Sue Him! Edwin Drood's Will Chase Wants to Romance Debra Messing in Guys and Dolls

Valentine’s Day is a yearly celebration of love—so what better way to mark the holiday than by asking stage stars to reminisce about the musical that sparked their love of theater? Read on for a treasure trove of musical memories and inspirational stories from your favorite Broadway actors.


WILL CHASE (John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood)

Musical that sparked my love of theater:
Guys and Dolls.

My first memory of the musical was:
My cousin Larry's high school production when I was eight years old.

The closest I came to performing in the musical was:
Never. (sad face)

To this day, when I hear or see the show I…
...am reminded of how one show captures music, lyrics and brilliant characters in the most archetypal musical way.

The last time I listened to the cast recording was:
Years ago. I actually own the original cast recording on all 45s.

The most memorable production I’ve seen of the musical is:
Franklin County High's production, circa 1978. I'm sure it probably wasn't that "great" but it will always remain the quintessential production to me.

The most romantic song from the show Is:
"I'll Know." "And I"ll stop. And I'll stare." (sigh)

My dream cast of a Broadway revival would star:
Steven Pasquale and I are trading Nathan and Sky nightly, Debra Messing as Adelaide, Kelli O'Hara as Sarah and Michael McGrath as Nicely Nicely.

Click here for other theater stars' Showmance stories.