Anything Goes’ Charmer Colin Donnell on His Wicked Awesome Fans and High School Musical Story

Age, hometown: 28, St. Louis, MO

Current role: Eliciting swoons aboard the S.S. American as dashing stowaway Billy Crocker in Anything Goes.

Setting Sail in Anything Goes: “[Director] Kathleen Marshall actually got to tell me in the audition room [that I got the part]!” Colin Donnell remembers of nabbing the heartthrob role in Anything Goes. His response? “Totally flabbergasted!” Donnell says he jumped at the chance to star opposite Tony winner Sutton Foster, whom he calls, “the sweetest person in the entire world, who I was really, really, really excited to get to work with.” Not bad for a kid who didn’t start performing until he was 16, when a broken ankle sidelined him from football. After “spending a little too much time at home,” his mother encouraged him to lend his juggling expertise to a school production of Barnum. “It’s a total High School Musical story,” Donnell laughs.

On the Road Again: One Indiana University education later, Donnell was carving out a career path in a tough business, alternating “smaller, quirky shows” like Edward Albee's Me, Myself and I at the McCarter Theater with romantic roles like Sky in Mamma Mia! and Fiyero in Wicked on national tours. “Touring is great because I love to travel,” he says. “I think I’ve been in every state but one; it’s nice to be back and finally have a home base again.” He also adores being in New York to indulge a particular passion: “I’m a huge food addict,” he admits. “I have a brother who lives here, and he and his wife and I try to get together and try new restaurants once a week. You can't beat New York for food.”

Broadway Ink: Delighted as he is to be back in New York, Donnell has some mementos of his time on the road. “I have a tattoo that I got in Memphis, and another I got in Dayton,” he shares, “Memphis is a sort of family tree with five silhouettes of birds, one for each member of my family,” he says, and in Dayton he got, “A fleur de lis. Because my Mom is French—not because I’m a huge New Orleans Saints fan!” he quickly qualifies. Another souvenir of his time touring? Fans. “I’ve had people at the [Anything Goes] stage door saying they saw me in Wicked,” he says with surprise. “They're awesome! I just never thought I’d have, like…fans, I guess?” But he's got admirers of all types. “I got the sweetest fan letter the other day from an 80-year-old woman,” he says. Perhaps it’s his admittedly striking resemblance to Mad Men dreamboat Jon Hamm, something Donnell isn’t above capitalizing on should the opportunity arise. “I’m just waiting for him to make a movie where he needs a younger brother,” he jokes, “But I don’t know, if we ever met the world might just implode.”