably part of the problem. In the middle of
