Donny Osmond, Colm Wilkinson, & Me (part 2)

After slumming it with Donny Osmond, I decided to be a bit more refined with Colm Wilkinson.  I mean, he’s 24601!  He’s the Phantom!  Heck, he led me in a sing-a-long of John Denver tunes at a black tie gala!!

Rae: Last night everyone was watching you on the 25th Anniversary of Les Miz.

Colm:  Yes, I heard that was on.

Rae:  How do you feel watching somebody else step into a role that’s so iconic for you?

Colm:  I suppose being the first guy in and having that song written for you is pretty special; but you know, I don’t own the role.  There’s thousands and thousands of people who’ve played Valjean since I did originally, and you’ve got to step back and let the young guys do it.  It’s just a thing that evolves.

That’s when I realise, if I hadn’t already, how truly graceful this man is.  I’d been on Twitter the night before & one of the other original cast members, whom we also claim as Canuck, was slagging the girl who was now playing “her” part.  It just felt wrong.  It was far too public a forum for that kind of opine and it came across as extremely catty. Colm, on the other hand, enthuses about it.

Colm: To be actually be part of that celebration and come out and sing at the end, it was a fantastic experience.  The show was beamed live to 120 countries and there were 23,000 people each night at the O2. It was huge, just huge.  A bit daunting, but there you go.

See what I mean?  A class act.

He chuckles when I tell him that someone on Twitter, @SJSJBrook, has a question for him.

Rae: She’d like to know, how did you enjoy working on the Tudors?

Colm: I really had a great time on the Tudors.  I really liked that.  I didn’t like getting up at 6 o’clock in the morning and getting back at 9 o’clock that night, but I enjoyed the Tudors very much.  I think it opened up a lot of people’s eyes to that part of history.  It really came alive.

Now, Henry VIII did not look anything like Jonathan (Rhys Meyers).  If he had, I think there’d have been a few less beheadings…

He tells me, by the way, that the team who brought us the Tudors are working on a new serise about the building of the Titanic.  Colm feels that a lot of people forget the Titanic was built in Ireland.  I proudly show him my Irish claddagh ring and tell him I certainly won’t.

Nor will I forget that both he and Donny Osmond have concerts coming up this summer for Dancap, or that tickets are on sale now.

So Elton John last week, Donny & Colm today.  I wonder who I’m going to meet next week?

Is there anyone special you’d like to see featured here?  Have any questions for the next time I bump into one of our icons?  Let me know!